You know you’ve been around too damn long when you start phrases with, “Back in the day…”

You know you’ve been around too damn long when you start phrases with, “Back in the day…”

That said, I’m secure in admitting I’ve been around too damn long, so…

Back in the day, it always surprised me that more top men players and women players weren’t “couples.” In the ’80s, the men and women pros often played side-by-side in top professional tournaments, so there was no shortage of “together time,” and the players certainly were familiar and friendly with one another. For some reason, though, intra-pool relationships weren’t prevalent.

There were, of course, exceptions. For me, most notable was Sweden’s Ewa then-Svensson and Jimmy Mataya’s whirlwind romance. Ewa, then 17 and in the U.S. for the first time to compete in the 1981 Professional Pool Players Association World Straight Pool Championships in New York City, met the handsome and charismatic “Pretty Boy Floyd” and didn’t return home until after the couple was married. At the time, Ewa was still a raw talent, but her skills were unquestioned, and it was clear her star was on the rise. Mataya was 30 at the time and was considered more of a gambler than tournament player, although still a feared competitor. They were arguably pool’s first official “power couple.”

The early ’80s also brought another rising woman player, Loree Jon Ogonowski, together with Texas player Sammy Jones. Loree Jon, then just 15, had won the Women’s World Straight Pool Championship at the same event that welcomed Ewa to the U.S. Four years later, Loree Jon and Sammy became pool’s second power couple, although like Mataya, Jones was not a top-20 talent in the men’s divisions.

In the ’90s, the big pool power couple was Jeanette Lee and men’s pro George Breedlove. Like Mataya and Jones, Breedlove played on the men’s tour, but was never a top-10 player or tournament winner. No, pool’s first power couples were female-dominated when it came to headlines and tournament titles. For some reason, I always found that fascinating. I’m sure all of the men, who at the time would likely have won most head-to-head matches, impacted their wife’s knowledge at the table even if they weren’t official coaches.

Interestingly, that was pretty much it from 1980 to the late 2010s as far as his-and-her pool careers go. I also find that odd. Top athletes in any sport tend to be drawn to other top athletes. There is a common bond and a level of knowledge that makes it difficult to connect with people who don’t share that expertise. And, most of all, there is an understanding of the commitment and built-in selfishness that all athletes at the top level of their sport share.

But now, as our cover story this month delves into, there has been a spate of pool relationships at the highest talent levels over the past five years.

Is there something in the water these days that has drawn Josh and Pia Filler, Tyler and Margaret Styer, Fedor Gorst and Kristina Tkach, and Aloysius Yapp and Silviana Lu together in such a short time? Certainly, opportunity to be together and compete together has increased in recent years, with big international events growing exponentially. And air travel and social media continues to shrink the world.

What is most interesting to me is that today’s pool power couples are constant title contenders in both the open and women’s divisions. Practice and sparring sessions in each household must be spirited and competitive, to say the least.

In truth, it shouldn’t be surprising that there are power couples in pool. When you play pool at that level, is there really time to dabble in the traditional dating scene? All of today’s top players have frequent flyer status, which usually means that home is simply someplace to catch up on laundry and change suitcases. It’s almost more surprising to me that a top pool player could manage a traditional marriage. Traveling salesmen have nothing on pool pros. And what would dinner table conversation be like? “So, how was your day?” takes on a whole different dimension when the answer involves ahead-races, money in the middle, nits and slugs.

What’s most refreshing about the four couples featured in this issue is that they are all among the most respected and well-liked players in the game. They are engaging, smart, kind and flat-out adorable as couples. And they are all the kind of ambassadors for the game that the sport and industry can hold up as examples of what is great about pool. I mean, how cool is it that life partners can hold a clinic or put on an exhibition? Anyone who attends would likely relate to one or the other.

Now, of course, what we all want to see is a four-team Scotch doubles event pitting these couples against one another for bragging rights as Pool’s Supreme Power Couple!

I’d watch that!