Pool tables at the Lakeside Resort will be working overtime from Feb. 2 to 6 as Penticton hosts the BC Pool Championships.
Over 300 competitors will be aiming for a chance to compete in nationals held in Toronto with winners then heading to Calgary for Westerns. This is the fourth year Penticton hosts the championship with Subrina Monteith as the organizer.
How good will the players competing be at the Lakeside?
“Some people you think should be playing on TV,” said Monteith. “Others are just learning. We have a wide variety of caliber of play. That is why you have the different divisions. You play with equal level so you are not completely squashed.”
While the competitors enjoy playing, Monteith said they also enjoy watching.
“You learn to play better because you watch and see,” she said.
The championship is also free for the public to watch and they are encouraged to.
“Players perform better when they feel that they are being watched,” she said. “It adds a lot more to the atmosphere.”
While players will be busy trying to make great shots, Monteith will be selling to the Canadian Cue Sport board to keep the eight-ball tournament in Penticton.
“It’s good business for Penticton,” she said. “They are going to the bars, they are going to the hotels, they are eating in restaurants, shopping at Walmart, going places and spending money. Most are here from Tuesday to Monday.”