Dear American Poolplayers Association: Let High-Skilled Women Play
Pool has gained popularity as a sport over the years, especially among women. With professional players Jeanette Lee -- more commonly known as “The Black Widow” -- and “The Duchess of Doom” Allison Fisher serving as role models to women worldwide, it is no wonder that more and more women pick up this sport every day. Yet one of the largest organizations for pool players in the world, the American Poolplayers Association (APA), won’t let women play at their potential.
The APA is not only one of the sponsors of the Women’s Professional Billiards Association, but also allows amateur men, women, and children around the country to compete in handicapped weekly league matches as a team sport in 8-ball and 9-ball. APA teams can have no more than eight players each; during a weekly team match, five of these players compete in individual matches. The number of games that any player, male or female, needs to win is based on their skill level assigned by the APA’s patented scoring system, The Equalizer®. In 8-ball, the APA assigns each player a skill level from 2 to 7, based on their performance.
In Ladies’ 8-ball, the skill levels of these five players can total no more than 19. However, in the male dominated co-ed division, the five players’ skill levels can add up to 23.
The APA justifies this discrepancy by saying their (likely outdated) statistics show that 84% of female 8-ball players are a skill level of only 2 or 3. However, a recent informal investigation completed nationwide by many female APA members found that only about 50% of female players were at that low level. It is difficult enough in the coed open division to post five players with a combined skill level of 23 or less, and nearly impossible to build teams that add up to 19 or less in the Ladies’ Division.
This proves to be maddening for the women in the Ladies’ 8-ball Division, and many players ultimately decide it is just not worth the grief and effort. Most women find that their teams are required to split and reorganize several times a year as players improve, which is heartbreaking to women who have grown together. For some women who have no siblings or relatives living nearby, the women on their team become their sisters and family. These ladies do not just see each other once a week for fellowship and to compete in an enjoyable sport, but also get to know one another on a personal level. Many spend time shopping and dining together, caring for each other’s children, celebrating birthdays and milestones, attending weddings, supporting one another through family illnesses or funerals, and generally spending holidays together as if they were family.
In addition to the camaraderie, many of the newer or lower skill-level players prefer to compete only in the Ladies’ Division in an effort to build their confidence. The male-dominated open division understandably intimidates many women, new players and veterans alike. Most mid- to high-ranked female players are overpowered by the personalities of their high-ranking male teammates, resulting in a lack of mentoring or coaching time. The Ladies’ Division allows these women to serve as mentors and coaches to lower skill level players, creating a sense of obligation and aiding in building team solidarity.
In a sport that encourages and rewards players for improving, female players feel they are instead being penalized for their success or discouraged from building a strong, competitive team. Many women are discovering that they spend years improving their game and, if they have no desire to compete in the coed open division, then realize they must sadly abandon their beloved hobby or sport altogether. There are even lower skilled players who witness the frustrations of these more experienced ladies and are forced to believe that their only solution is the unspeakable “sandbagging,” or intentionally losing games in an effort to manipulate their skill level and keep it from increasing. This defeats the purpose of a sport where advancing one’s playing ability should be rewarded and anticipated with excitement and celebration.
It is interesting to note that the president and vice-president of the APA are both female, the organization itself is one of the largest and arguably most well-known sponsors of the Women’s Professional Billiards Association, and they have one of the highest-ranking female players in the world as their spokesperson. Yet the organization nonetheless undervalues their growing female membership and holds outdated perspectives on their ability.
Photo credit: Feierabend
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