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| A little under a week after Gerda won the woman's division of the BCA Open 9-Ball Championship, she sat down for this interview with us. | |||
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Gerda: Well, I had already played Allison before and I lost to her 9-2. But in that match, I felt like I didn't really show up. When the match was over I felt like I didn't even try. So, I was really happy to have another chance and another shot to play Allison. Going into the finals, I was really comfortable and I was really relaxed. I felt that I had prepared well for the match and I was just going to enjoy it and see what happened. I think that because I had a really good attitude, I played well. And Allison missed a few balls that she normally wouldn't. So, it was a few things that came together to help me win. AZB: You said you prepared real well for the match. How do you go about preparing for a match like that? Gerda: Mentally, I was in a real good state of mind. I had really enjoyed my day. I had a great night's sleep, then got up and spent an hour at the pool. I was really savoring the day and looking forward to playing in the finals of this great event. I consider that event one of the best events ever. I really enjoyed being there. So, I was just in a real good state of mind. AZB: There was some speculation that the player coming from the one loss side in Vegas had a small advantage because they had a chance to get used to the Sardo Rack. Gerda: No, we've played with the Sardo Rack before and you don't really have to get used to it. You just have to get over the fact that the corner ball goes most of the time. You can't stress out over it or freak out. You just have to accept that is the way it is and try to make the best of it. My opinion is that coming from the losers side is always an advantage. Because you get used to the arena, you get used to playing for TV and in front of the crowd. As far as the rack goes, I don't think it has anything to do with that. But whenever I lose late in the tournament like the first match I lost against Allison, I don't really mind so much because I try to turn it around and make it something positive. I tell myself that I will get an extra TV match hopefully. AZB: Considering all the time you used to practice with Allison, you probably have the most experience playing her of any of the players on the tour. Do you think that gives you an advantage that the players don't have when you play her? Gerda: No, not so much. I don't think it is that. I think because we know each other so well and because we have played each other a lot, but actually when we practiced together, she beat me all the time. For the whole first year that I practiced with her she beat me and I actually stopped playing matches with her. I felt it was no good and I wasn't going to do it anymore. It was taking away all my confidence so I actually stopped playing matches with her. After that, we would still go to the pool room together and practice together but we would play on separate tables. And ever since then, things have turned around and I'm much more comfortable playing her. And I know that she doesn't really like to play me. She considers me a tough opponent. And I just respect her game so much, so she really brings out the best in me. I know I have to play my best to have a chance. And that is why I think I have a better record against her. And I'm not really intimidated. I admire her talent and I enjoy playing her. I just don't get stressed out over the fact that I'm probably going to lose. I don't care. I just enjoy the match. AZB: You have been #2 on the WPBA points list for years now. Is this the year that you take over first on the points list? Gerda: (Laughs) I don't know. That is not something that I obsess with. I know that if I play really well, I could get there. Although the odds are very very small. Allison has been a really dominating force and she has an almost perfect record. She has almost 100% of the points available and in order to make it to #1, I would have to win something like 5 or 6 or 7 tournaments in a row, which is kind of unlikely. But on the other hand, I feel that if I get comfortable with my game it could happen. I just want to enjoy myself and play the best I can. If that means that I make it to #1, then great. If not, that is fine with me too. AZB: Realistically, have you set goals for yourself this year? Gerda: Yeah, I definitely don't want to lose my #2 ranking. I have already won one tournament. I had a really great year last year and I want to repeat what I did last year which was to finish in the top 4 in all the tournaments. But, I didn't have such a good start this year. I had a really bad Nationals in January. I finished 13th and I lost a bit of confidence the last few months. But now with this win, I really gained a lot of confidence back and I am really looking forward to the rest of the year. There are a lot of great events coming up and I just want to do well. As far as goals, my goal is that I don't want to give up my #2 ranking. I think that is going to be tough because I know Karen Corr is really after me. She is trying really hard and I have more points to defend from last year than she has. So I know I am going to have to play my best in order to stay there and that is really my goal. AZB: It should be fun for the fans to follow and watch how you two do. Gerda: Yes, I know we have developed a little rivalry and it should be fun. AZB: Speaking of Karen Corr, we have seen some of the female players competing in open events this year with Karen playing on the Joss Tour and Allison playing on the Viking Tour. Is this something you have considered doing? Gerda: Not really, I play every once in a while in an open event. I played one tournament in Idaho with 170 men because it was in the middle of a long break on the WPBA tour and I decided to go there and play with the guys. Out of 170 men, I finished 7th and that was really cool. I was really happy with that. I beat a few people that I don't think I was supposed to beat. It was a really good experience and I know that my game really improved, but my schedule is kinda full and I really enjoy spending time at home too. So, it is not really something I plan to do very much. AZB: Lets talk about your past a little bit. What first got you interested in the game of pool? Gerda: That was my sister. I have 3 sisters and one of them played a lot of pool and her and her friends decided to form a club. One time I went to watch her play and that was really when I fell in love with the game. That was when I was fifteen. It started as a hobby and grew from there. I started entering tournaments and I got really serious when I was nineteen. AZB: Is that when you decided you wanted to be a pro? Gerda: Well, I don't know. That was when I moved away from Austria and moved to Sweden. I had a boyfriend there who owned a pool room and that was more or less when pool took over my life. I worked in the pool hall and practiced a lot. Two years later, he sent me over to America to see how I would do and that is when I decided that this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to play on this tour and see how I would do. AZB: I would say you are doing a pretty good job. Gerda: (Laughs) Yeah. It turned out alright. AZB: As a pool player, what is your greatest accomplishment so far? Gerda: Hmmm, it is pretty close. As far as titles go, the world championship title was pretty great. It is a really great honor to have a title like that. I am very proud of that title, but now as far as how I played and how I got the win, this last weekend meant a lot to me. I had a hard break last year because I lost the first match to Karen Corr and then I won 10 matches in a row to get to the finals. I lost in the finals to Allison. For me to have gotten back into the finals and gotten another chance. To be in the same spot. To be in the finals again with Allison and have another chance at that title, and taking it. That really means the most to me so far in my career. AZB: You lived in Charlotte for years but recently moved to San Francisco. What made you decide to relocate? Gerda: I was just getting a little bored. I felt burnt out and I didn't practice much and I just felt like it was time for a change. I've always wanted to live in California. I had played in several tournaments in San Francisco and I have always enjoyed the city a lot. So, I decided to go out there and visit for a while. I really liked it and I found an apartment and I am really happy with my relocation. AZB: Do you think the move has helped your game? Gerda: Yeah, it has. I have found a really great pool room where I practice. They are happy to have me there and I can practice any time I want. I don't have to pay for anything and even if they are closed, I can go and practice. I am surrounded by people that are really fanatics and the whole thing has really made me rediscover the sport. AZB: You have been involved with the Pool School in Paradise with Mike Massey, Paul Potier and Allison for a couple years now. How did you get started with that? Gerda: This is the fourth year that we are doing it and it was really Paul's idea. Paul approached Mike, Allison and myself. He came up with the idea and the first year we did it in Hawaii. We had great fun doing it even though we didn't fill it up. We still had a really great time doing it. It has just grown from there. This year is the fourth year and we have so much interest that we are actually going to do a second one this year. We are going to do two of them back to back in Vancouver in August. It is a very fun thing and I am really happy to be involved in it. AZB: You have a lot of fans online, and you also have your own website at www.gerdahofstatter.com. Do you spend much time on the net yourself? Gerda: No, not at all. Not yet unfortunately. I would really like to get into it. I only bought my computer a half of year ago and I am not very computer literate. I took a couple classes but I guess I really get restless. I sit in front of the computer for a half hour and I want to do something else. So I don't really spend a lot of time in front of the computer. I am really fascinated with the whole concept. I don't really know how it is going to go with my website. I am really excited with my new webmaster and I really like what he is doing. I hope I get more involved. Let's put it that way. I think it is a fantastic way of communicating with the fans and I am really intrigued and fascinated by it.
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