Junior’s Rising The Weber Brothers

By Kat Day

The Weber boys, Tucker Weber, 14, and Lincoln, 11, are two junior players new to the pool scene. The Weber boys are from St. Augustine, Florida, and have a strong family support system. The boy’s parents, Steve and Emily Weber, do everything they can to support Lincoln and Tucker to reach their ultimate playing level.

Recently the boys played at their third JIC Event at Break Time Billiards in Winston Salem, NC. They both made it to the third round at the last event. “Tucker’s safety game was on point! He has really been practicing that, and it showed,” stated Emily Weber. Lincoln Weber took second place with Bethany Tate in the Scotch Doubles. The boy’s next stop will be in Fairfield, Ohio, in May at Michaels Billiards! Which will be JIC #4!

Lincoln Weber is featured on the official Jayson Shaw Junior Open and the Francisco Sanchez Ruiz (FSR) Junior Open Posters! Emily Weber has filed the paperwork to get the boys their passports and is waiting for them to process so that she can pick them up! The boys will have the experience of a lifetime going to Europe and Spain for the Jr. Opens! They will attend the APA Junior Nationals in St. Louis and the BEF National Championship in Illinois, with more JIC stops in between. And from what Emily hears, the other APA Junior League will also start this month. So, with all this said, the boys will be very busy the rest of the year! They will also get the boys back into the SVB Jr. Open when it comes around!

Although the sport of pool runs deep in the Weber family, and they have been playing at home for a while, the BEF qualifier was their first tournament, and the SVB Junior Open was their second event. These two events that they were able to participate in really kickstarted their path and passion for the next level of this sport. Then attending the US Open in Atlantic City and the Mosconi Cup in Las Vegas inspired them even more with goals and visions.

Both boys had the time of their life at the SVB Jr. Open and Mosconi Cup 2022! They got their Jerseys signed by all the great players, like Jayson Shaw, Shane Van Boening, Oscar Dominguez, Tyler Styer, Billy Thorpe, Shane Wolford, and so many more! Lincoln even got a signed glove from John Leyman, the official referee of Matchroom!

“We focused on getting local support with the lack of junior leagues and worked with two local APA leagues to get junior programs started. Mike and Kelly Moore with Jacksonville APA and Kevin and Ashely Morgan with First Coast APA were excellent to work with on building new Junior programs for North Florida. Their love and support for the sport and Juniors are much appreciated,” states Emily Weber.

The Weber house is a house divided with Tucker Weber playing with Cuetec Cynergy SVB Gen One playing cue, Breach Break Cue, a Cuetec jump cue, joint protectors, 12 in. extension, Predator Chalk and holder, Cuetec Glove and bridgehead, Claw cue holder keeping all of his equipment in the Cuetec Pro Line Ghost Edition! Lincoln is playing with a Predator Playing cue, break cue, jump cue, joint protectors, 12 in extension, predator chalk and holder, glove, bridgehead, claw cue holder, and always gum.

Then boys play Sundays for Jacksonville APA Juniors Division out of 9 Ball Heaven. “We also got the boys into a USAPL adult league to get them some consistent experience playing with different people of various skill levels,” states Emily. Now the boys also play out of Corner Pockets on the adult USAPL league on Mondays. There is another host location in the works for Juniors to play; all the details have not been ironed out yet!

The Weber boys joined the Junior International Championship Tour and have traveled nationwide to play in top-tier junior skill-level events. This is all for the experience and building the foundational pieces needed to reach that next level. The Weber boys first stop was JIC #1 in January at Wolfs Den in Roanoke, Virginia. Then the boys played in February at Diamond Billiards in Cape Coral, Florida, for the JIC #2!

Training and practice have been key components in the progression of their skill levels. The Weber boys practice on an 8 ft. Diamond Pro AM Table at home. Both boys set monthly goals and dedicate at least 2-3 hours daily to practice and more on weekends. After the last JIC stop, they set a goal of 800 completed racks before the next tournament stop.

Tucker Weber

“We have a saying in our house that we only practice with purpose, and perfect practice makes perfect. Practicing bad habits without purpose can be detrimental and create incorrect muscle memory. We focus on the areas we identified that need improvement and some fun family competitions,” states Emily Weber.

Steve Weber, the boy’s dad, spends a lot of time at the table with them, playing, teaching, and coaching not just the fundamentals of the game but the strategy of why you choose the pattern, the shot, or the position play. The safety game is a huge focus in our house. How to control the table and when to choose to play offense or defense. Emily Weber stated, “My husband’s career requires him to travel for work sometimes, but there are no days off. Coaching and training continue in the evenings as he watches and coaches remotely using FaceTime or Zoom.”

Both boys have a passion & love for the game and appreciate the dedication it takes to excel at it. This game doesn’t discriminate against the player. It’s a level playing field. Both opponents are playing the table and each other. You don’t need to be 6’5” and 200 lbs. to compete. But you need to be able to combine a chess player’s strategies and thought processes while physically needing to execute with the precision of marksmen. You need to have the mental and physical endurance to handle not only the long matches or tournaments but the stress that goes along with it.

Tucker and Lincoln Weber rencently played in a doubles tournament for the Jacksonville APA Junior leage. lincoln made a post on his Facebook page and said, “Had the chance to play with my dad and we took second place on a close finals match against Tucker Weber and D.j. Burke. Congrats to both of you for shooting great!”

The skills the boys are developing, and life lessons will assist them with handling the challenges throughout their lives. Yes, some tears and emotions come from this sport and

1st annual Jacksonville APA juniors doubles tournament

the pressure, but learning to handle it, channel it, and have the perseverance to continue is a testimony to the character of these young athletes.

Lincoln and Tucker Weber are sponsored by a new company called Barstool Cue Sports to assist in their journey. Barstool Cue Sports is dedicated to the next era and generation of the sport. Lincoln and Tucker were recently picked up by Onboard Sportswear, adding a new sponsor to their resume! The boys could use a great cue sponsor if anyone wants to step up to sponsor these two outstanding junior players!

Lincoln Weber

Lincoln Weber and Bethany Tate