2018 Player Awards

Photo courtesy Sandro Menzel

By Stephanie Drakulic

The NWPA honors those among us who exhibit true sportsmanship during competition, show a commitment to excellent pool, and act as mentors away from the playing area.

It was an immediate and unanimous decision to pick Liz Cole for the 2018 Player of the Year award. Not only was she the undisputed point winner of the NWPA season, but she also had strong finishes in multiple pro events, including finishing 7th at the NAPT Desert Challenge in Las Vegas and 9th in the WPBA Grand Slam. Liz is the kind of player that intimidates, and it’s not just because she’s unshakable and in general a scary competitor, but because she walks the walk. She competes against the best players in women’s professional pool, and she brings that experience and confidence with her to the table no matter who she’s up against. It must also be mentioned that she’s a two-time Player of the Year for the NWPA, first receiving this award in 2007. 

I sat down with Liz to ask her a few questions about her experiences in pool. 

SD: What year did you start playing pool?

LC: I started playing APA league in 1997. As I started taking it more competitively, I took lessons in 2003. I was inspired by *Martha Hartsell and made the jump to go pro in 2004. 

What is your favorite thing about pool?

Making balls and beating the boys. It was beating boys that inspired me to take pool more seriously, even though I found myself only playing women. 

What’s your least favorite thing about pool?

Allowing myself to get distracted. I know that it’s no one else’s fault but my own. But I know that when I’m on, when I’m playing well, I don’t get distracted. I just make the balls and execute the safeties. It’s mindless. But when I haven’t gotten there yet and I’m distracted, it’s frustrating, and I have to find a way to get that motivation. 

I also don’t like playing people who are having a terrible day and show it, it can be really distracting if I’m not focused. 

What keeps you playing? 

Those moments when you’re down and trying really hard to get it together, pull yourself up and find your stroke. Things can start to flow again, and sometimes you really have to pull it out of nowhere, just dig as deep as you can to find it. I’ll ask myself, “do you want to win or did you come here to lose?” That’ll get me motivated to focus.

What do you do to settle the nerves? 

I like feeling the little nerves before the matches start, it’s exciting. Even though sometimes things don’t go my way, there’s nothing I can do about it. I have to battle through it and find ways to settle in. I try to mix it up, I’ll take a break, take off a sweatshirt, whatever I can think to do to change things up and see if it helps turn things around. But there are those days where nothing works and I can’t get there - those are my least favorite days. 

What accessories do you keep in your case that you can’t live without?

There’s nothing I can’t live without, I just need my cue. I don’t need an extension for my cue, I’ll just use the bridge. The tables have them.

What’s something you wish more pool players followed, etiquette-wise? 

Don’t distract your opponent. Be mindful of your movements or talking. I try to make sure I don’t talk or do anything to distract my opponents. The other thing is slow play or exceeding time limits (taking too long of breaks, or not getting started on time).

Do you have any superstitions when playing?

I wouldn’t say a superstition, but if I feel like things aren’t going my way in a match, I’ll go “wash my hands of it.” I’m literally washing my hands, but it’s also to help get a fresh perspective, a fresh start. 

What is your proudest moment?

Making it to the WPBA Top 16 and getting an interview on ESPN. But in general it’s gaining ground on my idols. Being able to say that I played them or even beat them and realizing that they’re human and that there’s no reason to get star-struck. I got hill-hill against Karen Corr. I still lost, but I’m proud of getting to the hill against her. Another is beating Ewa Mataya [Lawrence]. 

*Martha Hartsell was a beloved and widely respected player from the Pacific Northwest. She was a five-time Women’s Master Champion at the Western BCA Regional Championships. She passed away in 2010. The NWPA’s season opener tour stop is held at The Cue Ball in Salem, and is held in her honor as the Martha Hartsell Memorial Tournament. 

Most Improved Player

Marian Poole

This is awarded to the player who shows the most overall improvement from one year to the next. While rising in rank and tournament finishes is important, this is a subjective award and so play is also judged without regard to actual wins and losses.

Rookie of the Year

Elizabeth Garrison-Jensen

This award is for players who are new to competitive pool, and therefore all new players to the NWPA are not necessarily open for this award. Just like the Most Improved Player, this is a subjective award and while overall finishes are important, playing skill is judged on a game by game basis.