Mahkeal Parris, a 16-year-old junior at St. Croix Central High School, is headed to Moscow, Russia to compete in the 2018 World 9-Ball Championship Juniors on October 31, the Department of Education announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n
To help him get there, a fundraising activity was held at the school on October 18, where students paid a small fee to wear colored clothes, and teachers and staff gave financial donations, according to D.O.E. Mahkeal was presented with a check for $600 at a brief ceremony held at the school on October 22.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we do as a school and this principal, we support our students, whether it\u2019s academics, whether it\u2019s sports or extra-curricular activities, we are there for our students,\u201d said Principal Carlos McGregor. \u201cWhen we found out that Mahkeal has earned a spot on the United States team to go to Russia, we knew we had to step in and help.\u201d<\/p>\n
McGregor expressed his confidence in Mahkeal\u2019s ability to do well in the tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know he\u2019ll come back with the big trophy because he\u2019s been doing extremely well in the sport,\u201d McGregor said.<\/p>\n
Debra Parris, Mahkeal\u2019s mother, was on hand for the check presentation.<\/p>\n
\u201cMahkeal has been playing the sport at a very young age and after making his attempt at the barbershop, one of the customers recommended him to a retired police officer, the late Claude E. Petersen, and he started coaching him,\u201d Parris explained.<\/p>\n
Around age six, the barbershop was where Mahkeal picked up a pool stick for the first time.<\/p>\n
\u201cA pool table was in the middle by the barbers and one day, I picked up a stick and I just started playing,\u201d he said. After that, \u201cone of the barbers began to teach me from then.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parris highlighted some of her son\u2019s accomplishments in the ten\u00a0years he\u2019s played the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has traveled to many parts of the United States to compete with the Billiards Educational Foundation,\u201d she said. In 2016, Parris pointed out that Mahkeal finished second in the finals, earning him a spot to compete in the World 9-Ball Championships held in Shanghai, China. In 2017, he placed fourth in the finals, making him eligible to participate in the 2018 Moscow games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to say thanks to Principal McGregor, his staff and the students of Central High School for making it possible by giving us this donation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mahkeal said being invited to play in Moscow came as a surprise to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is shocking to me because I wasn\u2019t expecting to go,\u201d he said. \u201cThe president of the organization called my mother and asked me to go. It\u2019s overwhelming.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mahkeal expressed his gratitude to his mother and coaches Claude E. Peterson, Jerome \u201cJT\u201d Anthony, and Leona Edwards and for the support they have provided over the years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout them, none of this would be possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mahkeal will travel with his parents and coaches to Moscow on October 27 and return to St. Croix on November 5.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mahkeal Parris, a 16-year-old junior at St. Croix Central High School, is headed to Moscow, Russia to compete in the 2018 World 9-Ball Championship Juniors on October 31, the Department of Education announced Wednesday. To help him get there, a fundraising activity was held at the school on October 18, where students paid a small […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":68357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1078,191,147],"tags":[1217,8975,71,68],"yoast_head":"\n