Junior Player of the Month

Mast is quick to note that their rivalry at the tables offers both of them an opportunity. Mast was picking up a lot of the JIC headlines in the early days of the inaugural and second season and had developed a notable rivalry with Skylar Hess, another 13U Girls competitor. That sense of rivalry has shifted somewhat, though Hess is still around, challenging them both and setting up the potential for some intriguing matchups in the upcoming JIC event, scheduled for the weekend of February 24-26 at Diamond Billiards in Cape Coral, FL.

younger sister, twice, was a topic that didn’t come up in the interviews for this profile.

The rivalry between Noelle and Sofia Mast did. They have become the best of friends. According to Mast, they’re always hanging out at tournaments, as well as calling and texting each other, often. As a result, Mast took advantage of an opportunity to stay with the Tate family for a while, and lest one tends to forget how young they are, Mast indicated that they “had a blast” visiting a trampoline park, roller skating and shopping together.

“Over the past two years,” said Mast, “Noelle has been such a great friend. She is so funny, caring, happy and makes people smile.”

“Other than hanging out and having fun with Noelle,” said Mast, “I have seen so much improvement in her game. She is the most fierce (competitor); not scared to take any shot.”

“Her combinations, stroke and demeanor at the table have improved a lot,” she added. “It is definitely tougher to play against her now and it was amazing to face her in the finals of the 18U championships last year. I can’t wait to see what the future holds in our friendship and her game.”

According to the family patriarch, Randy Tate, the three pool-playing Tate children (there’s a fourth, Lily, who does not compete with them) did not follow each other into the sport. It happened all at once.

“It wasn’t like all of a sudden, Joey got on the scene and they