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w
rant-bask Je might be surprised to hear a
larticular answer — playing
dominoes.
Domino playing has become
mother one of those long-
anding Aggie traditions, but
idents inL one knows exactly when it
ation.
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, would
hen asking A&M stu
dents about their fa
vorite sport, many peo-
pt started.
Don Ganter, owner of the Dix-
Chicken, said domino playing
iecame popular at his Northgate
larwhen it opened in 1974.
We decided to kind of copy
daces like Luckenbach, Texas
old country stores where
le sit around and play domi-
aoes and drink beer,” Ganter
. “We just said we had the
dominoes and then stepped aside
(or the people who were coming
to play.”
Swarms of A&M students
how how to play games involv
ing dominoes before they leave
taught me how to play,” Nichols
said. “Now, anytime I go to the
Chicken, I play.”
Others have learned the
game by right of passage in
their families.
Ian Hastings, a senior animal
science major, learned to play
dominoes from his grandfather
when he was six, although he
didn’t learn how to play 42 until
high school.
"It's a good clean game
that's competitive and fun to
play. Some people just eat
the game alive, or it eats
them alive."
— Don Ganter
owner, Dixie Chicken
Karen Nichols, a senior busi-
sss analysis major, said she
t start playing dominoes
she came to A&M as a
Miman.
“1 knew upperclassmen who
Forty-two is a popular domi
no game similar to the card
game Spades.
Hastings said he has become
more serious about domino play
ing since he came to A&M.
“There have been times when
my buddies and I would get in at
8:00 at night and play until 6:00
in the morning,” he said.
Hastings said by continuously
playing, people can become bet
ter domino players.
“It takes a lot of time and a
lot of playing, but you can al
ways get better as a player,” he
said. “When I play 42 with my
buddies, after two or three domi
noes have been played, you know
what everybody’s holding.”
But spending the time to be
come a good player may not be
voluntary.
Suzi Manning, a junior math
education major, said the
game has become addictive.
“I’m always playing
dominoes,” Manning said.
“Even Sunday night when
I was camping out with
friends fdr tickets to the
A&M-Colorado football
game, we were playing.”
Ganter said people enjoy
playing dominoes because
it is a challenging game.
“It’s a good, clean game
that’s competitive and fun to
play,” Ganter said. “Some people
just eat the game alive, or it eats
them alive.”
The Dixie Chicken has 30 sets
of dominoes for patrons to use
when they come in, but Ganter
said there are never enough.
“There are people who are as
rabid about dominoes as they
are about the Aggie football
team,” he said. “I’ve seen people
i The
Graig
engineering career
A
f
a
several student loans
8:00am classes
hundreds oF scantrons
thousands oF No-Doze
one black gown
tone oF olaosiFicd ads
You need a job. Crystal Semiconductor has
jobs. Coincidence? We don't think so. Crystal,
based in Austin, designs mixed-signal integrated
circuits, specializing in SMARTAnalog™ technology.
Crystal recruiters will be at A&M to meet top (GPA
3.5+) EE and computer science grads-to-be at the
Engineering Career Fair, Wednesday and Thursday,
9:00-4:OOpm, in the Memorial Student Center.
We'll be back to conduct interviews, preferably
by appointment, on October 17 & 18. We'll
also take resumes by fax, e-mail and snail
niail. Put Crystal on your to-do list.
several dozen ifitop/iows
^ - A-
CewVe*
Crystal College Recruiting
P.O. Box 17847 Austin, TX 78760
fax (512) 445-4379
crystlhr@crystal.cirrus.com
A Cirrus Logic Company
your Future is clear
Robyn Calloway, The Battalion
Kelly Black, a senior kinesiology major, Kelly Baker, a senior agricultural development major. Shelly
Huntley, a senior kinesiology major, and Mike Landin, a former business student, play a friendly game of
42 at the Dixie Chicken Tuesday afternoon.
here playing dominoes from the
minute we open in the morning
until the minute we close.”
Hastings said he enjoys domi
noes because of the competitive
ness of the game.
“I can’t stand to lose, and I in
still that into my partners,”
Hastings said. “Dominoes is a
very competitive sport because it
is mental, and you can always
get better. You can think of ways
to harass other people and make
them lose.”
Nichols said the competitive
nature of dominoes makes it
hard for players to quit.
“I can play for hours and not
realize the time, because it is so
competitive, and you always
want to win,” she said. “If you
lose a game, you want to keep
playing so you can win. If you
win a game, you want to keep
playing and continue winning.
You just keep playing and keep
getting better.”
Afraid that you may have
missed Freudian Slip's first
improv show of the year? Well,
calm down. You haven't missed
it yet. It's this Friday, Sept. 8, at
the Rudder Forum at 9 p.m.
Tickets go on sale at 8, and
doors open at 8:30. Get there
early or this could be you.
FRfiMpN
Come One Come fill
Join the Fein
MSC Variety Show
is now accepting committee applications
Due Monday, September 11
Applications available in the Student Programs Office
Lauri Waid
845-1515
Place Your Ad In The Battalion
Call 845-2696