The Future of Pool

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Quesports

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Well it's been discussed many times and finally tonight I got to see it! It occurred tonight at Break Time Billiards in Cary NC. There was a non handicap tournament and a young man ,(I mean young) 12 year old was playing. He was one straight shooting young man. His name is Joey Tate and the link provided is a story about him and his family. Turns out there are quite a few of them...

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161116/news/161119271/

The story is from the Daily Herald a newspaper located in the NW suburbs of Chicago and from about a year ago. I believe his family has moved to NC so I hope to get to see him play again. The future is the youth of America and the future of pool, in my humble opinion Joey may just be that. He played superbly for a boy of his age and his Dad must have spent quite a bit of time training him. Really great to see such talent and poise in someone his age. Remarkable!
 
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Future of Pool

Maybe by the time this guy grows up there will be some sort of organized tour?

Quesports said:
Well it's been discussed many times and finally tonight I got to see it! It occurred tonight at Break Time Billiards in Cary NC. There was a non handicap tournament and a young man ,(I mean young) 12 year old was playing. He was one straight shooting young man. His name is Joey Tate and the link provided is a story about him and his family. Turns out there are quite a few of them...

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161116/news/161119271/

The story is from the Daily Herald a newspaper located in the NW suburbs of Chicago and from about a year ago. I believe his family has moved to NC so I hope to get to see him play again. The future is the youth of America and the future of pool, in my humble opinion Joey may just be that. He played superbly for a boy of his age and his Dad must have spent quite a bit of time training him. Really great to see such talent and poise in someone his age. Remarkable!
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336Robin said:
Maybe by the time this guy grows up there will be some sort of organized tour?
Click to expand...

Hope so. The OP could have said the same of a young Landon Shuffet years ago. Sadly, what motivation is there for such youth to continue to train rigorously for years when almost no reward awaits them?
 
We really are due for another boon. Such a great sport, shame it has a stigma to it. Hopefully young men like this can turn the game into something great for all.
 
Quesports said:
Well it's been discussed many times and finally tonight I got to see it! It occurred tonight at Break Time Billiards in Cary NC. There was a non handicap tournament and a young man ,(I mean young) 12 year old was playing. He was one straight shooting young man. His name is Joey Tate and the link provided is a story about him and his family. Turns out there are quite a few of them...

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161116/news/161119271/

The story is from the Daily Herald a newspaper located in the NW suburbs of Chicago and from about a year ago. I believe his family has moved to NC so I hope to get to see him play again. The future is the youth of America and the future of pool, in my humble opinion Joey may just be that. He played superbly for a boy of his age and his Dad must have spent quite a bit of time training him. Really great to see such talent and poise in someone his age. Remarkable!
Click to expand...
Couldn't help but chuckle when the kid said he wanted to be a pro pool player, and wanted to have a family with 7 kids of his own. Sadly he doesn't understand yet the lifestyle of a pro pool player - LOL

You forgot to tell us how he did in the tournament that night?
 
ChrisinNC said:
Couldn't help but chuckle when the kid said he wanted to be a pro pool player, and wanted to have a family with 7 kids of his own. Sadly he doesn't understand yet the lifestyle of a pro pool player - LOL

You forgot to tell us how he did in the tournament that night?
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I left after he lost his first match which was about 11:30 last night. So I cannot tell you but everyone was watching him and complementing his game and demeanor.

One time he moved his upper body before he stroked the cue and missed the shot. Later between matches I mentioned it to him, he laughed and said he felt himself doing it and shot anyway. He had the knowledge to know he did it though at 12 years old... I did not see him do it again.

In the last match I watched he played a lady that was on a woman's tour he had her down 3 - 1 in a race to 5. Then she got several rolls and tied it up 4-4 and just barely getting the win. She was thrilled to play him and gave him all the credit he deserved!

I chatted with one of his older brother's named Simeon. Simeon was getting ready to fly back to Illinois, he is a student at Illinois State in Bloomington. If Joey ever does become a pro it will be after he completes college. His Dad who was there does not seem like the type to let any of his kids do anything until they are fully educated and on their own. Here is another link to Joey playing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHyydTTSX8

He has a lot of respect from the players around Raleigh that is for sure!
 
Quesports said:
I left after he lost his first match which was about 11:30 last night. So I cannot tell you but everyone was watching him and complementing his game and demeanor.

One time he moved his upper body before he stroked the cue and missed the shot. Later between matches I mentioned it to him, he laughed and said he felt himself doing it and shot anyway. He had the knowledge to know he did it though at 12 years old... I did not see him do it again.

In the last match I watched he played a lady that was on a woman's tour he had her down 3 - 1 in a race to 5. Then she got several rolls and tied it up 4-4 and just barely getting the win. She was thrilled to play him and gave him all the credit he deserved!

I chatted with one of his older brother's named Simeon. Simeon was getting ready to fly back to Illinois, he is a student at Illinois State in Bloomington. If Joey ever does become a pro it will be after he completes college. His Dad who was there does not seem like the type to let any of his kids do anything until they are fully educated and on their own. Here is another link to Joey playing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHyydTTSX8

He has a lot of respect from the players around Raleigh that is for sure!
Click to expand...
Plenty of good players in the Raleigh area for the young man to learn from. If he doesn't already know, you might tell his Dad that Hall of Famer Ray Martin still hangs out at Brass Tap, and gives lessons for very reasonable prices. That would be a great experience for the kid to take a lesson from a legend like Ray Martin.
 
Ched said:
We really are due for another boon. Such a great sport, shame it has a stigma to it. Hopefully young men like this can turn the game into something great for all.
Click to expand...


It’s the “stigma” that made pool pool. A litany of characters, misfits and sub-culture personalities that distinguished pool from alter boys and boring 9 to 5 chumps.
 
ChrisinNC said:
Couldn't help but chuckle when the kid said he wanted to be a pro pool player, and wanted to have a family with 7 kids of his own. Sadly he doesn't understand yet the lifestyle of a pro pool player - LOL

You forgot to tell us how he did in the tournament that night?
Click to expand...
An oldie: "What do a large a pizza and a pool player have in common?" Neither can feed a family of five.
 
Pool Player Image of Old

This is a different time. I'm not sure the pool player image of the good old days is going to work for today. It might have worked at one time but today its about eyeballs, advertising dollars, cleaned up image or so it seems to me. Someone would be taking a long shot on getting pool in shape to have a positive impact on a sales market.
 
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