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Shaw Airman competes at nationals

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman John Gordinier
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  An explosives ordnance disposal technician is practicing every night for an upcoming nine-ball pool tournament in Reno, Nev., where he will play against some of the best in the world.

Senior Airman Eric Charlton, of the 20th Civil Engineer Squadron, will compete in the National 9-Ball Bar-Table Championship held Feb. 28 to March 2.

It is an open tournament which means anyone can play, he said. He's been told there will be about 250 people competing.

"I have to pay an entry fee of $125 to participate, but the winner takes home about $10,000," Airman Charlton said. 

Airman Charlton grew up in Lake Tahoe, Calif., and at the age of 15 discovered he had a natural talent for shooting pool and the tournament in Reno is not his first. 

He said he has played in many tournaments since the first time he picked up the pool stick. 

"I started by playing and winning local eight-ball tournaments," Airman Charlton said. "Then I moved my way up and began winning regional nine-ball tournaments as well as playing and placing in many state and national tournaments from 1995 to 1999." 

In 1999, Airman Charlton said he even got the honor of playing with Efren Reyes and Alex Pagulayan in a nine-ball race-to-nine game. 

"Efren Reyes is ranked the best pool player in the world," the EOD technician said. "When I played him, I lost, but I only got to shoot twice out of nine games. Alex Pagulayan was ranked the No. 5 best in the world at the time and I almost beat him in the race to nine. At one point, I was winning, 8-7. Then I barely missed my shot. Unfortunately, I never got to shoot again. I lost, 9-8." 

Recently, Airman Charlton played in the annual Shaw eight-ball tournament and was labeled pool champion for the year 2006. 

"Airman Charlton is a superb EOD technician," said Capt. Joseph Legradi, 20th CES EOD flight commander. "He has already deployed to Iraq and demonstrated his outstanding skills. While maintaining his high level of excellence, he finds time to excel at extracurricular activities like pool. We are very proud of Airman Charlton for both his commitment to duty and his representation of Shaw Air Force Base as the pool champion."

When asked how he became so good at pool, Airman Charlton replied, "I make every shot count. 

"To become good at pool, every shot must mean something," he said. "Don't just play, compete because it makes you focus better. If you treat every missed shot as only losing your turn, you're not going to improve your focus. The pressure you face when competing will help sharpen your skills and techniques."