Shane Van Boening was born in 1984 and is considered by most to be the next in line and heir-apparent to the throne of being the best pool player in the U.S. Shane currently resides in Sioux Falls, South Dakota where he is a partner in Lucky's, a billiard establishment, located in downtown Sioux Falls.
Shane can trace his billiards skills back to his family and their obvious love for the game. His grandfather, Gary Bloomberg, was a trick-shot artist and his grandmother, Jeanne Bloomberg, was a BCA national champion. His mother, Timi Bloomberg, was a BCA national champion and his aunt, Gari Jo Bloomberg, a three-time BCA national champion.
Though he started playing when he was 2 years old, Shane did not waste his time becoming an accomplished player. With poise and composure not seen in players twice his age, Van Boening, a three-time VNEA national eight-ball champion, has advanced from a young prodigy to become one of the most feared players in the world by the time he was only 22. Van Boening was one of 8 players to earn a bonus of $5,000 for breaking and running six consecutive racks in tournament play. Shane was one of only 10 players to earn their IPT tour card by finishing in the top two spots of one of 5 qualifiers. Shane won the second stop held at the Pool Room in Altanta, GA.
Shane is a hard working, clean cut young man with a desire to play pool at a professional level for years to come. His recent sponsorship by the BCAPL (headed by CEO Mark Girffin) has attracted industry interest and it looks like many more will follow.
Recently, Shane made the televised finals of the Enjoypool.com Open in Las Vegas, NV where he was defeated by Filipino phenom Dennis Orcollo. Weeks later, he captured the Predator World 10-Ball Championship in Jacksonville, FL. He currently finished runner up at the Billiard Factory World Summit of Pool in Las Vegas, NV. That means in his last 3 pro events Shane has captured 2nd, First, and 2nd. Who can beat that? It looks like Shane Van Boening is on his way for total pool world domination and we have a ring-side seat.
