Question:
What is one of your favorite pool memories since becoming a pro?
Answer:
This is a really hard question to answer because I have SO many
great memories playing pool.
I first started playing in 1997 on “the hill” in the
college town of Boulder, CO. It was there that my young-gun friends
Kevin Satterfield & Dave Evans got me interested in pool. Those
were the good days, when nothing mattered except having a great
time and learning to play pool. My friends and I would drive from
Boulder to Denver where the 24-hour poolrooms were- I had the best
time with them learning, playing, and staying up all night at the
pool halls ?
After moving to Denver in 1993, with then boyfriend Bret, I started
taking pool more seriously and made the decision to make pool my
career and not just a hobby. I started traveling a lot, on the then
“Hunter Tour”, trying to qualify for the WPBA Tour-
the best of the best! Between 1997-1998 I won five qualifiers to
get me started. Back then that was the ONLY way to get on the WPBA
tour was to win national qualifiers- then you had to get into the
top ½ of the field 50% of the time to get your tour card.
Towards the end of 1998 I had played in four consecutive WPBA events
and had finished in the top half four times in a row. I was playing
on my last qualifying spot in the WPBA BCA Open. I had to win a
losers side match against Loree Jon Jones to get my touring pro
status.
My entire family was present in the ballroom of the Riviera Hotel
& Casino in Las Vegas. The score was 7-7 going to 9. Loree Jon
broke and ran to make it 8-7 & I took a break. When I got back
from my break I walked past my cheering family in the stands to
get back into the arena- they encouraged me to win. I got back to
the table and broke and ran the next rack, now the score is 8-8.
Loree Jon broke and scratched and I knew at that point I had a chance
to win - it took me about 20 minutes to run the rack but when I
sunk that 9-ball the crowd erupted and I looked back to see my mom
crying her little eyes out - that was a great moment in my young
career to beat a Hall of Famer & legend of the game to receive
my touring pro status - it was awesome!
Over the years, I have collected many personal stories like these
and am still working towards accomplishing my goals- but if I pass
along a lesson from this story it would be: it really does not matter
what you have won in pool but the process of accumulating all of
those great memories is what counts. To this day I would not have
changed a thing and feel blessed that I can make pool my career
and travel the world playing a game. Cherish every moment you can-
because before you know it - 10 years will pass in a blink of an
eye.
Best of luck to you,
Viper
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