Finally, a good pool story in our local paper!
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/LIFE/804080353/1039
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080408/LIFE/804080353/1039
Des Moines Register article on Behnke family
- Thread starter jingle
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Very nice story, indeed. Thanks for sharing that link! 
I love Iowa. I was so impressed with the State when I traveled through there a few years ago. Everybody there seems so nice, and the landscape was absolutely gorgeous.
Like the Van Boening family is to South Dakota, the Behnke family is to Iowa!
JAM
I love Iowa. I was so impressed with the State when I traveled through there a few years ago. Everybody there seems so nice, and the landscape was absolutely gorgeous.
Like the Van Boening family is to South Dakota, the Behnke family is to Iowa!
JAM
Great article, thanks for posting!
Tons of potential in that family...except for the old man
he's over the hill (just kidding Jerry, but i did almost have you last time
).
The Benke's have great values too. You don't see them throwing their cues across the room when the miss a shot or get beat because they were out played. I see that a lot with younger players, but Jerry and Margie have taught the boys well.
See you in a couple of days...Ken
he's over the hill (just kidding Jerry, but i did almost have you last time ). The Benke's have great values too. You don't see them throwing their cues across the room when the miss a shot or get beat because they were out played. I see that a lot with younger players, but Jerry and Margie have taught the boys well.
See you in a couple of days...Ken
Please, from now on, post the text of the article. News site links to human interest stories often break when they put new content on that page.
Sons follow dad's cue into the gene pool
By MIKE KILEN • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • April 8, 2008
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Farley, Ia. - Jerry Behnke's sons could be in the basement after school, playing Nintendo and smarting off.
Instead, the fresh-faced lads, ages 17, 15 and 12, are eerily quiet, marching around the family's pair of Diamond pool tables as if they're on ESPN.
The cue stick a pendulum of precision, the ball a hapless victim.
Snap. Snap.
The balls go in the pockets as if they had no other choice. The cue ball rolls to the precise spot for ... Snap ... another foregone conclusion.
In a minute the table is cleared. Grab the rack.
Jerry Behnke and his four sons - the 19-year-old is on a pro tour - are the toast of the Iowa State Poolplayers Association's state tournament that starts Wednesday in Davenport.
Although more than 2,000 players make it the largest state tournament in the United States, the Behnkes don't blend into the crowd.
"I've been around this game for 50 years, traveling the country on the pro tour, and I've never seen a family like this," said "Little" Joe Villalpando, an instructor from Bettendorf.
The Behnkes capture attention not only for their tender age and sheer numbers in one family but also for their expertise.
Adam, 19, was the youngest player to win the state tournament at age 16 - at least until brother Chad came along and won last year's Level 2 8-ball title at age 11.
Ryan, 17, finished second to his brother two years ago in the master's division. This year, he will play in the pro-am, the highest division, along with Adam, who is touring with one of the country's highest-rated players, Shane Van Boening.
Father Jerry also plays in the master's division while Levi, 15, shed the title of family holdout and is beginning to play with the determination of his brothers at lower levels.
The family has also won a state team competition.
The basement of their Farley home is trophy-lined with state and national awards.
It all started with dad Jerry, the youngest of 12 who couldn't play school sports because too much work awaited on the eastern-Iowa farm.
His oldest sister bought the younger siblings a pool table and the basement came alive with competition.
Jerry kept playing after marriage and children and eventually allowed Adam and Ryan into the pool hall. At the time, few children were tableside.
The boys watched, learned and finally were allowed to take a shot or two.
Villalpando spotted Jerry and Adam playing in a tournament eight years ago and offered lessons.
Villalpando, 66, is a raging enthusiast of his system, which uses precise geometry for cue ball striking and placements.
"You miss it by half the width of a penny and you miss the shot," he said.
"It's all a game of knowledge. If you know how the cue ball turns and on what axis, and your opponent doesn't, what chance do they have?"
Villalpando said he made a living on the road for 20 years until his hand started to shake in a $100,000 tournament.
Now, he works in a casino in Bettendorf and schools young players. The Behnke family stars in his two instructional DVDs on pool-playing techniques.
The Behnkes are a rare talent, he said. Cool as ice.
The boys have left dad behind. It started when the oldest turned 13 and dad had to rack. Jerry owns a company, Behnke Enterprises, but is now regularly humbled in his own basement.
He first took the two oldest boys to Las Vegas eight years ago.
Now, they go to the national tournament every year. Crowds gather to watch, especially for Chad, a pint-sized kid with a wicked shot.
Some are surprised.
A player from Portugal was looking for his opponent in the vast hall of tables at the Vegas tournament last year and saw Chad waiting with a cue stick.
"Me," the man said, struggling with English while thrusting his arm to chest high for Chad's height, "You?"
Chad whipped him.
The man saw Chad at the tournament later and pointed him out to friends. "Very difficult," he said.
Online forums for pool players often include discussions on their play.
But Jerry and his wife, Margie, said pool has given the family much more than recognition. It has allowed members to spend every weekend together at pool tournaments.
It has also taught the boys people skills, lessons on composure and how to bounce back from life's tough chances - such as a lucky player who beats them on a prayer shot.
The game has helped them to pad their college funds with winnings.
But it's also simply a fun game.
"When you get in a zone and run the table, that's a great feeling," said Margie, who once played pool but today is mainly a spectator.
Among the nerve-racking tournament moments: Adam and Ryan facing off in the state championship two years ago and Chad's title march last year.
The game left dad high-fiving everyone at table side.
"I looked over at him and he acts like it is no big deal," Jerry said.
Indeed, Chad and his dad start a fitful game of 9-ball in the basement on a recent afternoon. Chad left himself a tough shot on the 3-ball and missed.
Even misses are calculated. The shot sends the cue down to the other end tucked behind the 4-ball, leaving dad no shot.
"Sneaky devil," Villalpando whispered, queitly. "These boys play hard."
Reporter Mike Kilen can be reached at (515) 284-8361 or mkilen@dmreg.com
Sons follow dad's cue into the gene pool
By MIKE KILEN • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • April 8, 2008
Print this page E-mail this article
Share this article: Del.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit Newsvine What’s this?
Farley, Ia. - Jerry Behnke's sons could be in the basement after school, playing Nintendo and smarting off.
Instead, the fresh-faced lads, ages 17, 15 and 12, are eerily quiet, marching around the family's pair of Diamond pool tables as if they're on ESPN.
The cue stick a pendulum of precision, the ball a hapless victim.
Snap. Snap.
The balls go in the pockets as if they had no other choice. The cue ball rolls to the precise spot for ... Snap ... another foregone conclusion.
In a minute the table is cleared. Grab the rack.
Jerry Behnke and his four sons - the 19-year-old is on a pro tour - are the toast of the Iowa State Poolplayers Association's state tournament that starts Wednesday in Davenport.
Although more than 2,000 players make it the largest state tournament in the United States, the Behnkes don't blend into the crowd.
"I've been around this game for 50 years, traveling the country on the pro tour, and I've never seen a family like this," said "Little" Joe Villalpando, an instructor from Bettendorf.
The Behnkes capture attention not only for their tender age and sheer numbers in one family but also for their expertise.
Adam, 19, was the youngest player to win the state tournament at age 16 - at least until brother Chad came along and won last year's Level 2 8-ball title at age 11.
Ryan, 17, finished second to his brother two years ago in the master's division. This year, he will play in the pro-am, the highest division, along with Adam, who is touring with one of the country's highest-rated players, Shane Van Boening.
Father Jerry also plays in the master's division while Levi, 15, shed the title of family holdout and is beginning to play with the determination of his brothers at lower levels.
The family has also won a state team competition.
The basement of their Farley home is trophy-lined with state and national awards.
It all started with dad Jerry, the youngest of 12 who couldn't play school sports because too much work awaited on the eastern-Iowa farm.
His oldest sister bought the younger siblings a pool table and the basement came alive with competition.
Jerry kept playing after marriage and children and eventually allowed Adam and Ryan into the pool hall. At the time, few children were tableside.
The boys watched, learned and finally were allowed to take a shot or two.
Villalpando spotted Jerry and Adam playing in a tournament eight years ago and offered lessons.
Villalpando, 66, is a raging enthusiast of his system, which uses precise geometry for cue ball striking and placements.
"You miss it by half the width of a penny and you miss the shot," he said.
"It's all a game of knowledge. If you know how the cue ball turns and on what axis, and your opponent doesn't, what chance do they have?"
Villalpando said he made a living on the road for 20 years until his hand started to shake in a $100,000 tournament.
Now, he works in a casino in Bettendorf and schools young players. The Behnke family stars in his two instructional DVDs on pool-playing techniques.
The Behnkes are a rare talent, he said. Cool as ice.
The boys have left dad behind. It started when the oldest turned 13 and dad had to rack. Jerry owns a company, Behnke Enterprises, but is now regularly humbled in his own basement.
He first took the two oldest boys to Las Vegas eight years ago.
Now, they go to the national tournament every year. Crowds gather to watch, especially for Chad, a pint-sized kid with a wicked shot.
Some are surprised.
A player from Portugal was looking for his opponent in the vast hall of tables at the Vegas tournament last year and saw Chad waiting with a cue stick.
"Me," the man said, struggling with English while thrusting his arm to chest high for Chad's height, "You?"
Chad whipped him.
The man saw Chad at the tournament later and pointed him out to friends. "Very difficult," he said.
Online forums for pool players often include discussions on their play.
But Jerry and his wife, Margie, said pool has given the family much more than recognition. It has allowed members to spend every weekend together at pool tournaments.
It has also taught the boys people skills, lessons on composure and how to bounce back from life's tough chances - such as a lucky player who beats them on a prayer shot.
The game has helped them to pad their college funds with winnings.
But it's also simply a fun game.
"When you get in a zone and run the table, that's a great feeling," said Margie, who once played pool but today is mainly a spectator.
Among the nerve-racking tournament moments: Adam and Ryan facing off in the state championship two years ago and Chad's title march last year.
The game left dad high-fiving everyone at table side.
"I looked over at him and he acts like it is no big deal," Jerry said.
Indeed, Chad and his dad start a fitful game of 9-ball in the basement on a recent afternoon. Chad left himself a tough shot on the 3-ball and missed.
Even misses are calculated. The shot sends the cue down to the other end tucked behind the 4-ball, leaving dad no shot.
"Sneaky devil," Villalpando whispered, queitly. "These boys play hard."
Reporter Mike Kilen can be reached at (515) 284-8361 or mkilen@dmreg.com
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Lil Joe Can Teach
My long time buddy, Lil Joe Villalpando, can teach pool, folks. There is a very good reason the Behnke family is the #1 pool playing family in the country today. The reason is, they listen and they listen to the right guy. Joe Villalpando, has taught the entire Behnke family for 8 years now with tremendous success. In fact, I believe 12 year old Chad Behnke is destined to be the #1 player in the country in another 4 or 5 years.
The entire Behnke family are world class people as well as great players. Smiles abound in this family, win or lose. Jerry is the kind of father we all wish we could have had when growing up and to have a mother as supportive as Margie is priceless. I wish the Behnke family all the good rolls that such a nice family deserve as does my friend, Lil Joe Villalpando.
Lil Joe's info can be reached here: http://www.pooliq.net/aboutdvd.htm
My long time buddy, Lil Joe Villalpando, can teach pool, folks. There is a very good reason the Behnke family is the #1 pool playing family in the country today. The reason is, they listen and they listen to the right guy. Joe Villalpando, has taught the entire Behnke family for 8 years now with tremendous success. In fact, I believe 12 year old Chad Behnke is destined to be the #1 player in the country in another 4 or 5 years.
The entire Behnke family are world class people as well as great players. Smiles abound in this family, win or lose. Jerry is the kind of father we all wish we could have had when growing up and to have a mother as supportive as Margie is priceless. I wish the Behnke family all the good rolls that such a nice family deserve as does my friend, Lil Joe Villalpando.
Lil Joe's info can be reached here: http://www.pooliq.net/aboutdvd.htm
Excellent article about the Behnke Family. I played Jerry at the Q-lympics last year and he was a class act on the pool table. A real genttleman winning or losing. It will be a pleasure to see him in Vegas this year. Keep stroking and may the balls roll well for everyone.
I Agree 100%
Joe is a great teacher. His kicking system is the best I've seen.
The Behnke's are all great people and their sportsmanship is something others can learn from. Chad had me down 4-0 in a race to 5 at a local tournament. He made one mistake and I came back and beat him 5-4. That is a heartbreaking loss for anyone, let alone someone his age. He took it like a champ.
Congrats to Jerry for raising a great group of kids, and to Joe for boosting their game to its current level. Their gonna be dangerous soon.
hemicudas said:
Joe is a great teacher. His kicking system is the best I've seen.
The Behnke's are all great people and their sportsmanship is something others can learn from. Chad had me down 4-0 in a race to 5 at a local tournament. He made one mistake and I came back and beat him 5-4. That is a heartbreaking loss for anyone, let alone someone his age. He took it like a champ.
Congrats to Jerry for raising a great group of kids, and to Joe for boosting their game to its current level. Their gonna be dangerous soon.
Soon? Too late, they ARE dangerous on the pool table.
It was a great article.
It was a great article.