Junior Billiards Champions to Compete for World Title

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is pleased to announce that seven (7) junior players will be representing the United States in the XVIII World Junior 9-Ball Championships, November 3-8, 2009, in Managua, Nicaragua.

The World Junior 9-Ball Championships will comprise over fifty (50) of the world's best junior players from six (6) continents and over twenty (20) countries. The Billiard Congress of America (BCA), as the North America member of the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA), is granted the invitations that make it possible for North American players to participate in this prestigious event.

The U.S. junior delegates earned an entry by virtue of their performance in the 2009 BEF Junior National 9-Ball Championships. In addition to prizes and scholarships, players received an expense-paid trip to the World Junior 9-Ball Championships and an opportunity to compete for the world title. The U.S. contingent is as follows:

Landon Shuffett of Greensburg, KY – 2009 BEF Junior Nationals Champion, 19-and-under boys' division
Liz Lovely of Centerville, OH – 2009 BEF Junior Nationals Champion, 19-and-under girls' division
Brendan Crockett of Bell Canyon, CA – 2009 BEF Junior Nationals Champion, 14-and-under boys' division
Briana Miller of Allentown, PA – 2009 BEF Junior Nationals Champion, 14-and-under girls' division
Jesse Engel of Columbia Heights, MN – 2009 BEF Junior Nationals, runner-up, 19-and-under boys' division
Nick Tafoya of Albuquerque, NM - 2009 Junior Nationals, 19-and-under boys' division
Nicole Jaynes of Albuquerque, NM – 2009 Junior Nationals, 19-and-under girl's division

In addition to the U.S. junior players representing North America, the Canadian Billiards & Snooker Association (CBSA) has named three (3) players to represent Canada. Attending the event will be the defending world champion of the girls' division, Brittany Bryant, as well as McEarl Bucais and Ryan Spence.