Focus On Kim White

By Anne Craig

At this year's BCA 9-ball Championships, a young lady from Houston, Texas caught my eye. Her style of play is aggressive, reminiscent of Vivian Villarreal, who she is invariably compared with. I decided to have a closer look at this poised young lady and talked with her at length about her goals, making it on the WPBA Tour, and horses. At the time of this interview, Kim was 1 point away from earning her WPBA pro status. (see end of article for update on Kim White)

Kim started playing pool when she was 23 years old. She admits that she'd played prior to that time, but didn't get serious until she met her husband, who is also a pool player. "The more I played, the more dedicated I became, the more addicted I became. The better you play, the more you want to play!" At that time, she was working at a law firm in downtown Houston. Realizing her potential, she quit her job to devote herself to pool full time. "I was playing 8 hours a day when I first started" tapering off to a few hours a day once she became more comfortable with her game and more knowledgeable about how to run out. "Now when I go to the pool hall, I try to mix it up, to make things more interesting."

She credits her husband as her mentor in the game, while she also picked up knowledge from watching good players, listening to what they had to say. "If they have anything to say that I think I can utilize, then I'll listen to it and I'll take that into consideration." Her practice regimen currently consists of getting on the table a couple hours a day, practicing hard shots. "I believe 9-ball is a shot making game. I believe if you're a shot-maker, you're going to win more games, as opposed to somebody who plays a lot of safes." She admits that one of the big things she's working on is her mental game and focus. "My mental game is really big for me right now. That's the main thing I'm trying to work on, playing with blinders on like draft horses, not paying attention to anything else but the balls on the table."

Along those lines, commenting on her tendency to get a big lead in a match, and then let that lead go, she said "That last game is the hardest game to get, for me. I kind of take it for granted that hey it's gonna be easy to get, no problem, you've got so many games till you don't think they're gonna get their games before you get your one little game that you need. So I need to overcome that and forget about what the score is."

In 1995, she entered her first tournament at Galaxy Billiards in San Antonio during a Hunter Tour stop. She placed 3rd, an impressive showing considering her lack of experience in the tournament arena. She says she felt it was at that moment that she felt she could compete on a more serious level. "You only get out of it (pool) what you put into it. I thought, if I try harder, maybe I could even win a tournament!" She continued to play a few Hunter tour stops during 1995 and 1996, admittedly not focusing enough energy or dedication to her game. Over the next year and a half, she re-focused her energies and the real turning point for her was winning the 1998 BCA 8-ball Open Championships. "I really got motivated after that and thought to myself, ok, now I gotta go to every tournament now!"

In 2000, she played all but one Hunter tour stop, finishing the year in First Place. In April of that same year, she won her first WPBA Qualifier, also winning a second one that year as well. She would have played her first WPBA tour stop (The WPBA National's) in Michigan, but the weather was terrible and she was terrified to drive or fly in those conditions. Therefore, she didn't play her first WPBA tour stop until Viejas Casino in San Diego, April 2001. There, she earned her first pro point, placing in the top half in her first WPBA event ever. In May, she played her second WPBA Event in Las Vegas, Nevada, also placing in the top half of the field, earning her second pro point. Her third tournament that year, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was a bit of a disappointment considering her prior success, finishing just out of the top half.

She fell a bit short on her next few outings as well, experiencing a bit of a let down after such a strong start. She felt that "it comes from being uncomfortable in different (unfamiliar) places. I try to go to different places when I'm at home and practice on different tables, but, say for example in San Diego, the lighting (around the table) is real dim, except for where the pool tables are and there the lighting is very bright. You have to go in early and give your eyes time to adjust." Kim feels she's getting better at adjusting to different playing conditions. In April of 2002, she earned her third pro point in San Diego, California and is currently looking to earn her final pro point.

As all of you women who are trying to earn your pro status know, the road to becoming a Women's Professional pool player is not easy. For Kim, "the toughest thing you have to suffer is a loss when you should have won. It tends to crush me and I shouldn't let it. For example, in Las Vegas for a qualifying spot I placed second. I had a chance to tie up the game, but I missed the 9-ball to tie the match 10-10. Getting beat by someone who's breaking and running three or four games, I can deal with. But losing when I should have won, that hurts" Financially, she does not have a sponsor, though she will be looking at that in the near future. She's been able to afford to finance her own trips, being able to just break even for each tournament. "I'm not going to let a few hundred dollars keep me from going and playing. If it means getting a job, whatever it takes I'll do it."

She credits Vivian as someone she'd like to emulate. "She's not afraid to go for a shot. She's got a nice stroke, a nice follow through. She plays aggressive, she plays strong and she's not scared. She's got a good break. A lot of the players I'm seeing have a great safety play, but there's nothing like watching a player bank a ball long rail and running out, or cutting a ball backwards and get out. You gotta respect players like that who aren't afraid to go for it and show some heart."

When I asked her what her goals were for the next year, she had one answer for me. "A top four finish in a WPBA pro event. That's my only goal. That's it. That's all I think about. First would be great. If it happens, great, if it doesn't I'm not going to beat myself up over it. So long as I keep getting the phone calls and the invitations, I'll keep going and whittling my way up through the top 16."

Outside of pool, she enjoys taking care of and riding her two horses, Sasha (a palomino/draft cross) and Rambo (a quarter-horse). She boards them in a small town outside of Houston. She and her husband both love to ride, but they don't get as much time to ride as they'd like. They just bought some property and during down time they've been clearing and building, preparing to move their horses there. She's been riding since she was a child, and has had Sasha for 15 years now! "It kept me out of trouble. Every day after school I was down in the stables, mucking stalls, riding and having a good time. I'd just shut the barn down until dark. My mom would have to come down and drag me out of there!"

Look for Kim to break through soon; her aggressive style and intense focus are a pleasure to watch, as is talking with this poised and intelligent young lady.

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UPDATE!
As of April 7, 2003, Kim White is now a touring pro with the WPBA! She has moved into the top twenty, now ranked #20. The first two tournaments of 2003 found Ms. White finishing in 5th place (in Tunica, Mississippi) and 13th place (in San Diego). Congratulations to Ms. White for an excellent start to 2003! Look for her to continue her rise in the rankings.

And now for something completely different:

Kim White: People want to know!

If you were an animal, what kind would you be?

That's easy, a horse.

What's one of your guilty pleasures?

Older Hollywood actors like Robert Redford, Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson, or Sean Connery. I like that distinguished look and they're still as good looking as when they were young. They have a sex appeal about them!

What's one of the most embarrassing nick names you've been given?

Once I was ran three racks on this girl and this guy called me "The Buzz Saw". I said please, don't call me that! It makes me sound like a construction worker! Thank goodness it didn't stick.

What's one of the your most embarrassing moments?

"I was riding w/ my horse one day and the horse kind of got away from me and ended up throwing me off. I got back up on the horse and I was just riding having a good old time, when I noticed my back felt breezy. I'm at a rental place, so when I rode the horse back, I'd noticed that I'd split my pants all the way down the back! I was wearing a polo shirt and I stretched it all the way down as low as it could go and waddled my way back to the car!"

What's your favorite snack food?

Chips n salsa. I'm a sucker for hot sauce.

 

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