A Top Billiards Player Takes His Shot

 

While not the most conventional upbringing, being raised in a pool hall was precisely the education Shane Van Boening needed. Ranked the number one pocket billiards player in the world, Van Boening learned from the best: his own family. His grandfather, grandmother, mother, and aunt were all national billiards champions in various circuits, and he got to watch them practice from the best vantage point in the room. "My grandfather owned a pool room and I was always there," the South Dakota native says. "My mom would put me in a baby chair and I’d just watch people play all day long."