ROCKWOOD – A local teen looking to go pro in billiards will get a chance to put his skills to the test in Europe after winning a national championship.
Rockwood’s Bryzen Ace Manipula, a 16-year-old John F. Ross student, will represent Canada in the under 19 division for nine-ball at the World Junior Championships at
Klagenfurt, Austria, in the fall.
Manipula earned this after winning the 2023 Canadian Junior Champions in his division earlier in July at a tournament in Stoney Creek.
“I’m very happy, my parents support me a lot,” Manipula said in a phone interview. “I really like the game and I’m happy that I get to go to Austria now … it’s pretty far away from here.”
Billiards, also sometimes referred to as pool or cue sports, have been around Manipula for his whole life.
“My grandpa’s been playing ever since he was in the Philippines but since he moved here it’s also branched down to my dad and all my uncles and aunts,” Manipula said, explaining cue sports are very popular in the Philippines.
He first started playing as a young child and later played his first tournament at nine, but he said he began taking it up seriously last year.
He placed fourth at the Canadian Junior Championships that year.
“I needed a lot more experience, so I’ve been playing competitively straight for a year now and I just feel a lot more comfortable playing against other people,” Manipula said.
This led to playing in tournaments around Ontario, the US and even London.
To prepare for Austria, Manipula has been practicing every day, mostly at home or Tony’s Billiards in Downtown Guelph, to remain active in the game to deal with nerves.
“There’s lots of practice but you got to pay attention to a lot of little things like your fundamentals,” he said, referring to stance, shot alignment and routines to keep shots consistent.
He said it’s been his grandpa’s dream for someone in the family to become a pro in cue sports and he aims to achieve that but he doesn’t consider himself at this level yet even with a sponsorship from Mezz Cues, a major Japanese cue company.
In his view, he considers that level to be when playing in adult divisions and when you make a living off the sport but for now is happy to be supported by his family as he heads to Austria in October.
“I really enjoy travelling and I have loved the game ever since I was small, so I’m happy that I’m being supported doing something I love,” Manipula said.
