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10 • THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ENTERTAINMENT
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2002
Student billiards players shoot for fun and profit
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
David Kihm looks out of place.
Older men, most of them wearing work shirts and gray beards, line the walls and shuffle between pool tables. Kihm's bright yellow t-shirt and boyish face seem to beg the question 'What are you doing here?'
"Some people say we look like Justin (Timberlake) and Britney (Spears)," his girlfriend Jennifer Garber said.
Garber, 17, stays close to Kihm's side, but she doesn't seem worried by her surroundings. In fact, she and Kihm sit, talk and laugh like regulars. That's because they are.
John Nowak/Kansan
Kihm, an 18 year-old Lawrence freshman, plays in the Billiard Congress of America pool league every Tuesday night at Astro's, a pool bar at 601 Kasold Drive. This session of the league is in its fourth of 21 weeks, and it's Kihm's second consecutive season playing with this team.
"I used to gamble almost everyday last summer," he says. "But then everybody at The Pool Room kind of got to know me. They got to know me around here too."
He wasn't getting rich, maybe $20-$25 a night, but not a bad return for shooting pool.
David Kihm, Lawrence freshman, takes aim at the corner pocket at Astro's, 601 Kasold Drive. Kihm also plays competitively in leagues and tournaments and has several victories to his name.
aging five members per team. The grand prize is $2500-$3000 for the winning team, but most players are there for the camaraderie.
The league at Astro's has 12 teams, aver-
These days, Kihm plays mostly in leagues and tournaments, winning $50 and then $30 as the champion of two contests at Emerson Biggin's Sports Bar and Grill, 3512 Clinton Parkway, recently.
"It pretty much runs itself," Chad Landis, manager of Astro's, said of the league. "The only problem I have is not having enough tables for people just coming in to shoot."
Each of the league players has a ranking. Players earn 10 points for every game if they win, and a point for every ball they put down if they lose. His or her total points are then divided by the number of games played to get a rating of 1-10.
A handful of players in the league including Kihm's teammate, Lawrence resident Aaron Pfannestiel—are nines. Kihm is an eight and so is his other teammate Ben Erwin.
Erwin, 48, treats Kihm and Garber like part of his family. He mixes a little philosophy, advice and slightly off-color jokes to keep the mood light and establish the chemistry he looks for in his pool teams.
"He's kind of the wise sage on the team," Kihm said.
Erwin lives up to the title moments later, as Kihm calls timeout to ask his advice on a shot. Kihm shifts from foot to foot and chews on his fingernail, while Erwin speaks. After conferring for a few seconds they agree the best strategy is to play a safety—a defensive shot that is designed to leave the opponent with a difficult shot. The play works perfectly, and after the other player misses, Kihm sinks the rest of
his balls for another victory.
"See that right there?" Kihm says, gesturing to the cue ball. "That's the difference between a good player and a mediocre player."
He's right. The man misses his next shot, and Erwin clears the table, winning his sixth match of the night.
Edited by Sarah Hill
Microwaves the alternative to clunky appliances
By Kelly McNearney
kmcnearney@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
For fear of that scary, antiquated appliance called the oven and lack of patience for dealing with that strange stove thing, students are throwing just about any food into the microwave.
Sean Henning, Leawood freshman, lives in Oliver Hall and uses the microwave in his room to cook noodles, hot dogs, sandwiches and grilled cheese.
"It's more just a warm cheese. It's not really grilled," Henning said. "It doesn't sound that great, but it's light and it's good."
Henning works at the Oliver Hall front desk and said some students used the
kitchen in the residence hall. He said he had roasted some pumpkin seeds over Halloween.
Others used the kitchen more frequently.
"There's one guy who makes a lot of omelettes," Henning said.
Scott Self, Liberty, Mo., freshman, said he had not used the student kitchen and preferred his microwave.
Not all students are keen on the idea of cooking with large appliances.
"I didn't know where it was for a long time. I'm not real big on cooking," Self said.
Self said he ate all meals at the Oliver Hall cafeteria but cooked Easy Mac or ramen noodles in his microwave when he needed a snack.
"It's more just a warm cheese. It's not really grilled. It doesn't sound that great, but it's light and it's good."
Sean Henning
Leawood freshman
Companies such as Kraft have taken to the quick-fix food trend.
Kraft created Easy Mac and It's Pasta Anytime, easier alternatives to boiling water for noodles.
Students are stocking up on these premade foods for meals and late-night snacks.
Ashley Byars, Prairie Village senior. "We have lots of Uncle Ben's Rice Bowls and that type of thing in the apartment. Sometimes you get sick of them when you've eaten them for two years."
Byars said she did not cook mostly because real cooking took too much time and effort. The only type of cooking she does is baking cookies.
Byars and her roommates rely upon the George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine for some meals.
"I like to eat cookie dough a lot," said —Edited by Amy Schmitz
"One time I made three hot dogs in there," she said. "They turned out pretty good, though. I don't know why I didn't put them in the microwave. I guess I thought they'd be better on the Foreman."