“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
