By KRISTA STAUDINGER

UW News Lab

After pulling a three-fingered glove over his left hand, Charles Chu created a hole with his thumb, pointer finger and middle finger to slide his pool stick through. His pinky and ring finger were left exposed on the pool table, supporting the stick. The tip of his pool stick was chalked in the same royal blue shade as his glove.

“I’m going for the three-ball in the corner pocket,” he called while carefully angling his shot. A quick, steady tap from his right hand, placed at the back end of the stick, sent the cue ball knocking into the red three-ball, causing it to fall where Chu said it would.

Chu is a podiatrist who manages seven clinics in Washington. About eight years ago he began playing pool as a hobby and way to relax after long days at work.

“For a few hours you get to forget about your worries,” Chu said. “I can just socialize with some of my friends and play a game of pool.”

Chu currently plays in the Northwest TAP league in the Maple Diamond division, which plays both eight and nine-ball games. The division is made up of six teams that meet on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. in different pubs in the Maple Valley and Black Diamond areas. Each team has five to eight players and a local pub where they host their home games. Annual dues are $25 and each match costs $6 per person.

Chu is the captain of his team, Lucky 8, which hosts its games at Dino’s Pub in Renton. As the rest of the teams in his division are located in the South End, his commute to games is often far. With gas prices going up, Chu aims to start a division on the Eastside, particularly in the Bellevue area.

This would expand the Northwest TAP league, which covers all of King and Pierce counties (although the divisions are currently based in south King County) from 10 divisions to 11.

The spring session is under way. Chu hopes to have enough teams to start an Eastside division in time for the summer session, which begins in May. He needs at least two more teams of five to eight players per team.

“You play once a week for 14 weeks,” Chu said about each session. Each player has to attend six of the 14 matches in order to qualify with their team for the playoffs. From playoffs, teams advance to the county tournament and have the chance to win $300 as a team as well as qualify for the national tournament. Northwest TAP league owner, Ed Hobbs, covers the cost of flight, hotel and entry fees for winning teams to go to nationals.

“Our national tournaments move every year,” Hobbs said. This year it will be held in Charleston, S.C. Chu has played in three national tournaments with his team and hopes to play in Charleston this year.

TAP league has divisions across the United States and Canada, with the majority of leagues on the East Coast. In addition to Northwest TAP, Washington state has the Inland TAP league in Spokane County.

To be eligible to join the league a player must be at least 21 years old. Players range in age, Chu noted, with many of them in their 70s and 80s.

“Actually some of the players in the older age group are the best players because they have the experience. So once they hit the ball they know where it’s going to go,” he said.

The experience levels on each team vary. With a handicap system in place, players are ranked by skill and experience to level the playing field. Beginners can learn from more seasoned players on their teams, as Chu said his teammates helped teach and give him pointers when he started out. He said the biggest challenge of playing pool is concentration.

“If you don’t focus, you can miss the simplest shot,” Chu said.

John Gollnic, who plays on Chu’s team, said he started playing pool about 50 years ago. As the former Northwest TAP league owner, he enjoys how TAP league organizes the game.

“Rather than just making the ball, it’s more of a strategy on how to win the game, more like a chess game, so the rules are different and defensive play is part of the game,” Gollnic said.

For information about joining Northwest TAP league visit www.nwtapleague.com.

Krista Staudinger is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.