Arlington Heights man passes love of pool to kids
Tom Van Eck of Arlington Heights has an unusual job title on his business cards: the Pied Piper of pool.
Nearly every week, he heads to a different Boys & Girls Club in the greater Chicago area seeking to improve the equipment in their billiards rooms and, by extension, teach the game of pool to youngsters in an effort to keep them off the streets.
“I want to encourage more participation,” says Van Eck, who is a semiretired salesman. “Pool is an active game, which both boys and girls can play. It gets them away from their phones and video games. Plus, it encourages them to talk to one another,” he adds, “stay balanced and concentrate.”
His effort started last year when Van Eck made a cold call to the Boys & Girls Club in Elgin and found that their tables and cues were in disrepair.
He returned with his friend, Jeff Papke of Chicago, and together they re-felted both tables and found companies willing to donate new cues, two sets of balls and the fabric for the tables.
That's not all. These Pied Pipers also shared some of the finer points of the game, starting with where to hit the cue ball when making the shot.
Cathy Malkani, CEO of the club in Elgin, says the game of billiards has been a cornerstone of Boys & Girls Clubs for more than 50 years. In fact, each of the more than 20 Chicago area clubs has a billiard room with tables.
“It's a great way for kids to learn skills that extend beyond the table,” Malkani says, “such as physics, the law of motion, patience, taking risks, about how to win and how to lose.
“Tom knows this, and he knows the importance of having such sports available for the kids in Elgin,” she adds. “People like Tom are making a difference in the world — one table and one child at a time.”
Just last week, Van Eck called on his 17th Boys and Girls Club in Waukegan. Prior to that, he visited one in Joliet that had five pool tables, all in need of attention.
“I have visited club after club that did not have the right equipment,” Van Eck says. “They may have cue balls that are too heavy or sticks that don't have the right tips on the end. We want to give the kids the right equipment to play the game.”
Van Eck had developed a training ball, the iCue ball, which helps players clearly visualize the impact point on the cue ball. He had begun selling it at local trade shows and tournaments when he realized he could share his passion for the game with a wider audience.
“I had extra time on my hands and I wanted to volunteer,” Van Eck says.
It was his wife, Joan, who works with teens in the library at Prospect High School, who suggested promoting the game with young people.
Van Eck himself started playing the game at age 10 and he slowly improved to become a tournament player. While at the University of Notre Dame, he won the campus championship his junior and senior years, and as an adult he qualified for the American Poolplayers Association championships in Las Vegas.
He continues to play in local leagues and, with his long association with the game, he has developed a large network of friends and companies willing to help with his latest venture.
Van Eck is not alone in his quest to promote the sport with a younger generation. He drew inspiration from the Billiard Education Foundation, which held its Junior 9-Ball Championships in July at the Schaumburg Convention Center. The youth tournament was part of the Billiards Congress of America Home & Leisure Show, and it drew its largest number of qualifiers to date — more than 400 youngsters from 29 states.
All of which empowers Van Eck, who is seeking backers willing to support his quest for updated sticks, balls, racks and tables for Boys & Girls Clubs. To help, email him at twvaneck@hotmail.com.
Van Eck also manages a website that offers videos on ways to run the table and that explain his training ball. Check it out at www.icueclinic.com.