Brunswick Corporation
11.01.2006
Speed Pool: Billiards for the Fast and the Furious
Introduced in the early 1980s by Hazlegrove Superleague, a billiards company in England, speed pool was created to add excitement to the sport of billiards. The object of speed pool is simple – run a rack of 15 balls in the shortest time possible, leaving the 8-ball for last. Hazlegrove Superleague believed the excitement of players running around the table having others cheer them on would not only bring a breath of fresh air to the sport, but also boost the company’s revenue – particularly in coin-operated tables. The faster a player finishes a game of pool and begins another, the more revenue is generated.
When the Valley National Eight Ball Association (VNEA) – an organization sponsored by Valley-Dynamo, the largest manufacturer of coin-operated pool tables, air hockey tables and foosball tables and a division of Brunswick Billiards – introduced Speed Pool in 1995, the game quickly gained popularity throughout the United States. Players polished their skills and invented new strategies for running the rack with both lightning speed and crafty precision.
One player – England’s Dave Pearson – made the game of speed pool famous. Dave was only 21-years-old when he broke his first World Record. He ran a rack of 15 balls, waiting for the cue ball to stop in between shots and pocketing the 8 ball last, in an amazing 43 seconds. Breaking his own record three more times, Dave set the current World Record by completing the feat in 26.5 seconds.
Working in close cooperation with Dave Pearson (also known as “Ginger Wizard”), the VNEA has formed a nationwide Speed Pool Tour event held annually in conjunction with the VNEA International Championships in Las Vegas, Nev.
VNEA sanctioned leagues around the world conduct speed pool qualifying tournaments at local taverns and community halls. Each league produces a champion who is invited to the Annual VNEA World Speed Pool Tour Finals, for a chance to win cash and the title of "World Champion." The 2006 speed pool winner Francisco Diaz also won a Brunswick boat – a Bayliner 175.
“This is a very exciting event,” said Dave Courington, Promotions Director, Valley-Dynamo. “If you watch just a few matches, you’ll be hooked on the game. It's a blast to watch.”
