In Part 2 of our conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, the road opens up and the stories get even better.

Mary takes us back to the years just after college, when shorthand, typing, bookkeeping, and supermarket checkout speed hardly seemed like preparation for life in pool — yet all of it formed the determined, sharp-witted competitor she would become. From the earliest days of the women’s game in the Northeast, she recalls a time before a true professional tour existed, when players piled into cars, shared rooms, and relied on the generosity of room owners to create opportunities to compete.

She reflects on the emerging women’s scene, the dominance of Jean Balukas, the rise of LoreeJon, and the close-knit, scrappy environment that helped shape the WPBA in its earliest form. Mary also shares her own role in that history as one of the organization’s first secretary-treasurers.

Then the story shifts from tournaments to the road — and into the action. Mary paints a vivid picture of running through New Jersey, New York, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas, chasing games, making scores, and learning the realities of pool life in an era when action was everywhere and women players were still a novelty.

At the heart of this episode is a priceless encounter with Buddy Hall. What begins with Mary sharply putting him in his place turns into one of the most important moments of her development as a player, as Buddy helps reshape her fundamentals and elevate her game almost overnight.

This is a wonderful chapter in Mary Kenniston’s story — full of grit, humor, history, and the unforgettable characters who made pool’s golden road years so legendary.

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Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In this first installment of our conversation with WPBA Hall of Famer Mary Kenniston, we begin at the beginning—Long Island roots, a fiercely competitive childhood, and the natural athletic gifts that made her a standout long before she ever picked up a cue.

Mary takes us back to growing up in Suffolk County, where sports came as naturally as breathing. A tall, fearless tomboy with a sharp mind and a gift for competition, she excelled in nearly everything she tried—basketball, softball, field hockey, track, and more. She earned a basketball scholarship at a time when opportunities for women were rare, only to see that dream derailed by devastating knee injuries. But as Mary tells it, one closed door has a funny way of opening another.

That next door turned out to be a barroom pool table in Nebraska.

What began as boredom while tagging along with her boyfriend quickly became revelation. Within a remarkably short time, Mary was beating everyone in sight, winning bar tournaments, and realizing that pool offered something no other sport had: a challenge deep enough to keep humbling her. From there, the story only gets better. After moving back East, she discovered the legendary Guys and Dolls billiard room in New Jersey, where a chance meeting with an older mentor named Bob changed everything. He introduced her not only to the finer points of the game, but to the wider world of serious pool.

Along the way, Mary shares stories that are funny, candid, and unmistakably her own—from beating the boys in high school basketball to discovering, unexpectedly, that her own father had once been a player himself.

It’s the origin story of one of pool’s most distinctive voices—frank, fearless, gifted, and impossible to forget.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”

In the final installment of this four-part conversation on Legends of the Cue, Austrian Hall of Famer Gerda Hofstatter-Gregerson reflects on the closing chapters of her competitive career and the deeply personal choices that shaped the life that followed. Joined by Allison Fisher, Mark Wilson, and Mike Gonzalez, Gerda looks back on more European and Austrian titles, her 2009 straight pool success, and her final professional victory at the 2010 San Diego Classic.

This episode goes far beyond the scoreline. Gerda opens up about the mental side of championship pool, from learning to quiet the mind through meditation to understanding just how much confidence, discipline, and emotional control influence performance at the highest level. She also shares one of the most meaningful transitions of her life: stepping away from full-time competition to embrace motherhood and family life. In candid and heartfelt moments, Gerda explains why leaving the tour was not a sudden decision, but a natural evolution as her priorities changed and her world expanded beyond the pool room.

Listeners will also hear Gerda’s thoughts on today’s extraordinary level of women’s professional pool, her brief comeback after Hall of Fame recognition, and the immense pride she feels in being inducted into both the WPBA and BCA Hall of Fame. Along the way, there is laughter, warmth, and touching appreciation for the people who helped shape her journey—from family and mentors to close friends and fellow champions.

As this remarkable life story draws to a close, Gerda answers the show’s final questions with the same grace, humility, and perspective that defined her career. It is a fitting finish to the story of a world-class player, devoted mother, and beloved ambassador for the sport.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”