Almost as if by magic, each year the Chicago Women's 8 Ball League appears in October and
runs through March almost imperceptibly in bars across the city. Started in the 1970s by Carol
from CK's, this pool league has been running uninterrupted for more than 20 years.
The matches are slop, but don't let that lull you into a false sense of security. Women's 8
comes with a set of rules more than 10 pages long and those rules are taken seriously.
League coordinator Diane Gomez says, 'new teams get beat-up on when they first come in.'
Newcomer Denise Johnson agrees. She says 'I was nervous at first. I'm a beginner and there
are a lot of people who have been in the league for a lot of years. They know how to do the
intimidation thing.
'How should I say this—part of the game some people play is to use intimidation to throw you
off your game. Since I am a beginner it was easy to intimidate me. While I don't really intimidate
people.'
Apparently, Johnson didn't scare that easily—she went on to become the main caller (woman
responsible for knowing the rules and watching the game) for her team and when asked if she
will return next year she said, 'Yes, I'm planning on it. It was a lot of fun.' She added, 'I
learned a lot about pool. There were a lot of supportive people who would give tips on how to
improve my game and encouragement on how not to get intimidated. Like little pep talks. I feel
like my game did improve.'
She also emphasized that it was a good way to spend time with existing friends as well as
make new ones. 'I would recommend the league because although there are people with
attitudes ... for the most part everyone is supportive, they will give you tips on things, we joke
around, have a lot of fun [and perhaps most importantly for this actor] when you make a good
shot they all applaud.'
Teammate Kizzy Ramos, also in her inaugural season, was happy with the league as well. 'It
was a good feeling to make it here [all-stars] in my first year.' She adds laughing, 'the first
year was a good challenging experience and I will definitely come back to challenge the people
I played and whoop their asses. I picked up tips and tricks from the pool TV show and the
players I played against.'
League veteran Delana, more commonly known at Star Gaze as Dee, has been playing for
about 10 years. When asked about tips to offer new players she says, 'Diane [league
coordinator] taught me how to be a better pool player. She told me how to look around at the
table. She said I just hurried up and shot.' She adds, 'I look forward to playing pool every year.
There is a lot of competitive edge to it, but it's a lot of fun. The only bad thing is every year it's
hard to get people to come back.' Gomez agrees. She says 'bars are begging for teams, but
there are not enough players to go around.' This year there were seven teams and the largest
the league has been is 12. She adds, 'new teams take a couple of years to get accustomed to
system.'
In addition to coordinating the league for about 10 years, Diane Gomez has been an active
participant as well. Originally playing for the Swan Club and later CK's, she currently serves as
anchor for the Lost & Found team. Bridget, another long-time player who presently plays for
Lost & Found, had this to say after reflecting on her tenure in the league: 'The league has
evolved and so have I. In the beginning it was a learning process for all the women, we
started on a level playing field, and now the experienced and new players all play against
each other, it's no longer a similar skill level.' She adds smiling, 'It's the only women's league I
know about and the only one I want to play in.' Then with a twinkle in her eye she says, 'it's
an excuse to drink too.'
The Women's 8 Ball League, while not as large as its organizers would like, has amazing
staying power and it seems likely that women will be breaking balls for years to come.
