Bio

Dalton Nelson is a 7-year-old pool player, born on September 18, 2016. He is from Wisconsin and lives with his mom, dad, sister Jossalyn and dog Willie. Dalton has had a unique interest in pool since he was in diapers. He was raised around the sport–watching his dad, uncles and grandpa playing every week at Sunday dinner. As a baby, occasionally he would have the chance to be put up on the table and roll balls in the pockets by hand. Nobody really knew how much he was watching and learning, until one day as his mom was putting laundry in and returned to see Dalton standing on the pool table in his onesie with a pool cue in hand, trying to shoot the balls in. That was when his family realized that he may be a natural. He wanted on the table more and more, continuing to play with his hands until he was 5 ½ years old. At the age of 5 ½, he was given a youth cue. When we noticed Dalton calculating angles and his natural knack for the sport, we bought him a higher quality cue for Christmas. He really took off–impressing people locally including both family members and local pool players from the bars in our area.
At the age of 6, Dalton learned of a youth league about an hour away from his home and began attending to play other juniors. He loved it. His family was a bit surprised to see him coming away with wins every night he played. In January of 2023 his family decided to enter him into his first juniors tournament, the Jacoby open, as a 6 year old. He played spider ball and won ages 9 and under going undefeated. That April Dalton was entered into the Great Lakes youth pool tournament, in Escanaba Michigan. He was allowed to play in the 8-12 years age division based upon his prior experience. Being only his second tournament and going up against 12 year olds, the family was hopeful, but not expecting a win. It was seen as a learning experience and the opportunity to have fun meeting other kids. Dalton ended up going undefeated in 8 ball, being the youngest player in 33 years to win the title of Great Lakes champion for ages 12 and under. He took home a trophy about as tall as him and a new cue and case. That July Dalton traveled to Nationals in Quincy, Illinois, for the BEF, where he played 8 ball for ages 10 and under. After driving 6 hours to compete, he woke up with a stomach bug the day before the tournament. His family worried that he was out of the tournament at that point. The next morning he was still not feeling 100% and was given the option to go home or try to play. He said he wanted to give it a shot. Dalton won several of his matches, but ended up in the losers bracket by losing one match. By the end the day he won his way back to compete against one other player to determine 1st or 2nd place. Based upon the fatigue of the kids, the decision was made to postpone the final match until the following day. Dalton returned the following day, playing his opponent, and winning the match. This bumped his opponent into the losers bracket, so they had to play one more match to determine the winner. Dalton won this match on a hill to hill, awarding him first place in Nationals for ages 10 and under. In October Dalton played at the Iowa State ACS Tournament in Davenport, Iowa. He played 9 ball with kids ages 11 and under. Again, Dalton won 1st place on a hill to hill tournament, down to the 9 ball, against a 10 year old. Dalton was awarded with 1st place for ages 11 and under for the state of Iowa. Dalton’s success has caught the attention of people all over. He joined a new pool league in Minnesota in November of 2023. This league is 3.5 hours away from home but gives him many more opportunities to play tournaments. After joining this league, Dalton got to play Minnesota scotch doubles with his dad winning third place in his dad’s first ever tournament. Dalton then entered a doubles youth tournament with a teammate. They won first place in their age division. Dalton has secured an entry to play Nationals again in 2024 for the BEF in Quincy, Illinois and will be competing again at this high level. Saturday, February 17, 2024, Dalton competed at a local tavern at 7-years-old in an all-adult tournament. He won 1st place and also got drawn for the break and run drawing, making 4 balls in before he stopped to capture his winnings. Dalton spends several hours most days after school and on the weekends playing pool to continue improving. His talents will only go up from here. Dalton’s goal is to one day be professional, which is a big goal for a 7 year old, but many believe he will accomplish that goal. With his determination and love for the sport, his whole heart is in the game.