Pool Sharks

When John McCormick and Jason Halpin met in Litchfield Towers during their freshman year,… When John McCormick and Jason Halpin met in Litchfield Towers during their freshman year, they probably never expected that in a few years they would be considered the top two collegiate nine-ball pool players in the region.

These two Pitt students now proudly have that honor, after numerous games of pool played throughout this academic year.

The journey to stardom began when McCormick and Halpin both participated in a local billiards and ping-pong tournament sponsored by Pitt Program Council. They were among the top eight billiards players that advanced to the regionals in Maryland.

At regionals, the duo never lost to anyone, except each other. McCormick beat Halpin, sending him to the losers bracket in this double-elimination tournament. Halpin then came back and beat McCormick. McCormick, however, finally demolished his friend and took the title of No. 1 nine-ball player in the region, consisting of college students from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.

McCormick, winner of the regional competition, will be traveling to North Carolina this month to participate in the national nine-ball tournament sponsored by the American College Unions-International. There he must compete against the top players of the 15 regions across the United States.

McCormick has triumphed in the regional tournament the last three years. Last year he placed third in the national tournament out of 16 players. In nationals, he has to compete against the winner in each of the 15 regions along with an additional player from the region hosting the competition.

McCormick said he has gotten to see exciting places such as Los Angeles and some not so interesting places such as Fargo, N.D.

“We couldn’t even order a pizza after 10 o’clock,” McCormick said of Fargo, but he added, “The fun part really is you get to meet other college players.”

While McCormick was familiar with pool before coming to Pitt, playing in the Junior Nationals and regional tournaments, Halpin hadn’t been as avid of a fan. When they met on their floor in Towers they both joined the University of Pittsburgh Billiards Club. McCormick now serves as president of the organization and Halpin as vice president.

The club, which meets every Thursday at 7 p.m. in the William Pitt Union Recreational Center, hosts weekly pool tournaments for all interested students. The tournaments are played in a handicap style so members of all skill levels are able to participate. There are currently 40 to 50 students who come out to play. Students who pay the dues of $15 per semester are able to obtain free pool time in the Recreational Center.

“Pitt has some of the best billiard facilities in the country as far as in our student union,” Halpin said. “Our facilities are better than every other school we’ve been to in the regional tournament so far.”

The William Pitt Union Recreational Center is equipped with 13 pool tables, one snooker table and one billiard table, giving pool sharks options for the type of pool game they wish to play.

Pitt hasn’t been widely known for their pool players but McCormick said, “They don’t really talk about it a whole lot but there have been pro pool players that have come out of Pitt.”

One of these players J.R. Calvert is a professional pool player and a representative for Falcon Cues, a cue manufacturer. Another Pitt notable is Chuck Farinella who runs a technologically advanced pool players league in Pittsburgh.

“The past couple of years it has been Pitt all the way,” McCormick explained.

As far as the McCormick and Halpin duo, they say they have gained a lot from the competitions and from competing against each other.

“We’ve really battled it out,” Halpin said.