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For the last two weeks I have been writing about crokinole, and this week I want to end my look at this great Canadian game by discussing it with reigning world champion Brian Cook.

Now I鈥檒l preface this with the comment that as a journalist, as well as a board gamer, it is a thrill to interview anyone who can point to being a world champion. Cook, 45, grew up in Owen Sound, ON. but has lived in Toronto for years.

As for his start in crokinole, he said he has no particular recollection of a first time at a board.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember starting to play the game, it was always around even when I was a little kid,鈥� he said.

And, like many of us who love the game, it was family who started Cook in crokinole.

鈥淢y father and his brothers were into sports and games like crokinole, chess and checkers,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 was always pretty good at the game. Unlike chess and checkers, I could do pretty well against my father and uncles.鈥�

But why did Cook stay with the game and become competitive?

鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun and challenging game,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a good mix of board game and sport-like features. It鈥檚 not an exclusively mental activity like chess (which I don鈥檛 have the patience for), and has a bit of a physical component but minimal enough that anyone can play at any age.

鈥淐ertainly the experience that most people have playing it as a social pastime it鈥檚 just a game. When the small number of us competitive players get together for our regular tournaments it can get intense and stressful. And to be honest, at big tournaments like the World Crokinole Championship, after having to focus intensely on 600-plus shots over many hours, I feel pretty worn out, even more than after hitting the weights at the gym. But that doesn鈥檛 make it a sport.鈥�

鈥淐oncentration and consistency; the game requires repeated short bouts of concentration to perform a simple flicking task,鈥� he offered. 鈥淭o play well, especially in tournaments, you really need to focus intensely on each shot. And in big tournaments, you might need to make hundreds and hundreds of shots throughout the day, with the margin for error being less and less as the tournament goes on.

鈥淧layers are always looking for better consistency. That flows from concentration and confidence. I鈥檝e also found that it鈥檚 essential to have a short memory. Lots of players make a bad shot and that leads to a second bad shot. They can鈥檛 stop thinking about the bad shot and before they know it they鈥檝e lost the game and then another.鈥淭he biggest challenge of my consistency is when I end up facing an opponent that鈥檚 really got their 20鈥檚 shooting in a groove,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat happens a lot in the playoff rounds at the World Championship. Then I really have to take my time and focus on matching their 20s. If I can鈥檛 do that, there鈥檚 no chance of beating them. I do a similar mental trick. In my mind I鈥檓 really pulling for my opponent to make their 20-shot, and every time they do I imagine it pulling a lever that doubles my powers of concentration and my relaxation. I used to hope my opponent missed but that just focused my mind on negativity, making it much harder for my next shot when they succeeded.鈥�

While Cook loves the game, as do I, and it has Canadian roots, the world champion admits the game does not have the mass following it deserves.

鈥淯nfortunately even though it has lots of roots in Canada I find that 80 per cent of the people I come across, especially in the big city, have never heard of the game,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome acquaintances have even been confused and thought I was the world croquet champion.

Last year there were 240 players at the world event with Cook capturing his fourth competitive singles title.

Again if anyone in interested in playing locally please email [email protected]