As I've noted previously in a different post, it’s a shame.
Among the most memorable matches ever played at the Derby was when the then 14 year old Fedor Gorst tested Alex Pagulayan to the max in a double hill 9-ball thriller ultimately won by Alex. At the time, I had never even heard of Gorst. If memory serves, Skyler Woodward (or was it Billy Thorpe?) reached the Bank Pool finals against SVB at about 16 years old, too.
Watching the young, emerging stars of the game has always been a thrill for this fan, and has always added flavor to the Derby City Classic. This is disheartening.