Taken from the October 1995 Issue of Table Talk
Published by Tornado Table Soccer, Inc.

The first time I ever heard the name Liz Hill was when I overheard some young male foosers talking about the "finest woman in the game". Did they mean centerfold "fine" or "fine" as in seasoned and talented? They meant both. The first time I saw her I assumed she was an innocent and sweet girl with those puffy cheeks and that playful manner. The next time I saw her she was sexy and smart, cracking jokes and verbally wrestling with all the top male players, daring them to challenge her in some way. This girl seemed to be a little more complicated than one might originally think.

Liz Hill has competed in 28 out of the last 30 tour stops. This is the same girl who claims she's not sure just how long she'll play. You get the feeling she's just being coy, as usual. She loves foosball and her place in it. Why shouldn't she? At the tender age of 20, she's the Number One Female Player in the world with 11 Women's Open Singles titles, 10 Women's Open Doubles titles and membership in the 2500 Points Club, an honor she shares with only three other female players. She was voted Best Pro Sportsman from Southwest Tornado this year as well.

Liz usually saves her flashy behavior for "off the table". On the table, Liz opts for consistency and a cool temperament. You will rarely see her kick, scream, jar, talk or even look at her opponent, much less participate in self-criticism. She was able to reach this sense of self on her own, just as she discovered foosball on her own, not through a man as most female players have. When you hear her speak, you marvel at how a 14 year old girl from Thailand came to live in America, discover table soccer and matriculate into what Liz calls "The Religion of Foosball" with such ease. You get the feeling it was just meant to be.

INTERVIEW

MARY: Liz, how did you discover foosball?

LIZ: When I was 14 I used to hang out in a pool hall across the street from my high school in Tampa, Florida. I only went during the day after school to shoot pool. I always noticed the foosball tables but they were always empty during the day. Then I came out one night, I don't know why, and the tables were full of guys playing. I went and stood next to a player and grabbed the back rods to play. I didn't think anything about it. It was a match and they took me off the table. I asked them what was going on and when they said "it's a match", I was like "a match? What do you mean a match?" I've been playing ever since.

MARY: What was your original motivation to play and how has that motivation evolved over the last five years?

LIZ: I just wanted to manipulate that ball the way those guys did in Tampa. I wanted to control the ball and make it do things like they could do. I thought it was fun, I loved it. I still love it and try to keep fun a part of it, always. Right now I'm really into competition. I love competing against other players. I have a burning desire to keep my rank and stay on top.

MARY: Everyone has obstacles to face when competing against their peers and elders. What obstacles did you face on your rise to the top and what obstacles do you face now?

LIZ: I did have my "God I suck" times in the beginning. But I pretty much knew then that it was just a matter of experience. I accepted the female/male division early on and set my goal at becoming the best female player I could be. But I still play in Open Singles and always will. I've beaten some of those guys out there and it felt good and I want to keep doing it. You never know. Besides, that's where I feel the most challenge today. But they give me a hard time sometimes in the sense of getting me out of focus. They'll try to intimidate me or make me angry or just distract me. It's not easy being the girl sometimes.

MARY: What methods do you use to focus when this happens to you?

LIZ: Oh, different kinds. It's hard to explain. It's so mental. If something's happening on the table I just try to call a time-out and say "hey, what's going on here?" and get back on track. It's a very mental game and it's necessary to take the time to do it right. I just never look at my opponents during a match and certainly don't converse with them. I stay in my world and try to do what I want to do with the ball.

MARY: We've hung out socially together enough for me to know that you're anything but quiet and reserved, yet you're very cool on the table. What do you do with your competitive aggression leftovers after a match or in a match?

LIZ: I try to just let it go. It's hard sometimes and the most I might do is walk off in silence and give everyone a look like "don't even talk to me". If someone in particular has made me angry in some way during tournament play I may distance myself from them until the end of the tournament, but it would end there. I never take grudges from competition, you have to let that stuff go.

MARY: You are known for your five-man in the sport and playing "hard". What were your past influences in those areas and do you have any present influences?

LIZ: Well, I was on a winning soccer team for ten years. I already knew a lot about competitive sports and even how to win. But as far as foosball goes, Florida players had an influence on my game, that's why I tic tac the ball well. But most of the guys were always coming on to me in the beginning so I was able to hang around and learn stuff. I love to improve my game. If I could have someone like Steve Murray show me how to brush, I would incorporate that into my five-man just to change my game up.

MARY: You played with Melanee Tosh in Women's Doubles for three years and together held quite a record. Now that Melanee has semi-retired right at the time you peak, you've switched partners most every tour stop. Are you interested in sticking with another permanent partner or playing the field?

LIZ: Melanee and I hold the longest female touring partnership record and no one can ever take those times away from us. We are both very proud of our winning record. We played against one another and challenged each other to the point of choosing to play together. Although I am enjoying the chance to play with some of the women I've competed against for so long, I'm a big believer in statistics. Christina Fuchs and I have won twice now and as long as we keep doing well, I see no reason to change that.

MARY: How do you feel about the ups and downs of being the Number One Female Player? You bring the power of that title to the table as well as being the "one to beat".

LIZ: I love being the "one to beat" ! It motivates me. I have won Women's Open Singles for the last three years at the Tornado Tour Kick-Off or Hall of Fame Classic as it is called now. This last year in the finals, I just looked up at the banner and saw my name in that spot for the previous two years and thought, "this is how it's meant to be" and won it. I feed off the power and try to put it in my game constructively.

MARY: Do you have practice schedules?

LIZ: Not really. I didn't even get my own table until this past April. I rented one from Tom Yore in the beginning to practice, but only had it for about three months. I only play about one local tournament a week but I have only missed competing in two of all of the tour stops since I started in 1989. But this year I'm really into practicing for Worlds. I can usually only practice in half hour sessions and have to take breaks. I just play a lot and try to never miss any tour stops.

MARY: Do you have any rituals?

LIZ: Not really. I'm not superstitious. I try to visualize a burning inferno in front of me sometimes when I play, just this huge desire to play and win.

MARY: Do you still "lose" skills in the game or can you access anything you've learned to use in a tournament?

LIZ: I lose things all the time. I change my game constantly now, just to learn to adjust and broaden my skills. Sometimes I think my 2-rod suffers from playing forward so much, but it's like riding a bike in some ways, after you pass the point of enough experience. I shoot a pull mostly but I have used a rollover and a push to win events. I was afraid to go long on my pull for a long time. That's probably why I shoot the middle shots so well.

MARY: What do you think about the female rewards of being number one as opposed to the male rewards? Everything from higher payouts, bigger audiences, the use of pit tables, being filmed by Inside Foos, etc.

LIZ: The money is the hardest thing to deal with but it is improving as more girls play. Plus the quality of girls play is improving, which is good for me. I still play in Open a lot just for the challenge alone. As far as the rest, its all improving.

MARY: As you know, you have quite a reputation for physical beauty, in all respects. Do you ever use your female charms to your advantage in mixed events and if so, do you think it works?

LIZ: Maybe in the lower divisions, but not in the higher divisions. My style is to wear low cut shirts a lot anyway, so it may appear that way to some. But I've never really thought it would work against the quality players I play against in Open Mixed anyway. I want them to feel like they were beaten by my skills, not because I distracted them.

MARY: Who do you consider your toughest competition right now?

LIZ: I don't really have any when it comes to singles. I had a problem with Tiffany Billirakis for a while but I've fixed that and she no longer poses a threat to me. In Doubles I usually meet up with April DeVito and Gena Murray. I've beaten them and they've beaten me, so I consider them my strongest doubles competition.

MARY: Do you have a Cindy Head headtrip?

LIZ: Not really. I have only played her three times and sooner or later I'm going to win. She didn't have a lot good competition in the beginning a her verbal aggression was working against a lot of female players. That won't work on me so we'll see how do. I know I have what it takes to beat her.

MARY: Do you think female foosers share any common characteristics women?

LIZ: Well, it takes great hand-eye coordination to play this game well, but overall, I'd say a competitive nature al sheer guts is what we have in common

MARY: There are fewer female mentors the game and you are now becoming one to new players. How is that f you?

LIZ: When I first started I didn't real have any female mentors. Cindy He, had just retired from playing on to with the exception of Worlds when started. The only other true mentor the time was Gena Murray and I'd look to her for developing my goal game, but after that, there was no female forward I chose to pattern myself after. As far as being a mentor to all young women, that sounds real strange to me. I'm only 20 years old, seems strange that someone would I looking up to me!

MARY: How do you think Tornado c; bring in more female players?

LIZ: I think they need to run a Women Pro/Am with cash payouts equivalent to open payouts at a tour stop. More women are likely to play if they think they have a shot at winning something. I think the women's payouts need to I increased somehow at the tour stops as well. Women's leagues are a good idea too.

MARY: Do you ever downplay your achievements in the sport due to the lack of general public awareness of the sport?

LIZ: All the time. I mean, foosball is just part of a great big world out there and when I leave a tournament, I try to adjust and remind myself that I'm just a small part of a much bigger picture.

MARY: Liz, in 15 years you'll be eligible to play in 35 & Over. Do you think you'll be there?

LIZ: I hope not! It's hard to imagine still having to wheel and deal to get off of work for all of those weekends !

MARY: You'll be there.

LIZ: You're probably right Mary. It's hard to leave something you love so much. You feel so safe with these people. Once you've bonded through the expression of letting go on the table, you feel free to let go and be yourself around them quite easily. It's like an understood way of thinking after a while in many ways. It's like its own religion, the "Religion of Foosball".

Listening to Liz you understand why she finds the sport addictive. Like many of her male and female buddies, Liz is a foosball junkie. Whether she's ready to accept that reality about herself remains to be seen. Give her some time, she's still young in the game of life. However, in the game of foosball, she seems quite suited for the Number One spot and intends to hold on to it as long as she can!