Shane van Boening: Mosconi Cup star attacked by thug with GUN who taunted him as he's DEAF
MOSCONI CUP star Shane van Boening has revealed how he had a gun pointed at his head by schoolboy bullies.
Van Boening, who is deaf, was targeted by class thugs in Dakota where he grew up.
It led to the American being isolated as a kid, failing to achieve his best grades and having to have his uncle step in.
"When I was younger, I had a lot of bullies," Van Boening revealed.
"I had to go to my mum, I had a kid put a gun to my head, I had a kit spitting on me.
"Bullying was the biggest problem when I was at a yooung age.
"My mum had a call my uncle to come to town and talk to the parents to get them to stop doing this.
"This is why I couldn't get good grades in middle school and elementary school, but when I got to high school it got a little bit better but I didn't have many friends.
"I got straight As and I just figured out on my own that I didn't want to be friends with anybody."
Van Boening instead concentrated on his pool career, winning the first tournament he entered in Las Vegas in Nevada.
He is is now ranked one in America and is leading their charge at the Mosconi Cup at the Alexandra Palace.
"Right after high school I never went to graduation. I said to myself that I didn't want to graduate with any of these other students so I decided that I want to play a professional tournament," he added.
"It was my first tournament in Las Vegas and I won. It was a great move for me that I decided to go and play pool.
"If you're getting bullied, my advice is you have to be positive, don't let yourself down.
"There's always hope that you can have a good future.
"The way I look at it, when anyone picks on you when you're younger, when you get older think of what happened which was better for you.
"Things will get worse for them. I wanted my car washed one day and I was driving a brand new Cadillac, a brand new Chevvy, and I saw this guy car washing.
"He was the guy who picked on me when I was a little kid. That is what he deserved. This is what I deserved. Think what happened better for you."