Pool Table Memoir

After nearly two decades of loyal and stoic service, the R.I Pool Table, known for its familiar non-level surface and battle-damaged felt from thousands of breaks, has finally been retired. Though this pool table was used by all in R.I, the many MRSD Cohorts are likely responsible for the majority of the wear and tear it experienced over the years. Multiple accounts corroborate this claim.

“The 2013 class was responsible for breaking this table, if I remember right.”

~ Raumi Sidki (MRSD, Class of 2013)

This doesn’t mean we killed it; it just means we appreciated it the most.

The Robotics Program at Carnegie Mellon University is as rigorous as it comes, and with it comes an avalanche of work and stress. While the exact reasons are unknown, no program used the R.I. Pool Table as much as the MRSD Students. Maybe it was the long hours brought on by the combination of coursework and capstone projects. Maybe it was the fact that the only alternative to the Robolounge was staying in the MRSD Lab on the B-Level. Either way, the pool table became our entertainment, therapist, meeting spot, punching bag, and testing space all in one.

It didn’t matter if it was before your 7:00 AM class or just before the last escort at 3:30 AM. The R.I Pool Table was there to serve its purpose and then some.

While we reflect on the past, it’s important to acknowledge where this all began.

The R.I Pool Table was donated by Mathilde Pignol and Curt Bererton sometime after they graduated in 2004. In the years since its donation, the table evolved into a gathering place where strangers became friends, and friends turned into rivals. This was a table where people learned to play from their peers and where we crafted our own special games.

“During long nights working on assignments or capstone, we would often find ourselves playing a round of Mexican standoff pool, a game of our own design haha. (Shoutout to Nevin)”

~ Harshit Agrawal (MRSD, Class of 2025)

Students who enter the robotics program often graduate with an unofficial degree in billiards, earned through the sheer number of games played on this table. The only problem is that this degree applies exclusively to this table, as the skills gained here are not transferable. This table recalibrated the muscle memory of its users so thoroughly that a crooked table became a feature, not a bug.

“So it was curved to the left, and after playing on it for one year I think I got used to adjusting my shots slightly to the right to balance the tilt of the table. During my internship, when I played pool with my colleagues, I was so bad at it that even I was surprised. All my shots were overshooting to the right. I have still not recovered from that playing style lol!”

~ Parth Singh (MRSD, Class of 2026)

But while in the MRSD program, when 95% of your games were played on this crooked table, did it really matter if you lost anywhere else?

Alas, after its two decades of service, the R.I Pool Table lives on through the original pool sticks (which, if we’re being honest, should also retire) and the fond memories of hundreds of R.I graduates. This table may be easily replaceable, but can never truly be forgotten.

From the many cohorts of MRSD – rest in peace, old friend.

… And to the new kid on the block – good luck.