2008 DOUBLES WORLD CHAMPION,

2-TIME ALL-AROUND CHAMPION

& 7 TIME MOSCONI CUP MEMBER.

JUST A FEW OF THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

THAT THE CURRENT #1 POOL PLAYER

IN THE UNITED STATES HAS ACHIEVED,

SHANE VAN BOENING TURNED PRO IN 2006,

HE NOT ONLY HAS BROUGHT HOME A LOT OF HARDWARE,

BUT HAS ALSO GAINED PRAISE AND RESPECT

BY POOL PLAYERS ALL OVER THE WORLD.

SHANE SAYS THAT COMES FROM A LOT OF HARD WORK.

>>AFTER COMPETING IN ALL THESE TOURNAMENTS,

I DECIDED THAT, YOU KNOW,

I'M GONNA HAVE TO WORK HARDER FOR MYSELF AND DEDICATE MYSELF, TO PRACTICE,

AND TO GET TO WHERE I AM AT RIGHT NOW,

IT TAKES ABOUT 6 TO 8 HOURS A DAY, 7 DAYS A WEEK.

I WORK REAL HARD AND DEDICATE MYSELF.

AND JUST WANT TO BE ONE OF THE BEST POOL PLAYERS IN THE WORLD.

>>SHANE WAS NICKNAMED EARLY ON IN HIS PROFESSIONAL CAREER

BY HIS FELLOW COMPETITORS.

>>ALL THE SUDDEN I HEAR PEOPLE GOING,

OH, THERE'S A KID FROM SOUTH DAKOTA,

UM...HE PLAYS PRETTY GOOD AND UM...

EVERYTIME WHEN I WALKED INTO A POOL ROOM AROUND THE COUNTRY,

THEY DON'T REALLY KNOW MY REAL NAME,

THEY JUST KNOW THAT I'M KNOWN AS THE SOUTH DAKOTA KID.

>>VAN BOENING HAS BEEN PLAYING POOL ALL OF HIS LIFE.

GROWING UP IN RAPID CITY, SHANE LEARNED EARLY ON

THAT HE WAS DESTINED TO BE THE BEST.

>>AS A CHILD, I USED TO SIT IN A BABY CHAIR

AND WATCH PEOPLE PLAY POOL IN THE POOLROOM.

AND UM...I WATCHED MY FAMILY PLAY POOL

AND I WATCHED MY FRIENDS.

>>THIS KID WAS SO ENTERTAINING, LIKE I SAY AT 2 YEARS OLD,

HE JUST SEEMED TO KNOW EVERTHING

THAT YOU SHOULD BE KNOWING WHEN YOUR 18.

HE JUST IMMEDIATELY PICKED UP BY WATCHING.

>>GARY BLOOMBERG, SHANES GRANDFATHER,

OWNED A STRING OF POOL HALLS WHEN SHANE WAS YOUNG.

ALTHOUGH SHANES LOVE FOR POOL PROBABLY STARTED THERE,

IT WAS A GIFT FROM HIS GRANDFATHER THAT SEEMED TO CATCH HIS EYE.

>>AT CHRISTMAS TIME, I BOUGHT HIM THIS MINIATURE TABLE,

AND HE HAD ALL HIS TOYS OUT THERE, AND WHEN HE GOT TO THE POOL TABLE

WHICH WAS WRAPPED UP, THE MINUTE HE TORE THAT,

HE DROPPED ALL OF HIS TOYS, I HANDED HIM THE CUE,

PUT THE BALLS ON THE TABLE, AND INCIDENTALLY HE MADE HIS FIRST SHOT.

AND HE'S BEEN MAKING THEM A LOT SINCE... BELIEVE ME.

>>SHANE AND HIS GRANDFATHER ATTENDED LOCAL TRADE SHOWS

WHERE THEY PERFORMED TRICK-SHOT EXHIBITIONS.

THIS IS WHERE GARY KNEW THAT HIS GRANDSON WAS MEANT TO PLAY POOL.

>>TO ME THAT WAS SO CUTE, I BOUGHT HIM A LITTLE SUIT,

PUT THE TIE ON HIM, HE WAS SO PROUD.

HE COULDN'T WAIT TO GET UP THERE, PEOPLE WOULD GATHER AROUND,

HE COULDN'T WAIT TO GET TO THE TABLE AND SHOOT THE SHOTS.

HE JUST LOVED IT, I ALMOST HAD TO DRAG HIM AWAY FROM THE TABLE.

>>SHANES MOTHER, TIMI BLOOMBERG, WAS AN OUTSTANDING

POOL PLAYER HERSELF. DOMINATING THE STATE TOURNAMENTS

WITH HER SISTER AND HER MOTHER. THE WHOLE FAMILY

MADE POOL PLAYING A BIG PART OF THEIR LIVES

AND SHANE WAS NO DIFFERENT. OR WAS HE?

WHEN HE WAS JUST 16 MONTHS OLD, TIMI'S FRIEND

NOTICED SOMETHING ABOUT SHANE, THAT WOULD CHANGE THEIR LIVES FOREVER.

>>A FRIEND OF MINE CAME OVER AND SHE ASKED ME WHERE SHANE WAS

AND I STOMPED ON THE FLOOR AND I YELLED HIS NAME,

AND SHE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, "WHY DID YOU STOMP ON THE FLOOR".

I SAID, "I DIDN'T". SHE SAID, "YEAH YOU DID".

AND THEN SHE SAID, "HE CAN'T HEAR".

>>SHANE WAS BORN WITH NEAR TOTAL LOSS OF HEARING IN BOTH EARS.

>>A NORMAL CONVERSATION, LIKE THIS, WOULD BE AT AROUND 30 TO 40

AND WITHOUT HEARING AIDS, SHANE HEARS AT 80 TO 85.

SO WITH HIS HEARING AIDS, I THINK IT BRING IT DOWN TO ABOUT 30,

SO THERES STILL THAT LOWER PART OF A CONVERSATION THOUGH.

>>IT WASN'T EASY GROWING UP WITH A HEARING IMPAIRMENT.

SHANE FOUND COMFORT IN THE GAME OF POOL.

>>MY HEARING IMPAIRMENT WHEN I WAS GOING TO SCHOOL,

THERE WAS A LOT OF BULLIES IN MY DAYS.

AND WHEN I GO PLAY POOL, IT'S A DIFFERENT WORLD FOR ME,

WHERE I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT.

>>IN GRADE SCHOOL, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WANTED SHANE

TO USE A FM SYSTEM TO PIPE THE TEACHERS AUDIO INTO SHANES EARS

BUT TIMI THOUGHT THAT WOULD LABEL HIM AS HANDICAPPED,

AND WANTED HIM TO LEARN AND FUNCTION BY HIMSELF.

WE HAD DIFFERENT BATTLES WHILE HE WAS GROWING UP,

BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO TREAT HIM HANDICAPPED,

AND I WANTED HIM TO BE FUNCTIONING NORMAL.

THE WAY HE ARTICULATES NOW IS PRETTY GOOD,

AS SEVERE AS HEARING LOSS THAT HE HAS.

>>SHANE SAYS THIS HELPED HIM LEARN HOW TO SPEAK

AND COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS,

BUT WHERE HE REALLY LEARNED TO COMMUNICATE,

WAS AT THE POOL HALL.

>>WHAT HELPED ME THE MOST IS THAT, WHEN I GREW UP IN A POOLROOM,

I GREW UP WITH MY FRIENDS AND THIS IS WHERE

I GET MY BETTER COMMUNICATION WITH PEOPLE.

OTHERWISE, MOST HEARING IMPAIRED PEOPLE OUT THERE YOU KNOW,

THEY DON'T REALLY SPEAK VERY WELL.

>>SOME SAY THE HEARING IMPAIRMENT

IS AN ADVANTAGE DURING A POOL MATCH.

>>HE'S SO FOCUSED IT WOULDN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE, REALLY.

IF HE WAS HEARING OR HE WASN'T.

>>IF I HAVE AN IMPORTANT MATCH, IF I REALLY WANT TO WIN,

I USUALLY TURN THEM OFF. ITS JUST COMPLETELY DIFFERENT,

SITUATION WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE TO HEAR ANY NOISES OR DISTRACTIONS.

A LOT OF PROFESSIONAL POOL PLAYERS ARE COMPLAINING

THAT I DON'T HEAR ANYTHING WHEN I'M PLAYING POOL AND THEY DO.

AND , COUPLE YEARS AGO, THEY ALL MADE A RULE WHERE,

YOU KNOW, ITS NOT FAIR. AND THE LAST COUPLE YEARS,

I LEAVE THEM ON, THAT WAY I DON'T FEEL BAD FOR OTHER PEOPLE,

I JUST TRY TO MAKE IT FAIR FOR EVERYBODY.

>>I THINK ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS I'VE EVER HEARD HIM SAY,

WAS WHEN ONE OF HIS OPPONENTS SAID, "WELL YEAH, YOU SHOULD WIN,

YOU DON'T HAVE ANY OUTSIDE INTERFERENCES AT ALL".

SHANE SAYS, "PUT ON EAR PLUGS, YOU'LL BE JUST LIKE ME"...Hmm.

>>BEING A ROLE MODEL ISN'T SOMETHING SHANE ASPIRES TO DO,

BUT SOMETHING HE HAS GROWN INTO BECAUSE OF HIS HARD WORK,

HIS ATTITUDE TOWARDS OTHERS AND THE RESPECT FROM HIS FELLOW COMPETITORS.

HE'S ALSO A ROLE MODEL

FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED, SOMETHING HE LOOKS FORWARD TO PERSUING

INTO THE FUTURE.

>>THE ROLE MODEL THING THAT HE'S GOT GOING ON WITH THAT,

ITS NOT JUST THAT...OH, LITTLE KIDS CAN LOOK UP TO HIM AND GO OH,

I WANT TO BE A WORLD CHAMPION LIKE HIM.

HOW ABOUT ALL THE HANDICAPPED KIDS THAT CAN LOOK AND GO,

YOU KNOW WHAT, I DON'T HAVE TO BE HANDICAPPED,

I CAN ACTUALLY FUNCTION NORMAL, AND DO NORMAL THINGS,

AND UTILIZE A DISABILITY,

SO THAT I HAVE MORE ABILITY IN SOME OTHER AREA.

SO, SHANE'S A GREAT ROLE MODEL FOR THINGS LIKE THAT.

>>I WANT TO HELP OTHER HEARING IMPAIRED KIDS

AND HAVE THEM HAVE A GOOD FUTURE FOR THEMSELVES,

AND LET THEM KNOW THAT, YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT,

AND THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME.