Helio Fong, one out of two of the poker club leaders, was exhilarated as his first club meeting was held. Students ranged from freshman to seniors, eager to compete in the game, club members enjoyed the provided sweets as the games were being set up; some players had more experience than others, but they all had the same goal: To dominate in the game.
Originally, Helio Fong and Augustus Kaschube, the poker club’s founders, intended the club to be a “joke”. The idea originated during CHS’s ceremonial opening day procedure at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church when other clubs were being announced. Although it only started as a joke for them, they never anticipated what was to come.
The first few weeks of school progressed, Kaschube and Fong felt like something wasn’t quite right. For the past two years, they had spent all their time in the “Practice Room” with friends. The “Practice Room” is a room intended for Jazz students to practice their instruments when they aren’t in class. They even went as far as skipping lunch just to get a quick jam in. However, their friends picked up other hobbies over time.
Playing in the practice room became less interesting for them, and the urge to start a new club grew stronger. That’s when the once known as a “gag” returned, and they were determined to make it come true.
As the club sign-up deadline approached, Fong realized signing up for a club was easier than he expected.“Hosting a club is actually really easy,” stated Fong. “All we had to do was find someone to sponsor us, and we found Sean Eldon. We then filled out a form to create a club and requested a club table. Basically that’s all you have to do to start your own club.”
With Club Fair coming up, their hopes weren’t high.They realized that Poker Club might return to being a joke, as they were located on the lonely far right aisle on the front lawn, where the fair was held.
Turns out, Poker Club attracted more kids than Kaschube and Fong could have ever imagined. Over 40 people signed up for Poker Club. Once thought of as a joke, Poker Club turned into one of the largest clubs at CHS.
Kaschube and Fong immediately sent out an email regarding their club’s first meeting on Tuesday, Sep. 17. Spread out across tables, students were able to host their own poker games or simply complete homework and hang out. The club is also “optimal for new people” said Eva Rutyna, a club member.
