MAKING IT IN THE WPBA
KIM SHAW BREAKS INTO THE TOP 10
By Anne Craig

The New Year has seen new faces among the ranks of the WPBA. I've been keeping my eye out on one in particular, an English transplant now living in East Rutherford, New Jersey, by the name of Kim Shaw. Her meteoric rise to capture the #10 ranking in the WPBA shows just how determined this young lady is and how hard she's worked. I sat down with Kim to discuss 9-ball and cheese and pickle sandwiches.

Born in Basingstoke, England, Kim started playing competitive snooker when she was 16 years old. Her then boyfriend loved to play and took Kim with him to a local hall, where the manager saw her and decided that she had great potential. "He saw I had talent and started coaching me. He started entering me in tournaments, the ladies circuit in England." In her very first World Snooker Championship in 1988, she vaulted into the semi-finals. From then on, Kim became a force to be reckoned with, rising to the #3 ranking highlighted by her performance in the 1995 World Snooker Championship where she was a finalist. It's interesting to note that at that time in England, Snooker was the highest rated sport on television.

1995 saw the influx of European players into the United States. Kim notes "At that point, there was a really good circuit, but then everybody decided to come over here. I came over in 2000 to check things out. The snooker scene was going downhill, there was no money, and the players had left. I was working full time and (pool) was more of a hobby, but I decided to come over and give myself two years to become a touring pro and to get a sponsor and I've done that." Kim officially moved to the U.S. in March of 2001, and in July of 2002 she signed a five year contract with Castle Billiards of New Jersey. Sponsorship is definitely a key to success on the WPBA tour. Not having to worry about how you're going to pay for your next tournament takes a lot of pressure off your shoulders. Kim was approached by the owner of Castle Billiards, seeing her talent and knowing that she would be going places. "You never know who you'll be talking to at a tournament, so I always try to be nice to people I meet and talk to. Rich saw that and that's what he was looking for."

As many players know, practice makes perfect. Learning the game through discipline and hard work is something Kim has taken to heart. "I've learned a lot, a lot about myself. It's very psychological, any sport is, but I've really tried to work on that part of my game and I practice a lot. I find 9-ball more challenging than snooker, because you can be playing really well and have one bad shot in the rack and lose the rack. In snooker, every ball you pocket you accumulate points and you can stay ahead of your opponent. In 9-ball, every shot counts and it puts more pressure on me. I practice almost every day a few hours a day. There are a lot of shots in 9-ball that you don't encounter in snooker, so I practice those."

Beginning in December of 2001, she placed high enough to earn her professional status with the WPBA. This is quite a feat when you consider that it can take many players upwards of two years to accomplish this. Kim earned all four pro points in her first four tournaments! Her touring pro status came after she'd played continuously on tour and ended 2002 as the #19th ranked player in the world. "I was looking to reach that goal and I knew I had the ability to do it but it was whether I could change my game and my mental approach to playing 9-ball. When I first came over, I couldn't run out and lost a lot of matches. One particular tournament in Florida; I was playing a match against a lady, and she did me the biggest favor. She beat me because I actually took the game for granted. At that point I thought if I'm going to play like this I might as well go back home (to England). I needed to get myself together and start playing the game as it should be played. I focused on safety play, patience and running out. Since then I've stepped up."

Stepped it up she has, and as of April, 2003, Kim has risen to the #10 ranking highlighted by finishing 4th in her first television match at the 2003 WPBA Delta Classic in Tunica, Mississippi. Defeating the then #1 ranked player, Karen Corr, in the second round of play gave her the confidence to move on and defeat other such notables as top 16 ranked Laura Smith and the #6 ranked player Vivian Villarreal before being defeated by Jeanette Lee.

The past year has seen many changes in the WPBA organization, including several format changes and the return of the old guard into the Board of Directors. I asked her about her interest in these changes and whether she herself would like to get involved. "I actually try not to think about that too much. Whatever happens outside the tournament I just expect to keep on playing. I have no interest in getting involved administratively at this time. I just come to a tournament, think about my game and try to enjoy it."

Kim's advice to new up and comer players is simple, "Practice, quality practice. Enjoy yourself. That's a really important thing. I really enjoy the audience participation."

The inevitable comparisons to Allison Fisher don't phase her one bit. "I really look up to her as a role model because of her mental attitude. She's brilliant. Her cueing action, she's got one of the best cueing actions in the world and that's why she's so good. She's practiced really hard and when she's at the table in a match, she just totally concentrates on her game and that's what I'm trying to learn as well."

Her goals for this year are pretty simple. "Win a tournament. My game is improving all the time. I'd be disappointed if I didn't get into the top 5 at some point soon."

Outside of pool, Kim enjoys going out and "clubbing" as she puts it. "I'm not fussy, I just enjoy going out and having a good time and I enjoy being with fun people and having a few drinks." Her family supports her in her efforts and she keeps in close contact with her sisters. "I'm hoping in the next year or two they'll come out and come to a tournament."

I enjoyed speaking with Kim and admire her tenacity and accomplishments so far. Her composure and grace is surely an asset to the WPBA's future. Welcome to one of the new faces of Women's Billiards. I thank Kim for taking time to speak with me.

And now, for something completely different.

Kim Shaw: People want to know!

If you were an animal, what would you be?

A bird. I hate flying in airplanes, but I have these wonderful dreams of flying on my own like a bird.

What's your biggest guilty pleasure?

Abba!

What's a childhood nickname that you'd let people know about?

Kimberly-Bimberly, because I'm really blonde!

What's one of your most embarrassing moments?

Well, I was in a restaurant and had had a bit too much to drink and felt quite sick. I desperately tried to make it to the restroom in time, but didn't and got sick on this poor woman's coat instead!

What's your favorite snack food?

Cheese and pickle sandwiches. I just really like the taste combination.

 

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