Updated list:
Deo Alpajora
Adam Behnke
Jesse Bowman
Chris Byrne
Justin Bergman
Chip Compton
Brendon Crockett
Mike Dechaine
Mike Delawder
Oscar Dominguez
Mitch Ellerman
Jess Engel
Chris Furtrell
Joey Gray
Justin Hall
Chuckie Holyoke
Jason Klatt
Matt Krah
Lane Jensen
Raymond Linares
Shane McMinn
Anthony Meglino
Eric Moore
Johnny Morra
Shannon Murphy
Josh Newman
Sylver Ochoa
Adam Pendley
Marcus Pendley
Beau Runnigen
Danny Satinoff
Brandon Shuff
Landon Shuffett
Jeremy Sossei
Tommy Tokoph
Shane Van Boening
Shaun Wilkie
Things look bright for American pool with a long list of names such as these. I had not realized there were so many Young Guns.
Every pool player has a winning streak, and some players enjoy this streak for a longer period of time than others. Efren Reyes' streak, as an example, seems to be timeless. Shane Van Boening seems to be just entering his streak this year, winning just about every event he plays in.
Johnny Archer's streak has lasted for decades. Earl's streak lasted for a decade or more. Of course, Johnny and Earl are not washed up today. Each one of them is capable of catching lightning in the bottle. Their seasoning and ability to adapt to new equipment is much better than their younger counterparts. Consistently winning as in back-to-back tournaments, as Shane is doing today, may not be as easy for these two as it once was.
The romanticism of the '80s era with all of its road warriors and action a la Ronnie Allen, Cornbread Red, Vern Elliott, Jew Paul, et cetera, was killed by technology. Movies such as "The Hustler" and "The Color of Money" glorified gambling, making it look fun and adventuresome, but anybody who's traveled that road knows the downsides of living out of a suitcase.
Action today isn't like it used to be with two gunslingers stepping up to the plate and firing at each other. There was no extensive debate about matching up, handicaps, rules, and not too many people engaged in gaffe games giving up ridiculous spots just to get played. Some locksmiths today don't want to gamble; they want to steal, looking for somebody to drop their wallet.
We now enter the era of the global tournament soldier. If you want to be a so-called "professional player," then you better be prepared to travel the world and compete with jet lag and fuzzy spiders the size of your hand dropping on your shoulder against tough competition against the likes of Filipino-, Taiwanese-, Chinese-, and Korean-sponsored champions. Marriage and family life is not conducive to this lifestyle, unless the player has a very strong partner to hold the fort together. Sacrifices will need to be made to succeed. It will be interesting to see how many of the American Young Guns are ready for the challenge. :smile:
Again, the Billiards Education Foundation (BEF) is a non-profit organization that is trying to develop young players, providing them a platform to showcase their skills. Charlie Williams and Max Eberle both benefitted from the BEF in their teenage years. I support the BEF much more so than the fickle BCA and WPA when it comes to the future.
Take a moment to check out the BEF website:
http://www.billiardeducation.org/
If everybody who voted for Steve Markle to get on the Ellen Degeneres Show donted $1 to the BEF, it could make a difference in the future of American pool.
....so he's 31 or 32 by now. I grew up with him in West Palm Bch...good friend of mine. That's the only typo i see...:smilewinkgrin:
I'm outta the loop!
He placed ahead of several on that list in the last Seminole event at Capone's.