Shane Van Boening (/ˌvæn ˈboʊnɪŋ/;[1] born July 14, 1983) is an American professional pool player from Rapid City, South Dakota. Van Boening is considered one of the best players of all time. Van Boening has won the WPA World Nine-ball Championship and has won the US Open Nine-ball Championship on 5 occasions, along with over 100 other professional titles.
 Shane Van Boening in 2007 | |
| Born | July 14, 1983 Rapid City, South Dakota |
|---|---|
| Sport country |  United States |
| Nickname | "The South Dakota Kid" |
| Professional | 2005 |
| Pool games | Nine-ball, Ten-ball, Eight-ball, One-pocket, Banks |
| Tournament wins | |
| Other titles | 100 |
| World Champion | 9-ball (2022), 8-ball (2023) |
Van Boening has a hearing impairment and uses a hearing aid, but it does not affect his pool ability.[2] He has received praise for his attitude towards the sport, particularly for his behavior during matches, and for eschewing alcohol.[3]
Professional career edit
Van Boening has a family background in pool. His grandfather, Gary Bloomberg, was a trick-shot artist; his grandmother, Jeanne Bloomberg, a VNEA national champion; his mother, Timi Bloomberg, a BCA national champion; and his aunt, Gari Jo Bloomberg, a three-time VNEA national champion.
Van Boening defeated Hungarian Vilmos Foldes at the International Pool Tour qualifier in 2006, and was one of several players to earn a bonus of US$5,000 for breaking and running six consecutive racks in tournament play. He was one of 10 players to earn their IPT tour card by finishing in the top two spots of one of five qualifiers, and won the second spot held at the Pool Room in Atlanta, Georgia.[4] He has been ranked number one in the world by AZBilliards.com. He practices at Lucky Billiards in Sioux Falls, where he is the house pro and co-owner.[5]
Van Boening is a three-time VNEA national amateur eight-ball champion.[6] In 2007, he reached the final of the BCA Open Nine-ball Championship, losing to Dennis Orcollo.[7] A few days later, he won the Predator International Ten-ball Championship.[8][9]
In 2007, Van Boening was tipped by Inside POOL Magazine as a possible future best pool player in the US.[10] Van Boening captured the hot seat in the World Summit of Pool on June 16, 2007, beating 2004 WPA Men's World Nine-ball Champion Alex Pagulayan 11–4. On the last day, all matches were shortened to best of 13 as they were being recorded by ESPN. Pagulayan beat Francisco Bustamante and Warren Kiamco to face Van Boening in the final. Van Boening came back from 4–1 behind to tie the score 5–5, before Pagulayan won the next two games win, 7–5.[11]
Mark Griffin, owner of the Billiard Congress of America Pool League, began sponsoring Van Boening in 2007.[12] On October 20, 2007, Van Boening won the 32nd US Open Nine-ball Championship, defeating Filipino champion Ronnie Alcano in the finals by 13–10. Van Boening remained undefeated in the double-elimination format of the championship, held in Chesapeake, Virginia. At the Reno Open Nine-ball Championship on December 9, 2007, Van Boening and Johnny Archer were in the double-elimination finals. Archer was undefeated until then, and Van Boening had to beat him twice; Van Boening won the first set, and 83 minutes later, claimed the championship.[13]
He has been named "Player of the Year" by the Billiards Digest Magazine and "AZBilliards" in 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2018. In 2020, he was named "Player of the Decade" for the 2010s by the Billiards Digest Magazine.[14][15]
In April 2022, Van Boening won the 2022 WPA World Nine-ball Championship.[16]
As of 2023, He holds the record for the AZBilliards Money List at over $2 million in earnings since 2005. The AZBilliards Money List has recorded tournament results of players, primarily in the United States, since the early 2000s. In 2023, Van Boening was featured on 60 Minutes.[17][18]
Career titles and achievements edit
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References edit
- ^ "CSI Ten Questions with Shane Van Boening" on YouTube
- ^ "Shark in Pool" Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, by Tony Burns, Keloland TV, June 21, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2007
- ^ The Rapid City Weekly News, Straight Shooter, November 16, 2005. Retrieved June 12, 2007 Archived September 27, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ InternationalPoolTour.com, "Hill-Hill Battle goes to Van Boening," by Sally Timko, January 29, 2006. Retrieved June 12, 2007
- ^ ArgusLeader.com, "S.D.'s Next Super Star?", by Matt Zimmer, June 12, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007
- ^ "Strong Contenders and Up-and-Comers", Billiards Digest, August 2006. Retrieved June 13, 2007
- ^ BCA Open 9-Ball Championship Archived June 21, 2007, at the Wayback MachineBCA-Pool.com, Men's Division. Retrieved June 12, 2007
- ^ Van Boening Wins World Ten-ball Championship, AzBilliards.com, May 27, 2007. Retrieved June 12, 2007
- ^ Van Boening Wins World Ten-ball Championship Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Pool and Billiards Magazine, June 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2007
- ^ Shane Van Boening Archived June 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Inside POOL Magazine, June 2007. Retrieved June 16, 2007
- ^ "Lion Wins World Summit of Pool", AzBilliards.com, June 16, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2007
- ^ AzBilliards.com Archived June 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Press Release, June 10, 2007, BCA Pool League Sponsors Shane Van Boening. Retrieved June 12, 2007
- ^ Shane Wins, http://otbntv.com. Retrieved December 11, 2007
- ^ King, Mason (February 2008). "The Quiet Man". Billiards Digest. Vol. 30, no. 3. Chicago: Luby Publishing. pp. 48–53. ISSN 0164-761X.
- ^ Shank, Dale (February 2008). "Shane Van Boening: 2007 'Player of the Year'". Pool & Billiard Magazine. Vol. 26, no. 2. Summerville, South Carolina: Sports Publications. pp. 14, 21–23. ISSN 1049-2852.
- ^ Lynch, Matt (April 10, 2022). "Shane Van Boening is Champion of the World". azbilliards.com. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ World Number 1 Pool Player Shane Van Boening: The 60 Minutes Interview. 60 Minutes. July 26, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ Wertheim, Jon (July 26, 2023). "Shane Van Boening and the changing world of professional pool". 60 Mnutes. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ "Van Boening Earns Another Bigfoot Challenge Title". AZBilliards.com. November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ "SVB Wins Derby City Big Foot 10-Ball Challenge". AZBilliards.com. January 24, 2023. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ Shane Van Boening Wins US Open 8-Ball Kozoom.com. Retrieved 28. July 2013.
- ^ USA Billiards Team claims World Cup titleinsidepoolmag October 2008 Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
External links edit
- "Shane Van Boening: Year in Review" – most current results and statistics for this player available at AZBilliards.com: The A to Z of Billiards and Pool, with links to previous years