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Pool’s Trick Shot World Champion Paul Gerni: Ambassador, Renaissance Man, and Gentleman Pool trick shot master Paul Gerni was resting at his hotel in the afternoon, and preparing for an evening pool trick shot exhibition in the small college town of Hammond, Louisiana, population 15,800, when he received word by telephone that he is to join other trick shooter legends in the new Trick Shot Hall of Fame. In a small town such as Hammond, whose nightlife includes so few billiard tables in the gaming parlors and bars that you could count them on one hand, only a handful of people could really appreciate the 18-time world trick shot champion’s accomplishment. Fewer still could really appreciate the years of dedication and sacrifice, study and self-discovery that led Gerni to receive this honor, and his well-deserved nickname, “The Ambassador of Pool.” Still, Mr. Gerni quietly mentioned the call to the reporter from the local paper, who was to interview him following his trick shot exhibition appearance at Southeastern Louisiana University. After seeing Gerni’s performance, it came as no surprise that he should be inducted into any Hall of Fame. With a remarkable calm assurance, he showed why he has become known so widely as the upscale pocket billiard industry’s prime ambassador and representative, and why he has had such a stellar career as a trick shooter. His extremely impressive skill and talent in his sport, however, are rightfully superseded by his character and reputation as a quality person, not only as a trick shot artist. It is doubtful that Paul Gerni would have enjoyed such fame and acclaim, been internationally hailed, or been given such universal respect from his circle of peers had he not deserved it or been such such a decent person to begin with. If there were a Hall of Fame for genuinely nice people, Paul Gerni would have earned a place there as well. On or off the stage, Paul Gerni is first, and foremost, a genuine human being, one who is not above giving a hug or a pat on the back to a total stranger, as he did following his SLU engagement. Nor was he in such a hurry with celebrity status or his recent news that he did not take 45 minutes to sign autographs for the students who came to see him, or answer their endless parade of questions. It is certain that most of the students there had never even heard of Paul Gerni, yet Gerni will be the first to tell you that the college audiences are by far his favorite. Moreover, Gerni managed to give more than sufficient time to the Daily Star for its feature. It was clear that Gerni is a man who derives a great deal of pleasure just by going out of his way to please everyone around him. Whether he is talking about his beloved game, his life or his family, Gerni is a delight. He speaks in hushed tones quite openly of his humble beginnings on the pool table in the recreation room of the church where his father was minister, and about his college education at Purdue University, about treating his mother to a tropical vacation so she could escape a bitter mid-west winter storm, his children (both of whom are, in his own words “brilliant”), about the impact of the death of his father, about the years of research, practice, and apprenticeship with the masters of his sport, about creating and maintaining a working book of trick shots and ideas, about his never ending journey to perfect himself and his game, and he admits sorrowfully that he does not spend nearly enough time with his loved ones. Sitting in a corner table at Brady’s Restaurant in the historic district of downtown Hammond, a dashing, tuxedo-clad Gerni candidly shared parts of his life over a glass of tea, a sizzling sirloin steak, some veggies, and a stuffed ricotta shell while some bluesy tunes played in the background. He recounted how in 1954, at the age of six, he learned how to play pool in the game room of the parish building at the St. James Lutheran Church in Logansport, Indiana. He went on to describe how his fascination with the game continued throughout his youth, and led him to meet and play legendary pool stars Willie Mosconi, Jimmy Caras, Luther Lassiter, and Joe Balsis, all by the time Gerni was only 15 years old. By the time he was 16, Gerni had become Indiana’s 8-Ball Champion, still the youngest to win that title. It would be trite to say, “and the rest is history.” Years of hard work and study have led to the polished 60-minute show Gerni lavishes on his audiences around the world. And it is almost unfathomable by our normal perceptions to think that one could actually make a living in such a manner without becoming corrupt, jaded, cynical, or just plain tired in the process. Yet, Paul Gerni has somehow managed to balance his personal life with the demands of being a true performer in every sense of the word. Paul Gerni is forthright in allowing anyone to find out that “what you see is what you get,” where he is concerned. There is little, if any, pretense with the man, who smashes old movie pool hall images by his very behavior -- he doesn’t smoke, drink, or curse, and is considered a staunch Christian. He wears his reputation for decency like a precious gem, not like a badge for the uncool. Gerni has become all things to himself and for himself by virtue of his cue artistry and his genius IQ -- a Renaissance man who enjoys classical music, jazz, and classic rock, skiing down a mountainside with a group holding lighted candles, the romantic settings of cities like Prague or Budapest, world literature, politics, following the stock market and currency rates, sampling the local cuisine wherever he travels, donating his time several times a year to charity benefits, and generally encouraging goodwill wherever he goes. His concern for maintaining the positive image and the dignity of “the gentleman’s game” is also a priority with Gerni. He frowns on gambling and smoke-filled bar rooms, not conducive to the new upscale image of the sport or for its future, and is not pleased with the likes of the McEnroes or Rodmans of the sports world, who are more famous for their bad behavior, tattoos, the bad-hair days and the unsportsmanlike conduct, comments, and attitudes than for their skill and talent. So for Gerni to have enjoyed, especially in these days, a blemish-free career is a sacred feather in the proverbial cap. There is no escaping the critical Cyclops eye of the unknowing masses, who tend to view those they revere as if they were living their lives out solely for them under a microscope. Such is the case for the Jedi master of pool trick shots, who, instead of using a light saber, deftly wields a Pechauer. Nothing stays hidden for long for anyone who has ever received the slightest bit of fame . . . Gerni appreciates his “15 minutes” with dignity and sincere gratitude, taking nothing for granted. He is at once humble and ecstatic that he has had the opportunity to be featured on numerous television shows and programs, and that he has developed trick shots used in television commercials. He quietly acknowledges the fact that he is also in discussions with film producers who seek his services as a technical consultant. The list of Gerni’s achievements, awards, and honors seems almost endless, yet he takes it in stride with the demeanor of a true champion and prefers to look forward. At 49, he is not ready yet to concede there is a need for someone to write his life story. He is nowhere close to retiring, he says. “There is still too much to do . . .too many new projects and too many more goals to reach . . .” Gerni is the man who will tell his audiences, “Can’t is a 4-letter word.” Paul Gerni uses his pleasant and refreshing personality and, of course, his substantial public speaking skills very well. Watching him work his way around the pocket billiard table during his show, and weaving humor into his entertaining presentation, was like watching a skilled surgeon operating, and it was easy to see why he would feel the way he does about words like can’t. There is no luck involved in any of the shots he performs for his audiences. Gerni’s incredible skill and his confidence are overwhelming and impressive to those of us who have never seen, much less tried to do, what he does with such style and ease. It is obvious how much he loves the sport each time he successfully executes what looks like an impossible shot. His amber eyes light up with boyish excitement every time he is successful, yet he does not measure his success with his audiences only in terms of the shots he makes. For Gerni, the right presentation is paramount, so success is not necessarily getting something right the first time. For instance, if he does rarely miss a shot, it is for him a useful vehicle to poke fun at himself, so he becomes successful at making others laugh along with him, instead of at him. Gerni is the grand master of the art. And if the time he has spent mastering his art could be measured in lifetimes, Gerni would be ancient. Trying to get insight into the mind of someone like Paul Gerni is next to impossible. What he does could easily be considered a useful metaphor for real life situations. Here is a man who puzzles over creating puzzles to amuse himself and his audiences. He thinks about them, analyzes his strategies and possible solutions, and acts on them with his $8,500 Pechauer cue. Gerni has found for himself, and he has proved to others, that there is something more going on in this art form than making impressive trick shots. It’s almost ethereal, and often times quite spiritual, to watch Gerni prove that what can’t be done, can, indeed, be done quite well. What his work does teach us is that we should not discount our talents, however improbable or beyond the norm as they might seem. It is unlikely that the six-year old Paul Gerni could have predicted his first-year fascination for pool would eventually become his ticket to the world. An encounter with Gerni can also become a refreshing wake-up call for those of us who have put our dreams on the back burner to simmer while we work at loveless and lifeless jobs. Perhaps we should follow suit, like Mr. Gerni, by following our hearts and our respective callings, and not run away from them or put them off for another day. And maybe we should pay heed to his subliminal reminder to embrace the moments of giving and receiving from one another as Gerni does so joyfully and unselfishly before, during, and after his shows through his interaction with adoring fans. Hall of Fame or not, Paul Gerni is keeping the “gentleman” in “the gentlemen’s game” by being, at all times, one himself. REBECCA L. FITCH The Hammond, La. Daily Star