Hernando: Women take cues on the road for tourney

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Women take cues on the road for tourney

It was the first time the Ladies Billiards Association nine-ball tour has included a stop in Hernando County.

By JOY DAVIS-PLATT

SPRING HILL -- By the time she was 16, Tracie Wagner had bested all comers at the pool table of the local game room in Cairo, Ga.

When she was old enough, she took on the crowd at the Wigwam Lounge.

This weekend, the 27-year-old pool player competed with 43 other women in the Ladies Billiards Association of Florida's Spring Hill tournament. The tournament, held at Capone's Billiards Lounge on County Line Road was the third stop of the 1999 tour, which will reach places like Miami, Orlando and Lakeland.

By Sunday morning, the field of competitors narrowed through double elimination, leaving only a dozen players. Two lost matches sent a contestant and her pool cue packing.

Each match lasts until one player wins seven games. With closely matched players, some matches last a nerve-racking 13 games.

"It can be gruesome," said organizer Marcy Horowitz. "One missed shot can cost you two games. If you turn over the table, your opponent can run it out."

This is the first time the statewide nine-ball tour has included a stop in Hernando County, said Horowitz. Contestants played for a total of $2,450 with a first prize of $750.

Tracy McCreary, 42, has played pool for 21 years. Three years ago, she and Horowitz teamed to organize the first tour LBAF tour.

"We're here to have fun, make friends and have some competition," said the Melbourne woman. "It's been a very big step for women's pool in this state."

McCreary said the LBAF is like the little sister of the Women's Professional Billiards Association whose tournaments are often televised.

Within two years, Wagner hopes to advance to the professional circuit. Because she never competed in sports as a child, she said it took her a year on the LBAF tour to find her sense of competitiveness.

"I don't care who I'm playing now," she said, running a hand through her short-cropped blonde hair. "That used to bother me, but now I play the table. That's my opponent."

Competition early Sunday was close.

"It's hard to tell who will come away from one of these as a winner," said McCreary. "There are favorites, but it's always anybody's game."

Terri Kelley of Fort Myers is ranked No. 1 on the tour. Between matches, she played a computerized trivia game at the bar. A competitor in about 20 tournaments a year, Kelley said Spring Hill has been one of the nicest stops of the season.

At 36, she has played pool since 1982 when she and a friend wandered into a pool hall in her native Cincinnati.

"Everyone told me I had a good stroke," Kelley said. "But watching good players is how you pick up tricks to make you better."

At noon, Bonnie Coats, 39, prepared for a match against a rival she's known for years. In fact, they split the cost of a hotel room Saturday night.

"Eventually, you have to play someone you're friends with," said the Vero Beach woman. "It's nice to have a laugh, but when it's time to play, it's time to play."

In the end, McCreary said much of a tournament is decided by who can outlast the others, surviving 10-hour days and keeping a clear head.

"A lot of times it's who has the most stamina," she said. "This is survival of the fittest."

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