Shanes Interview

[billiardspro]

"THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE WORLD ARE AFRAID OF ME....."

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT

THERES MY THOUGHTS
i think it is a bold statement and probably untrue....Im guessing there is not very many people out there that would back shane in a race to 21 for 10-20 thousand against efren ,busta,archer,alex or even corey...

 

[bob_bushka]

"THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE WORLD ARE AFRAID OF ME....."

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT

THERES MY THOUGHTS
i think it is a bold statement and probably untrue....Im guessing there is not very many people out there that would back shane in a race to 21 for 10-20 thousand against efren ,busta,archer,alex or even corey...

I would tend to agree with you as far as being bold. As far as a money match goes...1.) I think Shane has the backing for a $10K match. 2.) He's clipped enough the last month to possibly post it himself. 3.) He is fearless against anyone I've seen.

The Kid probably made a bad choice of words but invariably the last three big tourneys he has been in the Finals of all three. Maybe some of the players you mentioned will show up in Olathe and we will get to see some of the action you have mentioned. Personally, I don't think they will be clamoring after him as an easy mark.

 

[Hail Mary Shot]

did he really said that? oh well, let's just hope that no one of those top players go on knocking on his door one of these days itching on challenging him for a moneygame match. seems very unlikely however that he said such a thing.

 

[jay helfert]

"THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE WORLD ARE AFRAID OF ME....."

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT

THERES MY THOUGHTS
i think it is a bold statement and probably untrue....Im guessing there is not very many people out there that would back shane in a race to 21 for 10-20 thousand against efren ,busta,archer,alex or even corey...

A year from now and it's possible that not many people would back any of the above players against Shane. He's probably about even with all of them now.

Yang is the only one who scares me. And I doubt that Shane fears him either.

 

[I rack balls]

He is flirting with the confident/arrogant line imo. I want to see if he keeps it up...........afraid huh, biG word........

Eric.

 

[JCIN]

The only thing left for Shane to cement his status is to beat the top echelon even for the dough on the big table. They are not scared of him. Their backers might be. I know it is just a matter of time and he will get his chance.

I think it is safe to say he is the best bar table 8 ball player in the world already.

He has learned his lesson about interviews.

The next lesson will be how he holds up when he starts running bad.

I have faith in the kid, and look forward to what will be a fun ride watching him achieve his potential.

 

[BlowFish]

He is flirting with the confident/arrogant line imo. I want to see if he keeps it up...........afraid huh, biG word........
Eric.

I agree. I prefer Humility.

 

[ShootingArts]

never put too much weight into a short "bite"

His statement does sound a little arrogant hung out here by itself. It may be a bit out of context and also it may have been made with deliberate intent, doing a bit of fishing. I'm not going to judge him on this one comment.

It takes a good bit of ego, arrogance, or self confidence, whatever you want to call it, for a youngster to think that they can go out and beat the best. Within a few months of entering competition I realized this was a good thing and I never made falsely modest statements to anyone. I came to every event trying to win and made no bones about it when asked.

Hu

 

[crawfish]

Wow, "Afraid"? Come on! Strrrrrong word. Love the confidence; but, I haven't heard of the kid going off to anyone yet. After the "go off" happens, and he comes back to play this same speed, he'll make me a believer. When you are riding high, it's easy to be confident. I'm sure we can list at least ten people that would bet high. One pocket? More than ten. Best of luck SVB on riding the wave.

 

[juegabillar]

did he really said that? oh well, let's just hope that no one of those top players go on knocking on his door one of these days itching on challenging him for a moneygame match. seems very unlikely however that he said such a thing.

Shane's quote comes out of this article, posted in another thread:

Shark In The Pool
KELOLAND TV - Sioux Falls, SD
6/21/2007

The ability to tune out distractions is a must among professional athletes. And local billiards pro Shane Van Boening, thanks in part to a hearing impairment and a whole lot of talent, has managed to ascend to the top of his sport.

At the age of 23, Shane Van Boening is approaching the pinnacle of billiards. A month ago, Van Boening captured the World 10-Ball championship, and is currently ranked number one by the top authority among billiards publications.

"I'm playing real good right now," Shane Van Boening said, "and I'm just starting to win each tournament. I'm getting to the finals in every major tournament right now."

Chuck Moss, Shane's mentor, manager, and friend added, "The sky's the limit for the potential as far as what he has. There's a lot of eyes on him throughout the nation. It's very fun, very interesting to travel with him and see all the attention he gets."

With success comes distractions. But at the table Shane is able to shut out any unwanted noise, as he's 98-percent hearing impaired, which creates a whole new level of concentration.

Shane said, "When I play pool, if I have a real important match, I just turn off my hearing aid and it keeps me from getting distracted with noises in the background and you know it really helps, it gets you more focused in the game."

Chuck said, "Shane's a perfect example of someone turning a, perception-wise, a negative into a positive. He's able to shut things off when he gets into pressure situations. He can just tune everything out, so I really think he has an advantage with that, it really helps him."

Impairment aside, Shane is rapidly becoming one of the most intimidating players in the world.

Shane said, "The top pool players in the world...they're pretty much afraid of me right now. I'm playing real great right now. I competed in the last three tournaments and got into the finals. They know that I'm going to be one of the best pool players in the world right now."

A native of Rapid City, Shane recently finished second at the EnjoyPool.com Open in Las Vegas. The championship match will air this Sunday on ESPN.
__________________

 

[8-Ball Player]

"THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE WORLD ARE AFRAID OF ME....."

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT

THERES MY THOUGHTS
i think it is a bold statement and probably untrue....Im guessing there is not very many people out there that would back shane in a race to 21 for 10-20 thousand against efren ,busta,archer,alex or even corey...

I think he sounds a little bit too cocky, but I still like him. I would think losing to Alex the other week would humble him a little bit, but I guess not. Well, thats the way I see it.

 

[JimmyB500]

Well twenty three is still young. If he were 33 or 43 and talking like that, I would be thinking of him very differently.

 

[Arn]

I don't see what is so bad about what he said. I think what he is meaning is that he is playing really well and that the other players know he is able to compete. When ever a player is in the championship 3 tourneys in a row, He is the guy everybody is going to look out for.For example, when you enter into your local tournements, you look at your bracket and pick out the guys you know will give you the best competition. Its not that your afraid to play them but you respect there game. You know that you can beat them but also know they can beat you or give you a run for your money. So what I think he meant was that people will not bypass his name anymore on the board. They know they will have to give him their best game. Just my 2 cents

 

[gpeezy]

confidence

when someone is as confident as shane is right now its understandable that he would make such comments.i believe he is leaning more towards being feared in tournaments rather than in action.there is a difference.in a race to thirteen,eleven,nine, he's as great a threat right now as anyone.him knowing that will carry him even further.being confident in your game is very important.pool or any sport for that manner takes a confident person to stay at the top.if he does have a bad tournament in the near future or loses an "easy" match if he jumps back in gear or turns it up a notch it will show what kind of champion he is.its tough to be on top i'm sure he's gonna be in that area for some time to come.

 

[Southdakotakid]

Svb

Hey..... Right now I might be playing real good and and there are many other tournaments coming ahead... after the last three tournaments I felt like they could be a little "afraid" but believed it or not all those pros are not afraid of anyone. I would never say johny, corey, earl, john schidt, Rodney, alex or any of the phillipinos that they would be afraid. We all play on the same level and they would gamble with me.... A little message that I said about there all getting afraid, I do not meant in a cocky or arrogant way.. Im just showing how much confidence that I have right now playing against the best pool players in the world and just remember that theye are all great pool players and good friends. And most of all I do respect everbodys game either I win or loose......... tyl.

 

[Drew]

"THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE WORLD ARE AFRAID OF ME....."

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT

THERES MY THOUGHTS
i think it is a bold statement and probably untrue....Im guessing there is not very many people out there that would back shane in a race to 21 for 10-20 thousand against efren ,busta,archer,alex or even corey...

Shane plays with his own money. And the kid is playing very strong right now. He's getting along fine in the tournaments. Not to mention his little victory over orcollo in vegas. As for the big names you mentioned, I don't think Shane has any problem matching up with them. I doubt Corey wants to play him right now.

 

[canwin]

SDK, if possible, try playing w/o the hearing aid turned down. How'd you think you'd hold up?

 

[rayjay]

Thanks for the comments, Shane. Your confidence right now is well deserved and will serve you well in the coming tournaments. Whether you're backing yourself or you have a backer, I think you can play anybody even. Will be interesting to see if your comments generate some high stakes matches soon, and with who. Good luck and keep it up!

 

[JoeyA]

I don't see what is so bad about what he said. I think what he is meaning is that he is playing really well and that the other players know he is able to compete. When ever a player is in the championship 3 tourneys in a row, He is the guy everybody is going to look out for.For example, when you enter into your local tournements, you look at your bracket and pick out the guys you know will give you the best competition. Its not that your afraid to play them but you respect there game. You know that you can beat them but also know they can beat you or give you a run for your money. So what I think he meant was that people will not bypass his name anymore on the board. They know they will have to give him their best game. Just my 2 cents

You are right on almost everything, except that SOMETIMES, even when you are a TOP PLAYER, when you go up against someone who is also a TOP PLAYER, fear does enter the equation and Shane's opponents do sometimes play with FEAR because he is a very good player and if he is playing at his best, the other players have plenty to fear. This is no different with the rest of the top players. When the top players string rack after rack, overcome the luck factor in 9 ball/10 ball the other players see this and the sphincter muscles tightens up. It can and will happen to Shane as well, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but one day. The real truth is that you have very little control over how well your opponent plays. There are things you can do to limit your opponent's ability to play well but they are few and far in between. I think what most top players actually fear is that they have so little control as to how their opponent plays.
JoeyA

 

[supercue]

Afraid ???

Hi, I'm Shanes grandfather and I would like to clarify a few things.
I have been with Shane and his pool learning experience since he was
a baby and some times his choice of words might not reflect what he
really means. I have never seen him act in a non respectfull way,
at or away from the table.
Shane likes actionand I have heard him state ,I will play anyone,
meaning HE is not afraid to play anyone. " I know "that is what he was
implying and not that all players are inferior to him. I'm sure ,if you have
been arround him ,you will agree ,he always treats other players with
respect.
Please try to understand,that a spur of the moment comment
sometimes ,isn't what you really wanted to say. I'm sure thats what
happened here. A lot of overwhelming things are going on in Shanes
new found fame so please try to understand.
Gary B