Photo courtesy of William Fuentes
Caroline was surrounded by pool growing up in New Jersey and the Philippines. But it was not until late 90’s did she start playing the game. Intrigued with its strategy and technicality, she was immediately hooked. It also helped that her friends, who introduced Caroline to the game, told her she stunk which added fuel to the fire. That was the start of her journey…
Pool was always a hobby for Caroline. She graduated from NYU with a master’s degree in Marketing and started working in the corporate world. However, her heart was not contented. She joined leagues, local tournaments and women qualifiers to help her enhance her competitiveness. Caroline even got a part time job as a Manager at Corner Billiards, her local poolroom, and later became the League Director to be more involved. One could say that she was passionate about the sport.
Immersed in pool, she put many hours playing. Caroline started winning Tri-State Tournaments, APA titles, BCA Titles as well as J. Pechauer Northeast Tour (JPNEWT) Women Qualifiers. The turning point was in 2005 when she claimed the JPNEWT Player of the Year and was invited to play on the Women’s Professional Billiards Association (WPBA) Tour in 2006. In order to become the best player she could be, Caroline knew what was needed. It was commitment and practice. Playing on the WPBA was no joke. Everyone played well and if you did not, you had no shot at winning. So Caroline made goals and a plan to continue her journey of becoming a player she hope to one day become…
With some coaching, lots of practice and playing in more tournaments, Caroline is currently ranked 28th on the WPBA Tour. As for the rest of her free time, Caroline is working hard on 2 of her business ventures. She is a partner of Billiard Life, an apparel line for pool and billiards that was launched earlier this year, and Mezz USA, the distributors of Mezz cues and products, one of the most reputable cue lines in Asia.
Caroline is also currently looking for sponsorships to continue her pursuit of success on the WPBA Tour. If you would like information on how to sponsor Caroline, please contact her at carolinepao@gmail.com.
