Two local young men will put their billiard-playing skills to the test against some of the best in the nation in their age group this August in Las Vegas.
Matthew Wiseley, 14, of Poplar Bluff, and Dalton Walters, 11, of Sikeston, Mo., have qualified to play in the Billiard Education Foundation 29th Annual Junior National 9-Ball Championships held Aug. 2-5 at South Point Hotel and Convention Center.
"It'll be a lot of fun to go out to Vegas and do something I love," said Matthew.
Dalton says he is excited also and adds that his math classes have helped him become a better player.
"Education has helped - like geometry," Dalton said. "You can see all the angles the ball comes off of and the tangent lines and stuff."
Both of the young men competed in a number of tournaments to qualify.
"You have to place top two in a state tournament and I got first in the 9-ball and 10-ball in Missouri and the competition wasn't very hard like it will be during nationals," Matthew said.
Dalton said he felt the local/in-state competition was pretty tough: "I qualified in the BEF Junior 9-ball qualifier. The competition was a little rough in some matches, but I got through."
The BEF junior nationals event is the only opportunity for U.S. billiard student-athletes to qualify to compete at the World Pool-Billiard Association World Junior 9-Ball Championships, as well as for Team USA at the annual Atlantic Challenge Cup.
"I'm gonna try to eat healthy and get lots of sleep, so I won't be tired and I'm gonna play as much as I can so I can stay in stroke," Matthew said.
Dalton said his strategy will focus on staying calm amid the tough competition.
"My strategy is to shoot my very best, keep calm and make sure I'm not nervous. So probably just controlling my nerves and shooting like I normally would," he said.
Dalton says he started playing in an American Poolplayers Association league some time ago to develop his skills. Matthew says he has been playing since he was 10 and first had access to a table.
"When I moved to Poplar Bluff, when I was seven, we moved in with a friend of ours and she had a pool table at her house. So I started hitting balls around but I didn't start getting into it until I was 10. It was just a lot of fun and I have been playing ever since," Matthew said.
Both players say they have professional mentors, but much of their skill comes from practice and techniques they have picked up locally.
"My good friend Lane McCluskey taught me in the beginning, but he lives in Texas now, so I've had to teach myself a lot of what I know. Russ DeVore, owner of Dexter Billiards, has been here for me every step of the way," Matthew said.
"He and I play the local tournaments every week and he takes me to out of town tournaments, as well," he said.
Dalton said he picked up many of his skills from the Blue Diamond in Cape Girardeau. Both young men also play a lot at Smokin' Aces and Westwood Billiards in Poplar Bluff.
"Some of my mentors are Mark McMullen and his wife, Kim, but I mostly learned a lot on my own. Derrick Petzold practices with me along with Damon, Brad and Tara Browers, Christopher Petzold and various other people at Blue Diamond," Dalton said.
Last year's event featured Hall of Fame professionals "The Black Widow" Jeanette Lee and "The Scorpion" Johnny Archer and other notable players. During the tournament Matthew and Dalton will have a chance to win scholarships, medals, pool cues and equipment and other items.
Dalton is the son of Kenneth Walters and Matthew is the son of Terri Wiseley.