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Pool champion takes in Q-C event

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By Christopher Maloney | Thursday, April 17, 2008 |

Davenport mayor Bill Gluba was among several dignitaries meeting the public at the State PoolPlayers Championships news conference at the RiverCenter on Friday.

It was a special guest from Sioux City, Iowa, who attracted much of the attention, however.

That special guest was Shane Van Boening, who won a slew of honors in 2007, including the 2007 PoolPlayer of the Year as selected by Billiards Digest, Pool & Billiard Magazine, and InsidePOOL Magazine.

The hearing-impaired,

23-year-old billiard star won the World Ten-Ball Championship and U.S. Open Nine-Ball Championship to help earn him those honors.

The four-year pro said he was happy to take part in the championships considering he lives in Iowa. Most of his year is spent taking part in tournaments, but he said this week worked out well with his schedule, and also provided him the opportunity to get in more competition and practice.

Van Boening said while it took the winning of various tournaments to win PoolPlayer of the Year title, the one he takes most pride in is the U.S. Open.

“It is the biggest tournament in the world,” he said. “You compete against a field of 230, all the best professionals from around the world.”

He said although he competes in 8-ball, 9-ball and 10-ball tournaments, his favorite is the classic 8-ball.

“Nine-ball is fun to play while 10-ball takes more skill,” he said.

For the most part, Friday’s news conference served to promote Davenport for the out-of-towners in attendance.

Gluba called Davenport “the most exciting city in Iowa” as he began his speech. He also pointed out the 1,400 hotel rooms being used by the championships’ 1,700 competitors. The mayor said the $2 million expected revenue from this competition will “help the city grow.”