Born in 1979

Thorsten Hohmann was born and raised in Fulda, Germany. His parents are Gerhard and Inge Hohmann. He was born at 6:40am on Saturday, July 14th, 1979. He weighed 2400g and 49cm long.

Fulda is a city in the State of Hessia and it is located on the Fulda River in the heart of Germany about 120km (& miles) northeast of Frankfurt. Fulda is known for its tire manufacturing and its beautiful Baroque architecture, like the Cathedral of Fulda.

Early Years

Thorsten has always been very interested in sports. He used to be a member of the local soccer club, Germania Fulda, where he played the forward for seven years. He was also a very active member playing table-tennis and badminton.

When Thorsten was nine years old, his dad took him to the local pool hall “Centhof” for the first time. in Fulda near the railway station. The father and son duo went there several times. On his 10th birthday, Thorsten received a miniature pool table as a gift. It was the attraction of the neighborhood.

No special talent for pool was recognizable yet…

PBC Fulda 1992

At the age of 12, Thorsten and his classmate, Patrick, enjoyed playing pool once in a while at the public pool hall Centhof. To save money, Patrick discovered a club in the yellow pages called PBC Fulda (Pool-Billiard Club). Instead of paying by the hour for a pool table, they only had to pay a monthly flat fee (the 2007 fee was 15 EUROS per month for kids under 18 years old) for as much pool time as they wanted. The club had five 9-ft. tables squeezed into two rooms and a separate lounge and bar with a television and a couch.

Michael Wahl

The first person Thorsten met at the club in May 1992 was Michael Wahl, the club’s youth instructor. From the very first day, he became Thorsten’s coach, mentor and somewhat his second father. Michael started teaching Thorsten almost every day and also drove him to the various tournaments in the state and beyond. Their focus on technique and straight pool built a strong foundation for the young boy’s future…

Thorsten’s diligence and discipline was unprecedented. Even during the summer, despite temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 Fahrenheit) when other kids went to the swimming pool, Thorsten would stay at the club practicing Michael’s drills and exercises.

The club quickly became his second home and the club’s members were Thorsten’s greater family. Most of the members were older than him and the social cohesion was very deep. If Thorsten stayed late, there was always a friendly member to give him a ride home.

The most important element for Thorsten’s career was the love and support of his parents. Sometimes, his mother prepared a home-cooked meal and his father brought it to the club so Thorsten could stay there and practice. Interestingly, years later, Thorsten convinced his parents to join the club’s annual Christmas Fun Tournament. Since then, they have been active members of the club and play in the leagues and tournaments.

Early success 1993

Thorsten’s studiousness was rewarded with nine European Junior Championship titles (four team, three eight-ball and two straight pool) and plenty of German and State Championship titles. At the age of 16, he won his first open adult tournament with 128 players in the State of Hessia.

The German Billiard Union (DBU) honored Thorsten with the “Silver Needle” for exceptional accomplishments and being a role model for all junior players.

In his third year of playing, the club’s number one team, Fulda 1, requested Thorsten’s talent for the season. Quickly, Thorsten managed to become the club’s best player and he lead the team all the way to the highest division of the state.

Heroes

At first, Thorsten had his local heroes such as Frank Lakaschuss, Stephan Enders and Joerg Soeder. They were the top players of the club and Thorsten spent a lot of time playing with them. Soon after, Thorsten started observing the national and international scene. Three German players had been dominating the pool circuit in Europe the entire 80’s and early 90’s – Oliver Ortmann, Ralf Souquet and Thomas Engert. Whenever there was a chance, Thorsten drove to various events throughout the country to watch and learn from his favorite players.

An international superstar moved to Germany – Francisco Bustamante from the Philippines. He influenced Germany’s pool a lot and was admired by all players, including Thorsten.