Shooterville: First Terri I would like to congratulate you on your win in New York. As I understand it you have qualified to play in the WPBA US Open, tell me a little about this event.

Terri: Thank you, Scott. Firstly, I’d like to thank Dicky, Matty and Mike at Cap’s Cue Club in Syracuse, NY, who sponsored me to play in this event. And thank you to the people who encouraged and supported me all weekend, including my boyfriend, George, Paul Thornley and Eric Hildebrand.

The event was the NY State 9-Ball Championship, which is part of the J. Pechauer North East Women’s Tour (JPNEWT) and was hosted this year by Michelle’s Billiards in Baldwinsville, NY, which is just outside Syracuse. The $2000 added event is open to all female players, and includes two spots for the top two finishers in the WPBA’s US Open 9-Ball Championship, which will be held at the Sandia Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico from October 12th to 16th this year.

Shooterville: In the New York tournament was there a key match or key point in the event that you will always remember?

Terri: I will never forget how small the pocket looked when I was shooting the last 9-ball to win the tournament, that’s for sure! But seriously, making it to the Sunday on the A-Side was big, because that’s when I started feeling like I could actually WIN the title of NY State Champion. Beating Caroline Pao in the A-Side final on Sunday was also huge. She’s a good player and going into the match I knew it would be tough, but I ended up winning 7-4, which really gave me a lot of confidence. But the biggest moment was when I went up 8-3 in the final match, which was a race to 9. At that point, even though I was trying to remain focused and not get ahead of myself (because we’ve all seen some unbelievable come-backs before and they CAN happen), I knew that if I kept my head in the game and continued to focus on each shot that I was going to win.

Shooterville: Would you say there was anything special you did to prepare for this event that made a difference, what are your plans for preparing for the US Open?

Terri: I actually did not make any preparations for Syracuse. I had known about it months in advance, but had not planned on attending it until I received a last minute phone call from the guys at Cap’s Cue Club inviting me to come down. Perhaps the last minute decision to go actually helped me to be more relaxed during the tournament, as I really didn’t have time to psych myself out.

As far as my plans for the US Open, I plan to practice every day, and will probably also play at the 20K Tour in Barrie this coming weekend in order to stay in stoke. Other than that, I’ve found that when my expectations are too high I tend not to play as well. So I plan to try and relax and enjoy the experience of playing in my first pro event without putting too much pressure on myself.

Shooterville: A win like this can make you hungry to compete at another level in more events like the one you qualified for, is this what you see in the future?

Terri: Winning this event has definitely given me the confidence I’ve been needing to believe that I can potentially compete at a higher level. As you probably know, the WPBA is not an open tour. Players must qualify for each event individually in order to play, and I certainly do plan to continue to play in WPBA-sanctioned regional tours for the chance to qualify again.

Shooterville: What is your first memory of playing pool, what exactly got you hooked?

Terri: I do recall the very first time I saw a pool table in person and played pool. I was about 12 years old and visiting some family in Newfoundland. A friend of theirs had a bar box in their basement and we played a couple of games of 8-ball. I was always fascinated, but didn’t actually start playing again until my late teens when I would play for fun with friends. I began playing in a league in my early 20’s, and always loved the game. I think it was the fact that I showed an aptitude for the game from the beginning that made me want to continue playing.

But it wasn’t until I happened upon Shooters in Toronto in 1996 and saw Alex Pagulayan playing Claude Bernachez in a big pro event that I REALLY got hooked and started playing more seriously. I’d had no idea until then that the game could be played at such a high level, and it just made me want to get better.

Shooterville: Having a full time job and playing at your level is not easy, how do you balance the two and find the time?

Terri: It is extremely difficult to balance pool and a career, and I am often torn between the two. I am very lucky to have a career that I enjoy, but it does detract from the time I can spend practicing and improving my game. I have often wondered what level I would be at right now if I was playing 6 or 8 hours a day rather than working. When I am very busy or have a lot happening at work I try to focus on it, and pool will have take the back burner for a little while. I have managed to mitigate the impact on my game by putting a pool table in my living room. This allows me to practice a little bit even if I’m working late or am very busy, but not nearly as much as I would like to.

Shooterville: Please give us a quick rundown of what cues and cases you use.

Terri: I play with Schon which I bought used about 7 years ago. I think it was made some time in the early 1990s. I also use a predator shaft. My break cue is a Dufferin – nothing fancy, but it has a nice, stiff hit. My case is from Zimmy Billiards.

Shooterville: What rooms are your favorites? What makes a great room in your opinion?

Terri: Well, my new favorite room is Michelle’s Billiards in Syracuse. Not just because I won there, but because it really is an excellent room. In my opinion a great room is one with proper playing conditions including clean tables, tight cloth, well-cut pockets, adequate room between tables, and proper lighting, and Michelle’s has all of these. In Canada I would say my favorite room to play at would be Pool Paradise in Waterloo, which also has these characteristics.

Shooterville: What weekly or tour events do you frequent, as a player what is biggest reason you attend these and not others.

Terri: I sometimes attend the Monday night tournament at Shooters. Although I am not crazy about the ball-handicap system that they use this tournament is somewhat of a tradition, and it is very close to where I live and therefore convenient.

I prefer the game-handicap tournaments held at Shooters on Wednesday nights, and at Rak Pak in Mississauga on Friday nights. I believe that my game has improved considerably since playing in these tournaments.

I also enjoy the 20K Tour, since they also use ball handicaps, and of course I play in the Canadian Women’s Pool Tour (CWPT).

Overall, I would like to see fewer tournaments with handicapped play, as I feel that handicaps can sometimes make it difficult for players to understand where they rank in relation to better players, and can therefore actually hinder their ability to improve.

Shooterville: Who are your favorite players to watch male or female local or international?

Terri: There are so many players whom I enjoy watching. Naturally Allison Fisher, Karen Corr and Jeanette Lee are right up there, as well as new-comer Ga-Young Kim from Korea, who’s game I really like. But my absolute favorite player of all time is Buddy Hall, and I did have the pleasure of seeing him play live at the Men’s US Open in Virginia last month, which was great.

Locally, I actually really enjoy watching Johnny Morra, as I think he has a flawless stroke and I love the way he goes through the ball.

Shooterville: What players have had the biggest influence in helping you get to level you’re at today?

Terri: Paul Thornley has definitely had a huge influence on my game. I am very choosey when it comes to whom I take advice from, but with Paul’s ability and experience I really trust what he has to say. Having played in Toronto since I started playing seriously, there are a lot of players who have taught me various things and who I am grateful to.

Shooterville: If you could give advice to up and coming players that helped you the most what would it be?

Terri: Firstly that you have to practice, of course. Also, you MUST play in tournaments as much as possible. Practicing and playing in tournaments are too completely different things mentally, and the only way you will ever become comfortable enough to be able to bring your game to the table in a tournament situation is to get used to being in that situation. So put yourself there as often as possible. Also, play in different tours with different formats at different rooms in different cities. Expose yourself to as many different situations and facets of the game as you can in order to condition yourself to be able to acclimatize to any situation.

Also, when a better player tries to teach you something, listen. However, don’t take everything that everyone says at face value, because for one thing not everyone knows everything, and what works for someone else might not work for you. So listen, try it, use it if it works, and don’t if it doesn’t.

Shooterville: Who would you say are the players to watch for, who could step it up to the next level and compete in Pro events?

Terri: I haven’t had much exposure recently to the Women’s circuit outside of Canada to see who the up-and-comers are. However within Canada I think Corrine Johnson has the potential to be the next good player in Ontario. I also expect to see Anita McMahon become a regular player on the WPBA in the next year.

As far as the men go, there are so many incredible juniors out there right now. I think we are definitely going to see the level of the game improve over the next 10 years.

Shooterville: Finally, what do you enjoy the most about the game, what keeps you coming back for more?

Terri: It is hard to pin-point one thing that I love. I think it is the whole package – the amazing feeling of hitting a ball well or running a rack, the sense of satisfaction achieved from being good at something, the feeling that if God gave you a talent you should use it, the adrenaline rush of competition, the burning desire to be the best, the places you go, the people you meet and, probably most importantly, the joy of a win. I love it all.

Shooterville: Thanks Terri and best of luck in the future!