{"id":11533,"date":"2011-12-11T17:12:14","date_gmt":"2011-12-11T17:12:14","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2011-12-11T22:12:00","modified_gmt":"2011-12-11T22:12:00","slug":"Meet-the-Rack-Starz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=11533","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Rack Starz"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>The Rack Starz are a group of 12 brilliant and beautiful women poised to reinvent the game of pool, bring it into the mainstream and create a sensation that will captivate the world. The Rack Starz are not only athletes, but they are also moms, models, actresses, nutritionists, CEOs, and marketing analysts, with many holding advanced degrees. Among these women, more than 15 languages are spoken representing a multitude of cultures making the Rack Starz true ambassadors to the billiards world.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cJackie Gleason got your attention; Paul Newman and Tom Cruise made pool cool, but the Rack Starz are ready to make pool bigger than the WWF and larger than life. Lying ahead is a once in-a-lifetime phenomenon so incredible and dynamic, you won\u2019t want to miss it\u201d. explains co-founder Robert Moore.<br \/>\nThe Rack Starz popularity and fan base have helped make women\u2019s billiards more popular than men\u2019s thus creating a surge of interest in pool for girls and young women who are taking up the sport in record numbers. These athletes are already being sought out for television and personal appearances, and are quickly becoming a household name. The Rack Starz have created an insatiable desire for more with their \u201cShoot to Thrill, Play to Kill\u201d approach.<\/p>\n<p>The founders of Rack Stars have developed a project called Animals Behind the Eight Ball, working closely with numerous foundations and organizations around the country that support animal protection. A portion of the proceeds from all Rack Starz merchandise will be dedicated to helping this well-deserved cause.<\/p>\n<p>I interviewed the lovely ladies at at Amsterdam Billiards, downtown New York City.<\/p>\n<h3>ASIANCE: What is your ultimate goal? <\/h3>\n<p><b>Rack Starz:<\/b> To bring more awareness to billiards in general and also to show people we\u2019re not a bunch of overweight, beer drinking, nacho eating girls. We\u2019re beautiful women.<\/p>\n<h3>ASIANCE: What do you think is the number one skill? <\/h3>\n<p><b>Rack Starz:<\/b> Balance between focus and discipline. <\/p>\n<p><iframe width=\"500\" height=\"360\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FKLTB7znHdk\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>ASIANCE: So you want to spread more awareness like the WNBA. <\/h3>\n<p><b>Rack Starz:<\/b> We are dedicating our time, energy  and lives to it. We think it\u2019s worth a little bit more attention than it is getting.<\/p>\n<h3>ASIANCE: What do the men think when you come in and beat them? <\/h3>\n<p><b>Rack Starz:<\/b> They underestimate you, unless they know you. When we beat them, they are not happy about it.  Sometimes they\u2019re humbled. You can tell a lot about a guy by the way they treat you when you win.<\/p>\n<p>If you are looking to meet men, it\u2019s a good place.hahaha! <\/p>\n<h3>ASIANCE: Why did you choose animals? <\/h3>\n<p><b>Rack Starz:<\/b> Species are dying, we wanted to draw attention to something that we loved and couldn\u2019t speak for themselves. There is the helpless factor that tears at our heart strings.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest challenge for female pool players is there is not enough money being generated by the sports for the pros to make a good living. We\u2019re working on putting more eyes on the sport, bring more funding and opportunities to the sport so that people will see it as a valuable, entertaining, enterprise.<\/p>\n<h3>ASIANCE: How can girls become Rack Starz? <\/h3>\n<p><b>Rack Starz:<\/b> There is a nomination process. We have girls choose who they want in and we vote on it. We\u2019re looking at more global teams. There will probably be a West Coast one next.<\/p>\n<div class=\"imgLeft\">\n<div><a rel=\"lightbox[picture]\" href=\"http:\/\/www.asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/legacy\/201112_caroline_longpic2.jpg\" title=\"Caoline Pao\"><img decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" width=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/legacy\/201112_caroline_longpic2.jpg\" alt=\"Caoline Pao\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"imgCaption\">Caoline Pao<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Caoline Pao<\/h2>\n<p>Caroline was surrounded by pool growing up in New Jersey and the Philippines. However, it wasn\u2019t until late 90s that she got hooked on the game. Pool was just a hobby for this NYU graduate who earned a Masters degree and entered the corporate world, but her heart was not content with just work. Caroline joined leagues and began competing at local tournaments and women qualifiers to help enhance her competitiveness.<\/p>\n<p>As Caroline started winning tournaments and titles, as well as J. Pechauer Northeast Tour (JPNEWT) Women Qualifiers, pool became more of a passion. The turning point came in 2005 when she claimed the JPNEWT Player of the Year and was invited to play on the Women\u2019s Professional Billiards Association (WPBA) Tour in 2006. She is currently ranked 28th on the WPBA Tour. During her precious free time, Caroline works on her business ventures, Billiard Life, an apparel line for pool and billiards, and Mezz USA, which distributes one of the most reputable cue lines in Asia.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What inspires you?<\/strong><br \/>\nSuccessful people<\/p>\n<h2>Michelle Li<\/h2>\n<p>This analyst for a global finance company has been shooting pool since she was 16 years old. She also plays tennis and badminton and loved to swim as a child. Her hometown, NYC, is her favorite place on earth, and she says Central Park and FAO Schwartz were her stomping grounds growing up.<\/p>\n<p>At first, Michele may seem shy and quiet, but do not be fooled. Michele is a former streetcar  racer with the need for speed and thrills! Racing against the guys, Michele was obsessed with \u2018suped up\u2019 cars, stick shifts and high speed racing \u2013 until billiards filler her passion for competition. When she is not competing, Michele enjoys frequenting coffeehouses with \u201cgood Java\u201d, bowling, belly dancing and therapeutic baking and cooking.<\/p>\n<p>Her pet peeve about the billiards world is the lack of standardization of rules and people who do not respect the equipment in the poolrooms, and she hopes Rack Starz will bring more attention to the game and increase the level of professionalism involved.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nickname:<\/strong> Shelly<br \/>\n<strong>Pool heroes:<\/strong> Willie Mosconi and Paul Gerni<br \/>\nWhat\u2019s special about you?<br \/>\nI\u2019m a master baker!<\/p>\n<div class=\"imgRight\">\n<div><a rel=\"lightbox[picture]\" href=\"http:\/\/www.asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/legacy\/201112_Supadra_piclong.jpg\" title=\"Supadra Geronimo\"><img decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" width=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/legacy\/201112_Supadra_piclong.jpg\" alt=\"Supadra Geronimo\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"imgCaption\">Supadra Geronimo<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Supadra Geronimo<\/h2>\n<p>Train your head and hands to do, train your heart to dare<br \/>\nSupadra was born in Lopburi, Thailand, a small town whose claim to fame is the free-range monkeys who live there and are feted annually by the townspeople at the \u201cMonkey Banquet\u201d. She credits her family \u2013 her mother and grandmother who are \u201ctough as nails yet kind as saints\u201d, her father, a \u201chappy go lucky, brilliant lawyer\u201d for building her character, and her older brother for showing her how to use charm to succeed in life! Her athletic inspiration is tennis champ Roger Federer.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to pool, Supadra enjoys playing both tennis and golf, and visiting the Florida Keys and Kauai, her other favorite places in the world. Through her involvement in the Rack Starz, she would love to change the sometimes-negative perceptions about pool and help the sport become more accepted and appreciated.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nickname:<\/strong> Supa Girl<br \/>\nDream dinner date: \u201cPaul Newman, the all-time handsome man who could shoot pool, or Daniel Craig \u2013 I want to get the best of James Bond just once!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also owns Siam Natural,  www.siamnaturalsoap.com<\/p>\n<p><strong>List of entire Rack Starz team:<\/strong><br \/>\nCaroline Pao<br \/>\nMichele Li<br \/>\nSupadra Geronimo<br \/>\nOlga Gashkova<br \/>\nBorana Andoni<br \/>\nNeslihan Gurel<br \/>\nYomaylin Feliz<br \/>\nGail Glazebrook<br \/>\nJennifer Barretta<br \/>\nAlison Fischer<br \/>\nLiz Ford<br \/>\nEmily Duddy<\/p>\n<p><strong>Photo Credit: Gary Gershoff\/Getty Images<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>(Above photo: (Top row L-R) Neslihan Gurel,Alison Fischer, Supadra Geronimo, Jennifer Barretta, Michele Li, Yomaylin Feliz, and Liz Ford, (Bottom row L-R) Borano Andoni, Caroline Pao, Gail Glazebrook, and Emily Duddy attend the Rack Starz 2012 calendar release party at Amsterdam Billiards on November 18, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Gary Gershoff\/Getty Images for Rack Starz International))<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Rack Starz are a group of 12 brilliant and beautiful women poised to reinvent the game of pool, 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