North York club owner hosts Canadian tournament

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Most mothers would be unhappy if their young sons spent every spare minute hanging out in a pool hall.

But John White's mom was different.

"My mom always said, 'Well, I know where he is'," said the North York resident, who has been addicted to snooker since a friend introduced him to a neighbourhood billiards club at the age of 12.

To be fair, White grew up in Leaside so his mom hardly had to fret about him spending his spare time in a smoky dive.

The club was run by a man whom White regarded as a surrogate grandfather.

"He didn't tolerate any shenanigans. A lot of kids wanted to come in and horse around, but he was strict."

Unfortunately, his mentor died in the early 1980s before White captured the Canadian snooker championship in 1990 in Halifax.

Beginning tomorrow, White will know the thrill of hosting the national tournament for the first time when the 11-day Canadian Cue Sports Championships gets under way at his North York billiards club.

White, who was the runner-up in the Canadian championships in 2005-06, will play in the tournament.

He disagrees that competing on his own turf gives him a special home field advantage.

"Probably, the hardest place to play is in your own room. You are concentrating on making sure everyone is happy, everything is OK," he said.

White was hooked by the game the moment he picked up the cue stick.

"It's hard to describe. I fell in love with it right away," he said.

"Snooker is more of an elite game (than pool). It is the highest paid of all the billiards sports."

He fell in love with the game so much that at the age of 19 he bought 50 per cent ownership of a billiards club with his parents' help. Eighteen months later, he purchased the other half of the business.

Unfortunately, five years later, in 1989, the club and a dozen other surrounding stores were destroyed by fire.

A short time later, White travelled to England for two years to perfect his game.

When he returned home, he opened Shooters Snooker and Sports Club on Lawrence Avenue, west of Victoria Park, a business he has expanded over the years.

In addition to running his business, White is now dedicated to promoting snooker to a wider audience.

"We're trying to develop it, just like what Tiger Woods did with golf. We're trying to get it into the Olympics. It's classified now as a game, but we want it to be a sport," he said.

"I love to play. I don't play as much (as before). I've gotten into more promotion across Toronto, Ontario and Canada. Snooker has slowed down (in popularity) because pool has developed. It's easier. When I grew up, there was only snooker, not pool. Now, it's reversed. It (pool) is a game for all ages, all sexes. Snooker is known as a gentleman's game."

As White spoke about putting the finishing touches on the tournament, his idol Cliff Thorburn was lining up a shot on a table a few feet away.

Thorburn is the only player from Canada, in fact, from outside the United Kingdom, to hold the No. 1 spot in the snooker world since international rankings began in 1976.

Thorburn, nicknamed The Grinder for his slow, determined style, held the top honour in 1981-82.

Meanwhile, Thorburn became the first player to make a maximum 147 break, the highest score a player can make on the first shot of the game, at the 1983 world championships.

He is retired but can't stay away from the game, jokingly complaining he has no other skills.

"I still love to play and I can't swim," he laughed. "You never lose the love for it."

He is not participating in the championships, but has been coaching a couple of friends who are entered and plans to watch some matches.

"I'm helping some friends with their game. I won't say who they are because I don't want to put undue pressure on them but if they win, I'll take the credit," he joked.

The championships, which run from tomorrow to 24, features several competitions, including open snooker, amateur men's 9-ball, senior snooker, women's 9-ball and junior 9-ball.

Winners can take home anywhere from $4,000 to more than $25,000 in cash and prizes.

The club is at 1448 Lawrence Ave. E just west of Victoria Park. For more information, call 416-750-7787.