Turnout low for biannual pool tourney

The Late Night at The Pit Pool Tournament gathered competitive players Thursday night.

The single player tournament started at 9 p.m., and had 24 players participating. The tournament applied 8-ball rules. The rules covered how a rack must be set, what would happen after player scratches, and what should happen when a player double hits the cue ball. The rules also specified that players must keep “at least one foot on the floor at all times that a player is shooting” and there would be “no ball-in-hand scratches.” The Pit workers refereed the tables.

The tournament winner was Eddie Puga, 20, freshman of Los Angeles, who competed against Brandon Swanson, 23, senior of Arthur, during the final round. Puga earned a CSC Nike sweatshirt. Second place winner, Swanson, got a CSC Dri Fit T-shirt.

Isaiah Castellaw, 20, junior of Scottsbluff, placed third and left with a CSC tank top.

Despite winning, Puga commented about the tables.

“They need to get these tables fixed,” he said afterward.

Players, and several audience members, moaned and groaned when players missed their targets due to the poor conditions of the tables. During Puga’s first game, his cue ball bounced up after hitting one of the slumped walls on his table and landed in a corner pocket.

All five pool tables were used in the tournament, including one that had been closed weeks prior. A college staff member fixed it before the event started.

“Hopefully, we will end up with funds at the end of the semester to fix them up,” said The Pit Manager Jennie Robbins, 21, senior of Mitchell.

Despite the jokes and laughter that filled The Pit, students noticed poor turnout compared to past tournaments.

“We usually have a lot bigger turnout,” Robbins said, adding that some events draw larger crowds than others, and she expects more people will attend the next tournament.

Pit desk worker Elysha Stahla, 20, junior of Moorcroft, Wyoming, put a positive spin on poor attendance.

“It’s smaller than last year, but running smoother than last year too,” Stahla said.

The Pit hosts a pool tournament at least once a semester, Robbins said.