Billiard Excellence Through Training, Education and Recreation Marks Sixth Year

Billiard Excellence Through Training, Education and Recreation Marks Sixth YearThe B.E.T.T.E.R. High School Billiard Program (Billiard Excellence Through Training, Education and Recreation) is now in its 6th year. The billiards program started in Dallas in 2001 as a pilot Billiard Congress of America (BCA) and Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) certified and sanctioned after school alternative sports program. It is designed to offer high schools with another alternative sport and activity for their girl and boy students that is well organized and highly disciplined. The program is also an excellent way to expose and gain interest in classroom subjects such as Physics and Geometry. The program involves critical thinking, problem solving and physical exercise.
"Billiards is the well-developed Art of thinking ahead. It is not only a game, but first and foremost a demanding Sport, which requires good stamina, the logical thinking of a chess player and the stable hand of a concert pianist." - Albert Einstein. This 2006-2007 season several high schools from five Independent School Districts in the Dallas area were invited in this exciting and new educational program. They are the first high schools in the U.S. to have such a program. Wylie H.S., South Garland H.S., Garland H.S., Sachse H.S., Naaman Forest H.S., Rowlett H.S., Rockwall H.S., Utley Freshmen Center, Plano Senior H.S., and Berkner H.S. The participating school districts have been and are Garland ISD, Rockwall ISD, Plano ISD, and Richardson ISD and Wylie ISD. We are opening the program to more high schools and our goal is to have 10-12 high schools from several ISD's competing next 2007-2008 season. Each school had a Billiard Club open to 50 players maximum and then selected a Billiard Team consisting of 10 players maximum. Billiard Team members compete in a very competitive and disciplined sanctioned BCA High School League against other area high schools for the BCA Texas State Billiard Championship Title. All players have been trained and coached by professional BCA Certified Billiard Instructors who are also BCA Master Level Players. This past 2006 summer we had sent 12 H.S. students from our program to the University of Arizona to represent their high school, the program, and the State of Texas for the 2006 BCA Junior Nationals. Two of our students had made the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) Academic All-American list. One high school member placed 2nd in the U.S. Junior Artistic Billiard Challenge. These students competed against the top talent in the U.S. and Canada. The top U.S. junior players had been selected for the U.S. Billiard Team which competed in the Junior World Championships held in Sydney, Australia this past November, 2006. For the first time ever the U.S. girls won the "Gold" and "Silver" medals in Sydney. The BCA is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a U.S. Billiard organization. In 1998 the IOC recognized billiards as a legitimate sport. Since then countries around the world have begun youth programs to educate and promote billiards to the youth to prepare for future international events. Billiards has already been included and have been in competition in the last two World Games. In Taiwan there are currently over 2000 high schools with billiard tables installed in their schools. The Taiwanese high school billiard programs are world class. They see billiards not only as a game but as an excellent educational tool. The BCA and the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) have also realized the fact that billiards is an incredible tool to expose and teach students the basic principles in Geometry and Physics. The BEF and BCA offer college scholarships to 12th grade players who qualify for and seek higher education goals. For more info please go to www.betterplaybilliards.org. Earl MunsonBCA Certified Instructor/BCA Sanction H.S. Program DirectorPhone:972-757-8384Email: emunson@betterplaybilliards.org Website: www.betterplaybilliards.org "Billiards is the well-developed Art of thinking ahead. It is not only agame, but first and foremost a demanding Sport, which requires good stamina,the logical thinking of a chess player and the stable hand of a concert pianist." - Albert Einstein.

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