Bio - Max Eberle
In his first 15 years of
playing pool, Max has won 3 national championships, played in the ESPN
Ultimate 9-Ball championships in '98 & '99, represented the US in the
1996 WPA World 9-Ball Championships in Borlange, Sweeden, given two
exhibition tours at Navy and Air Force bases in Spain, Italy, Greece,
Turkey, Germany, Holland, England and Norway. His highest
professional finish to date is 4th in the 1996 Dallas Million Dollar
Challenge, and he is currently playing in various professional events.
In 1994, Max graduated from James Madison University in Harrisonburg,
Virginia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in geography after winning
the national college title in '93 and again in '94. Max was an award
winning artist in the Arlington county VA. school system, where he has
worked recently as a substitute teacher in grades kindergarten through
twelve.
"As a kid, I had lots
of fun and a great family (I still do). My parents
divorced when I was 2 and my Dad Rob went to Alaska to battle cancer and
my mom Estelle took my older brother Stephen and me to Orlando Florida
where she grew up. She soon married her younger brother's good
friend Tom Runge and we all moved to Arlington, Virginia when I was 4.
I had a great childhood in Arlington playing football and planning to play
in the NFL, playing baseball, going fishing, exploring drainage pipes and
doing other fun stuff that kids like to do.
My dad, who was successfully battling cancer with a nutritious vegetarian
diet, would fly my brother and me out to California for visits. He
married Loi Miller, had a son named Will, and the three of them moved to
beautiful northern Idaho, into a small log cabin in the woods.
During my visits there, he showed me the beauty of the wilderness, taught
me about the importance of a healthy diet, and he also taught me how to
fish for Largemouth Bass and Rainbow Trout. I soon became obsessed
with fishing and badly wanted to be a Bass pro one day. Back in
Virginia Tom would take me fishing all the time with my friends. My
walls were covered with photos and drawings of fish. Mom also had a
beautiful daughter, my sweet sister Katie Runge, now 15 and playing the
violin.
One trip to Idaho, when I was 11 and my brother 14, we decided to stay
there with our dad and drop out of school, but my mom had other ideas.
She flew out to take us both home, but only came home with me.
Stephen stayed in Idaho to live with our dad. However, my dad taught
me that I could do anything I wanted in life. That November, in Ohio
at my Grandparents' for thanksgiving, I became obsessed with pool.
There is a beautiful 9 foot Brunswick in the basement that my dad (when he
was 16) had convinced my Grandpa, Charles Eberle (Pop), to buy from the
YMCA many years earlier. Pop, now 91, was a great pool player in his
day. He traveled the country alone, sending money he earned with his
cue back home to his wife and five kids. He has pocketed over 100
balls in a row in straight pool many times with that great cue ball
control of his. He taught my dad and all the boys how to play.
My dad also became a run out player and often sparred with Pop and my
uncle Dave. My cousin Ed Hardesty (former Sarasota,
FL. county champion) and Dave's son Danny also became adept at the game.
In the 1982 Dover city 8-Ball championships, Pop won, my uncle Dave got
second, and my cousin Danny got third! Not too shabby, an all Eberle
final three.
It was not long after this tournament that I took the game up and Pop
started teaching me the basics. I soon wholeheartedly decided to
become a professional pool player (especially after seeing Mike Sigel play
on TV). Pop taught me to never turn the cue ball loose, that it was the
only ball on the table, and not to miss. Since I did not have a
table in Arlington, I had to find friends who did - and beg them to play
at their house. After much begging, Mom and Tom bought me a used 7
foot table for our house because that's all that would fit. A couple
times, when my grades slipped, my mom hid the pool balls from me. On
the second time, I searched the entire house until I found them, and
immediately went downstairs to practice.
During summertime I would spend lots of time in Ohio, practicing for 9-12
hours a day, every day, and loving every minute. In 1988 there was
another all Eberle final in the inaugural 9-Ball event at the Velvet rail.
This was the first 9-Ball tournament I was ever in, and I won with Pop
taking second (I think he let me win). Local pro Garten
Bierbower (one of the greatest pool players I have ever seen to this date,
and now a great cuemaker) was kind enough to play with me often (let me
rack for him) and teach me the subtleties of position play in 9-Ball.
My grandpa always told Garten "you make it look soooo eeeeasy,"
and Garten would reply "it is easy Charley."
When I was 16, my dad lost the battle with cancer after 20 years of
battling. At least that was much longer than the few months the
doctors had given him. He had refused their chemotherapy, and
because of his dedication to good nutrition he lived a long time, giving
me another great brother Will, an amazing sister Emily and a cool step mom
Loi. He was a great thinker and one of the first to teach natural
ways of battling cancer. Thanks for everything Dad.
It has been great to have such a supporting family with my pool playing.
My mom used to drive me many hours to pool tournaments and always believed
in me. She was a very loving Mom who passed away in 1995. But
I feel that life is everlasting because no one really dies, they just
leave their bodies or change form, and will certainly be seen again.
I love you Mom. And Thanks to my step dad, Tom Runge, for helping
support me and my playing through the
years.
I am thankful that playing pool has introduced me to many wonderful people
and given me much joy and opportunity in life. I feel I will win
many professional titles in the years to come and continually focus on
improving my game and being in "the zone" where everything is
easy and smooth. I highly recommend the pursuit to everyone.
Follow your heart and have faith.
Max Facts
* DOB: November 27, 1972, 10:18 PM
* Place of birth: Dover, Ohio
* Zodiac sign: Sagittarius
* Grew up in: Arlington, Virginia
* Early hobbies: football, fishing, baseball, art
* Education: James Madison University, Class of 94', BS in
Geography
* Religion: all is one
* Started playing pool seriously: 12 years old
* Current professions: Creating art, playing pool, being a
FreeLife
Independent Marketing Executive (Sharing the story of health and wealth) www.maxeberle.freelife.com.
* Favorite foods: Italian, Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern,
Chinese,
vegetarian
* Favorite bands: Freedom Tribe, The Doors, Jimmy Hendrix, Bob
Dylan, Grateful Dead, CCR, Sheryl Crow, Joules Graves, Alanis Morrisette
* Favorite Places: Zion National Park, UT., Bisbee, AZ.,
Venice and Rome, Italy
* Favorite Books: Conversations with God, by Neale Donald
Walsh; A Course in Miracles; Think and Grow Rich, by Napolean Hill; any
book by Tom Brown Jr., The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight, by Thom Hartman
* Passions for: Playing pool in the zone, rock and mountain
climbing,
creating art, writing, the wilderness, traveling, playing guitar and
singing, listening to great music, eating healthy, helping people, hearing
and thanking The Great Spirit.
Max's High Runs (4½'*9'
tables)
8-Ball: 5 racks
9-ball: 10 racks
Straight Pool: near 150
One Pocket: 15 balls
Rotation: Break and run
Longest time playing pool: 30 hours
Most balls made on a 9-ball break: 5
Shortest time to run 15 balls: 45 seconds
Most balls made in one shot: 12
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