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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

When Green Shirts Attack!

Apparently, I only own one shirt. Here is a sampling of pictures from 2006:





Being the vain woman that I am (have you seen how many pictures of myself I have posted on this blog?), I had my friend Rob of Poolonthenet.com take some new photos of me in not-green. (See how I worked some more in? Seriously, you guys, I need a Tyra-vention.)



DVF Dress: Lovely. Art School Dropout: Fine with me. Phew! No more green outfit. I don't even own it anymore. I gave it away to Goodwill.


But wait, I just received word that the WPBA has updated their website for the upcoming year...

It isn't possible...

There's no way...

I mean, what are the chances...



NUR! GREEN SHIRT!




Sartorially Predictable in Queens,
Liz


P.S. Thanks to Jonathan Smith, Mitch Heydt, AZ Billiards, Barbara Stock, Rob Omen, the WPBA and South Park for the photos!

The Aftermath



If it looks like I'm about to cry it's because I just returned from going two-and-out of the WPBA Carolina Classic in Rocky Mount, NC!

I had been looking forward to this event for months, but once I was there I felt very low-energy and my performance was flat and uninspired. I have been having this problem in tournaments lately, but this experience was a wake-up call.

I have been working hard on my physical skills, but mental skills also require practice. Duh to me! Why is it that we have to learn and re-learn the same lessons?

Now that the shock of the experience - and the brief suicide watch - are over, it is time to revamp my mental game and get my attitude back in check. To do so, I will be returning to my two favorite resources on the subject:

Mental Toughness Training for Sports
by James Loehr

The Achievement Zone

by Shane Murphy

These two books are helpful far beyond the world of sports. In my years of playing, I have come to realize that you are the same person at the pool table as you are in the rest of your life. Nur!

We have many diversions and defense mechanisms in our day-to-day lives which help us to cover our emotions, but pool comes along and rips off the Band-Aid. If you are anxious and fearful in pool tournaments, chances are that there are other situations in your life to which you respond with the same anxiety and fear.

Conversely, if you set out to help your pool game by learning the skills necessary to build self-confidence, motivation and a positive attitude, you will probably find that you can apply those skills to unscrew the rest of your screwy life.

It's like pool therapy. This is really why I keep playing. If I can conquer something on a pool table, I know can conquer it anywhere.

Annoyingly positive,
Liz

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

2/20/2007



I have been blogging...

but now I must be on my way to the WPBA Carolina Classic in Rocky Mount, NC.

Before I go, I would like to introduce my loyal road partner. His name is Mr. Beepers.




He and I have gone a lot of places in the last year.

We've been spotted at tournaments all up and down the east coast.

We've been to St. Louis and back.

We even went for a nice drive down the sidewalk. New York was hit by a snow storm last week and Mr. Beepers was encased in a block of ice and snow that, due to snow plows, was three feet high on the left-hand side. Fortunately, the ice pile on the right-hand side (the side facing the curb) was only six inches high... And the car is small... So... Some mildly illegal, "The Italian Job"-style stunt driving ensued.

Today we are headed to North Carolina:





To the b*st#rd who put a dent in my bumper: May the fleas of a thousand camels lodge in your armpit.

Cuddly Teddy Bears and Rainbow Kisses,

Liz

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

About Me (Part One)


“My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi.”

---------------------------------


I was born in Newton, Massachusetts. Back when this picture was taken, I was Lizzie Schwartzreich.

I was a figure skater from the ages of two to 16. I broke a lot of bones and my feet grew into the shape of my skates. Gross.

After graduating from Newton North High School, I moved to Portland, Oregon to attend Reed College. I have always been a highly-skilled procrastinator and I turned to pool to avoid going to class or doing any school work.

My college pool room, like most pool rooms, was a lost and found for slightly screwed-up or wacky people.

Luckily, the Reed College pool room was closed for renovation during my Junior and Senior years and I was able to graduate with a B.A. in Psychology. And yes, it does come in handy from time to time when trying to analyze my fellow pool-players. Luckily there are only a handful of sociopaths, most just have personality disorders :)






While at Reed, I met my future husband Harry Ford. He had a car and courted me by driving me to local pool halls. Since we were both shy, we used to play pool so we didn't have to talk. He swears he used to beat me (at pool). I choose not to believe him.


After college, I spent two years competing in local tournaments in the Pacific Northwest. I started qualifying for the WPBA through the now defunct ACW (Association of Cuesports for Women). I was the Player of the Year in 2000 and received invitations to two WPBA events.

On the advice of Glenn Atwell, a great player in the Northwest, I decided to leave my beloved Portland for somewhere with a more competitive pool scene. I picked New York City and moved there in February 2001.

The next few years were full of wonderful and painful learning experiences both personal and pool-related. I think I'll save those for my future posts.


For now, here are some highlights:

I earned my Touring Professional Status with the WPBA in 2005 -- one week before marrying Harry (who still had the same car.)

Viva Red Beauty!


I really like ice-cream.



I don't take myself too seriously.



I enjoy posting inappropriate pictures of myself on the internet.



Here are some arbitrary questions and answers:

Q: How long have you been playing pool?
A: I first picked up a cue in 1993. At the start I literally couldn’t hit the cueball. After playing socially in college, I started studying the game and competing locally in 1999.

Q: How old are you?; You look sixteen.
A: 31 and proud of it.

Q: What’s with the glove?
A: I am a self-hating glove wearer. Unfortunately, I would probably wear a puffy pirate shirt and an eye-patch if it would help my game.

Q: Who taught you to play?
A: A lot of people have taught me a lot of things along the way. Those who have helped me the most have been Glenn Atwell, Todd Fleitman, Mark Wilson, Holden Chin and Steve Lipsky.

Q: How many hours a day do you play?
A: 4 – 6 hours a day. Ideally, I would like to play 8-10 hours a day.

Q: Do you have a nickname?
A: Not yet. Some people have suggested Ford Focus which I suppose fits. However, I don’t know how I feel about being compared to a crappy car that doesn’t go very fast. I guess it’s better than Ford Pinto.



That's all for now,
Liz