September 1, 2014 (Denver, CO):
This year’s Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) Junior National 9-Ball Championships qualified nine billiard student-athletes to represent North America as part of Team USA at the upcoming WPA (World Pool-Billiard Association) Junior 9-Ball Championships.
The esteemed world event will be held in Shanghai, China November 14-19, 2014.
Through the support of the Billiard Congress of America, the BEF continues to coordinate international travel and participation for this tournament for the past two decades.
The following players will proudly represent our country this year:
Nick Evans, 17 (St. Peters, MI)
Manny Perez, 16 (Kansas City, KS)
Devin Poteet, 17 (Cape Girardeau, MO)
Taylor Reynolds, 16 (Winslow, Maine)
Rachel Lang, 16 (Catskill, NY)
Ricky Evans, 13 (St. Peters, MO)
Samuel Hoffman, 14 (Hillsborough, NJ)
April Larson, 13 (Bloomington, MN)
Michelle Jiang 13, (Harvard, MA)
A few words from our US junior team:
“I’m so excited! It’s such an honor to represent the US in the junior world championships. I’m going to practice, practice, practice (the list goes on…), focus on my game and do my best when November rolls around.” ~ Michelle Jiang “I am beyond excited to be going to China to represent the United States. I have been keeping busy with fundraising and practicing as much as possible. I have a series of drills that I do for at least two hours a day.” ~ Rachel Lang “I’m currently working with David Matlock on furthering my game to the next level! I also practicing at home at least 2-3 hours a day. I feel really good about the upcoming World Championships!” ~ Manny Perez “I am super pumped about worlds. My life is going to consist of practice until then.” ~ April Larson “I am very excited for the world junior championships. I’ve been preparing for the World Championships by allocating more time to pool. I’m practicing more drills to improve my cue ball control and fundamentals and playing in more tournaments to gain experience.” ~ Samuel Hoffman
Also part of the North American Team are Canadian players: Nicholas Ridley, 16 (St. Thomas, ONT), Stuart MacTaggart, 17 (London, ONT), and Kayla Roloson, 17 (Springfield, ONT).
For more information on the BEF Junior Nationals or hosting qualifiers or a State Championship, visit the BEF website.
The Billiard Education Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that produces the annual Junior National Championships, provides scholarships for young players, sends junior players to the World Junior Championships and promotes Pool in School programs to encourage lifelong participants.
The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is a nonprofit charity committed to promoting a lifelong love of pool and building the next generation of players through youth programs and academic scholarships. Learn more at www.billiardeducation.org.
Photo: The Billiard Education Foundation Editor: Dana Gornall