HometownLife.com: Who knew that Jill Wylie, a stay-at-home mother in Northville Township, would turn out to be an inventor? But after some research and ingenuity, she now has a billiards-related product on the market - the Junior Shark Guiding Wheel.
The small, white, plastic device's use has two uses: It helps protect pool table felt from scrapes and tears and assists beginners by guiding their use of the cue stick.
She's even created her own limited liability corporation, the Wylie Group LLC, and has a Web site for the product, www.juniorshark.com.
"I am really excited about the Junior Shark Guiding Wheel," she says on her site. "This idea came to me when I saw how much kids really wanted to play pool and how nervous this made the owners of the pool tables."
If a pool table's felt is ripped, it cannot be patched or repaired because that will leave an uneven surface. Thus, the entire pool table cover must be replaced at a cost of several hundred dollars.
"The biggest worry with novice players or children playing pool is the risk of scratching and tearing the felt," Wylie said. But, with Wylie's new device, there are no worries.
She adds that children under age 3 should not be allowed to handle the guiding wheels because they might choke on them.
The Junior Shark Guiding Wheel is placed on top of the cue stick and pushed down to where the ferrule (the white tape-looking part) joins the taper of the cue stick shaft. The wheel can be used on any size cue stick.
Posted by: Kathy at January 14, 2009 1:11 PM
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