Bettendorf 16-year-old Sam Henderson grew up surrounded by pool tables, billiard balls and cue sticks — but he didn't always see it in his future.
"When I was little, my dad ran the Quad Cities APA (American Poolplayers Association) Juniors League. I was not old enough to participate, but my three older sisters were there so I had to be there," he said, adding that he couldn't join until age seven. "That day came … however, I was not very good."
But next month, Henderson will represent the United States at the Predator Pro Billiard Series World Junior Championships in Klagenfurt, Austria.
Before that event, he'll compete at the 2023 U.S. Open Pool Championship in Atlantic City.
How did he get there? In short, a lot of practice and playing higher-level tournaments.
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"It wasn’t until about age 11 that my game really started to improve," Henderson said. "In 2018, I went down to New Orleans to play in a junior national tournament, and I ended up placing second. I was like, 'Wow, maybe this is something I could do.'"
He also landed his first sponsorship — McDermott Cues — at this tournament, which he says has helped him throughout his competition journey.
"That event really showed me that I could maybe go somewhere in this sport," Henderson said. "I started to take it more serious, practice more and work on my fundamentals — everything to actually make my game better."
Before this, he didn't intend on "getting better." Henderson was busy with several other sports at the time, typically playing pool for fun.
Now, he touts a laundry list of notable accolades, such as winning the 2023 Midwest Regional 8 Ball Championships and the 2022 Iowa State ACS 8 Ball Championships in the Men's Master Division — as the youngest competitor in both tournaments.
"On average, I'm traveling anywhere between one to four hours for pool tournaments on the weekend," Henderson said. "If I'm not doing school, then all I really want to do is play pool."
He attends Pleasant Valley High School online via the district's Edgenuity platform — a decision prompted by his consuming pool schedule.
While school is still Henderson's main focus, his dad, Nate Kennis, said he clocks around 20 hours a week practicing pool.
"It's amazing to watch him," Kennis said. "By the end of the tournament, he's the one everybody is talking about. He was 11 years old, playing at state events and beating the top-end players in our area in the finals."
This has earned many local players' respect.
"He's getting this notoriety, just by him playing," Kennis said. "He's not selling himself, but what he does at the table, people recognize. It's just amazing to watch him grow."
While numerous professional pool players hail from the Quad-Cities and surrounding areas, Henderson wishes for more competition pool opportunities, particularly for players around his age.
"I wish more people took junior pool seriously here. There used to be, when we had another pool hall (on the Iowa side). We had a nice juniors league, but it kind of died down," he said. "So, there's really no room for it to grow."
The Quad-Cities area has two formal pool leagues: the APA and the American CueSports Alliance (ACS). The APA has approximately 286 active members, while the ACS has roughly 400.
Still, Henderson looks forward to seeing more young folk at the billiards.
"With the combined efforts from the World Pool Association (WPA) and Matchroom Pool, the idea of becoming a professional pool player is actually possible," he said. "My goals are within reach, as long as I continue to do my part and work hard to reach them."
Henderson recalls moments of frustration and tears while competing — however, he's learned that you must "lose some in order to learn and start winning."
"Don’t be afraid to play the people who you feel are better than you, this is how you learn and become better," he advises other young players. "Travel to other places for tournaments, because being able to play anyone, anywhere will help your game … Really, just never give up and keep practicing."
For aspiring professional pool players, Henderson also advises to practice on a nine-foot table, join a league, support local pool halls and have fun.
"I cannot count the number of times people have told me run the other way," he said. "Or, that in order to make money in billiards, I will need to gamble."
Henderson is now up to 10 sponsorships, with more likely to join in the future.
"I'm not used to asking anybody to sponsor me. They're usually emailing me or approaching me at a tournament," he said. "I think they recognize that I'm a hard worker, and I'm not just looking for a logo on my jersey, but I'm looking for a partnership."
Moving forward in his professional career, Henderson hopes to make the Mosconi Cup — where he'd compete alongside four other top U.S. players against five of Europe's best.
"I dream of being on that team," he said. "I'd like to be the number one pool player in the world some day."
Henderson also keeps a website highlighting his accomplishments and tournaments he has played in at www.rynochargeinc.com.