The point of view of Xavier Gretillat

When the house Loontjens - new partner - asked me to write my point of view as a player of classic games for the website, I asked myself two essentials questions.

The first one was if I was really the right person to do so. Could the opinion of Xavier Gretillat, Swiss billiard player, really interest the international Loontjens.com visitor, parent company of Gabriels billiards? There maybe are not as many European players with the amount of medals that I have, but there are always players who are stronger, more competitive, more successful, better recognized or have a more interesting opinion than mine. Then finally I thought it would have been a shame not to enjoy of this space for expression.

The second question was the choice of subject. The classic games are apparently in decline. The three cushions seems to be the future of carom, the game for the media to expect to survive our sport. I am the first fan of professional three cushions players ... what about the general average of 2.420 of Frederic Caudron? And what about the 50 points in 6 innings of Eddy Mercckx? It's just huge. Fascinating. I'm a fan! The public is fan!

But what about the new beginner who finds this show, a series of 26 points of three cushions, and who wishes to also learn carom? Will he begin the first exercises in three cushions? Not of course, the billiard player always starts by exercising simple caroms whose restrictions are not to go through three cushions. And that no one can change it. Like it or not our leaders, the classic games, will forever set the base, the history of the carom billiard is there to remember. I have some bitterness when I think that the next European Championship in Spain one cushion will be the last before the new era of Brandenburg. I'll be in Spain, hoping to beat my four silver medals, and yet I feel a bit like going to the funeral scheduled of the classic games! For my part, I remain convinced that selling carom billiard passes through the demonstration of the extent and variety offered by our sport, all three cushions game that classic series games. And why not by promoting the best example: the triathlon! A formula that in addition to collect all the stars of the three cushions with the tenor of the classic games and attend some nice fights where only the most versatile will be on the podium. A show that will reflect the true wealth of our sport, without sitting on our history.

Xavier Gretillat