From just a student hobby and playing tournaments at Pepe’s Pizza, the billiards team is finally an official club of Wilkes University.

Commonly referred to as “the spot,” the Wilkes University Poolplayers Association meets and shoots pool in the bottom floor of the sub. When Wilkes renovated Rifkin Café over the summer, they also gave the game room a makeover, along with all new tables and equipment.

This was all possible due to two students wanting to take their hobby to the next level.  In the spring semester of 2011, senior Adam Burt, a pharmacy major, and senior Tim Cheung, computer information systems major, teamed up and ran the recreational club together.

Today, Mark Margavage, a senior earth and environmental sciences major, holds the title as president.

“It’s not the stick,” Margavage is known to frequently say.

Margavage now oversees the club and looks back at his roots of shooting pool.

“I started playing regularly back in 2010,” Margavage said. “I would always go to the bar with my dad, and since I was too young, I would always just play pool and I learned from there.”

This year at club day, the pool team saw the roster jump dramatically as 76 members signed up.

“I’m very happy with the turnout we had after club day and we can only add to that,” Margavage said. “Guys and girls both signed up and we are getting off the ground with a running start.”

With the number of players available, the pool team can finally run organized tournaments monthly.  Next semester, the team hopes to schedule one tournament series per month with three brackets. Tournaments will be played on Tuesdays during club hours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Along with the tournaments come prizes to the winners. The armature bracket wins a $20 gift card, the intermediate bracket wins a $25 gift card, and the bracket open to all receives a $30 gift card, each to place of the winner’s choice.

The Wilkes pool team is open to players of all skill levels.

“It doesn’t matter what skill level you have, come down whenever and we’re always there to help and shoot with,” Margavage said.

Ryan Foster, a sophomore mechanical engineer major, commonly takes the offer up.

“I usually go down because everyone is really chill and open to play with,” Foster said. “It gives me something to do in my free time and it’s always fun.”

Any students interested in becoming a part of the billiards team can email Mark Margavage and get set up in a bracket immediately. Any Wilkes University student is welcomed and encouraged to play.