2015 has been a year with plenty of novelties for billiards in Québec which among these, two new circuits had emerged. Additionally to the already existing circuits from the Fédération Québécoise des Sports de Billard (FQSB), we witnessed the birth of a Junior circuit from the ADBQ and also a Professional circuit, the Falcon Cues Québec Tour. Still, the novelty which everyone is talking about this year is, of course, the Académie de Billard Sylvain Grenier (ABSG).
Sylvain Grenier started playing pool at 10 years old with his brother and friends and became a passionate of the sport. He quickly became the best in his circle and at 15, his brother brought him to Mauricie's pool hall. He then started to practice with people more experienced with whom he learned a lot. Both his dedication and his determination brought him results towards the game, indeed, he dominated each and every classes he went through throughout the years. Within less than four years, he ultimately reached the Pro status. He participated in many majors events, among these, he won the World Speed Pool in 2000 and, in 2001, he played in the prestigious US Open event and in the Molson Cup, which he finished 2nd behind the legendary Alain "The Dancing Bear" Martel.
With the reality of life, he chose to put away billiards for more than 12 years in order to take care of his family by starting a brilliant career in motoring.
In november 2014, he made a flawless comeback in tournaments and he seemed to be at the exact same level when he left the game 12 years back then. He attended and cashed in major events such as the Turning Stone Classic (this event gathered the best players around the world) and the Eastern USA Championship, which he finished 3rd. In 2015, he earned himself two 2nd places in 9-ball and 10-ball at the Québec Provincial Championships and won the Falcon Cues Québec Tour stop in Sept-Îles.
His love for the sport does not only show in competition, he also want to teach it. In 2015, he fulfills his dream by opening the first and yet only Québec's billiards academy in Trois-Rivières. Sylvain Grenier can now share his knowledge and his great experience towards the game for amateurs and lovers of the sport. The academy, with 6 tables in it, gives to the people many features. People may take lessons and classes as well in individual, in groups or with friends. Age does not matter, you can be a junior, an adult or a senior. Players can also practice by themselves with non-supervised training.
The academy also gives people the opportunity to measure your skills by competing with other players during tournaments and leagues, especially for juniors
and for different levels. Last Thursday, I (Luc Paquette) went to the academy to play a "Life Tournament". Anyone from any age can play in it. The youngest competitor was a girl, she was about 7. How joyful was it to watch those little youngsters playing pool and walking around the table with a small bench to step on to be able to be tall enough to reach the table! I enjoyed to see how the young ones appreciated to receive advice from the older ones. The most impressive thing was how the youngsters were taught to behave themselves and have sportsmanship during competitions. Everyone remained silent and stood still while their opponent was shooting and even when someone has lost, everybody shook hands with his opponent to congratulate the winner and they smiled at each other, the main reason to play pool is the fun everyone gets out of it, especially when you are a kid.
Billiards can be a great way for children and teens to either discover a passion, to develop logical and mathematical thinking, to fix goals, to surpass themselves
and to strenghten their perseverance.
Billiards is getting is nobility back and is turning back to a sport which can be practiced in family, from 7 to 77 years old, thanks to the academy. The reasons why anyone from any age can go over there are that there are no gambling machines and no alcohols. In order to have your acces granted, membership is required because the academy is not a pool hall, it is a training center.
The academy is a new hope for billiards in Québec and prospective champions may emerge from it. This center may give back and increase both exposure and credibility for the sport which were lacking for the past years.
With the holidays coming, it would be a great opportunity for you to make your relatives and friends discover this great sport which is described as "Anticipation is an art itself in billiards! It is not a game but a complete and artistic sport which requires good physical conditions, a logical reasoning of a chess player and the accurate touch of a pianist."
For further information on the Académie de Billard Sylvain Grenier, please visit: www.academiedebillard.com
Original text by: Luc Paquette, Josiane Larocque and Pascal Guimond
Translated by: Dany Nguyen
Thanks to Guy Simard from billardquebec.com for the photo
