Josh Schexnayder told me hes been apart of the American Poolplayers Association for 6 years, but his love for pool first started when his friends introduced him to 8 ball.
Playing pool isn't just a hobby for Schexnayder, but it's become a stress reliever. Schexnayder competes in many local tournaments, such as the white diamonds regionals in Lafayette. Where he won a trip to play in Las Vegas.
“I won splash boards, and then that qualified me for regionals, I won regionals and APA pays for your trip to go to Vegas,” Schexnayder said.
Schexnayder says he didn’t go to Las Vegas expecting to win the tournament, but after winning a few games he noticed he had a shot at winning the grand prize.
“Not until I got to the semifinals match, I was like, I’m in the money, I did it, so let’s bring it home,” Schexnayder said.
Bringing it home is exactly what Schexnayder did, he told me winning the tournament still feels like a dream.
“It’s still surreal, the pressure, my heart was beating out of my chest… it still doesn’t feel real,” Schexnayder said.
Schexnayder says shooting pool has helped him in many ways and he hopes to continue to see the sport grow.
“I would like to see it get a lot bigger, they have some leagues for the youth, maybe open up more things and get the younger generation involved so the sport doesn’t die off,” Schexnayder said.
