A 40-man, 8-ball billiard tournament Wednesday at the Cushion N Cue was not for the faint of heart.
There were good-natured gibes by the competitors, of course — mostly self-directed — but there were also heated disputes about the rules and if the play was fair.
"This is very competitive, serious business," noted one observer.
It should be: Most of the players have had 40-plus years of experience chalking up at the table, deftly handling cue sticks, taking out the bridge for the long shot and calling the pockets.
The tournament featured players representing eight of Salt Lake County's 10 senior centers, players picked because of their skill at the game.
It was not simply an event to fritter away a few hours. It was a hard-fought battle to see which senior center got the "traveling trophy," a glittering 3-foot-high symbol of who is reigning champion.
The annual tournament is now in its 22nd year.
Wednesday, Mount Olympus senior center was defending its possession of the trophy, something its players have been able to brag about for a couple of years.
"You make sure everybody knows it," said Galen Nielsen. "It's our Stanley Cup."
Nielsen, however, was forced to wait on the sidelines to root for his teammates after being eliminated in the first game.
Murray's Heritage Center and Sandy senior center were viewed as a couple of the upstarts trying to stage takeovers of the precious trophy.
Homer Blaylock, sporting a black baseball cap, quietly played many of his competitors into losses, systematically landing the ball in the pocket.
When asked about his skill, the 82-year-old simply said, "I've played a few games. . . . There is no secret, other than you have to hit the balls right."
Blaylock, however, was bounced from the tournament by Dick Korger, 76.
Korger said the tournament, while good-naturedly competitive, is more about the socializing.
"It is a fun thing, everybody enjoys it."
Korger, despite his finesse at the table, was not able to win the trophy for the Sandy senior center and had to settle for second place. Instead, Mike Bogen, 75, snapped up the traveling trophy for Murray's Heritage Center. Third place went to Ron Lee, 72, from Sandy's center, and fourth to Kenny Bossenberger, from the now-stung Mount Olympus center.
The event is organized each year by Salt Lake County Aging Services.
Charles Robbins, assistant program manager for the county's senior centers, said players within each senior center fiercely compete for months in advance to earn the right to participate in the final tournament.
First- through fourth-place trophies are awarded.
Robbins said the average age of Wednesday's competitors was 76 — one man, it was proudly pointed out, was 90 years old. They were men who started out playing pool in their youth or middle age and never stopped.
While most years all centers have participated, two centers opted out this year. While many senior-center activities over the years have dwindled in popularity because of the senior population's changing nature, Robbins believes billiards will be a mainstay for decades to come.
"Pool will always be an activity that still goes," he said. "As long as you have the pros out there making money with the trick shots, and more and more women playing, it will be part of the senior center life."
E-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com