Carlie Tait | Snooker is Everything
Women’s snooker is on the rise in Australia with new players taking up the sport and more events being held at all levels and among those to have played a significant role in its continued growth is our current world number 37 Carlie Tait.
As is a familiar tale, she was introduced to the sport through her father and has seen the sport go on to become a central pillar of her life, both on the baize in competition and social play, as well as more recently as an administrator as Women’s Delegate on the Board of Snooker and Billiards New South Wales.
“Snooker is everything,” explained Tait. “I do have two children that I love dearly – but they are quite used to my snooker and asking where I am going this time! The only time I take off work is for snooker events and between March and November, I will be away two or three weekends every month, sometimes more.
“My dad used to play a little bit, and he had a table at home, so as we would spend every second weekend with him, we would just play when we were kids. So, I kind of learned the rules and as I was finishing high school, spending more time at the clubs and things and I thought I know how to do this and most of my friends didn’t, so I thought I can do this, and it just went from there.
“My dad used to travel to every event with me and then he became a referee, was very involved and I picked up where he left off and became very involved myself.”
Tait, who cites ten-times Australian Open champion Kathy Parashis as her inspiration among female players, has herself gone on to enjoy a successful snooker career, highlighted by three victories at the NSW State Women’s Snooker Championships so far and is targeting more silverware in the future.
“I have a small goal of what I’d like to achieve at every event, but gone are the days of putting that pressure on myself and saying I have to do that,” explained Tait. “I don’t put in the time, so I shouldn’t necessarily expect the rewards.
“But our I was runner up four times at our State title and I have won it three times, so my goal is to win it five times to beat the number of times I was runner-up. But Christine [Firth] is pushing me out of the way!”
As much as she has achieved on the table, she has made just as big a contribution to snooker off the table in recent years. In particular, she has been proactive in her efforts to encourage the close-knit community of female snooker players that has grown in recent years, with many players speaking of the role that she has played in getting people together.
“I am actually really proud of that, that’s a big thing for me,” said Tait. “I enjoy playing and I like trying to be competitive, but it’s also about seeing everyone come together and being part of something bigger. I think that is probably more important to me these days.
“The social side is the important thing for the majority of us. It’s not for everybody, for others their motivation is different, they still enjoy the social side but it’s not their primary motivation. But for a lot of these players, it is being able to come together with their friends and that is very important.”
With so many friends on the Tour, Tait is reluctant to single those out who she is closest to, with Rhonda Knight, Sharon Benson and Agnes Kimura all among those she cites as extremely supportive. But it is Kylie Bellinger with whom she has developed a particularly strong relationship.
“I guess the person I would call to say I had a bad game today would be Kylie, always Kylie,” explained Tait. “We met in Adelaide for our national event in maybe 2019 and we just had this huge conversation and realised we had so much in common.
“From that moment we started travelling to more places and we are like what are we doing, how are we doing this together. She is in Tasmania far away, so we plan out things together.”
A significant opportunity for players to come together each year is the Australian Women’s Open, which since 2018 has been an established ranking event on the World Women’s Snooker Tour. As well as players from the Oceania region, the event also welcomes some of the world’s leading ranked players to the country, which Tait believes is a big factor in the growth of women’s snooker in Australia.
“I think it’s really important,” explained Tait. “It really helps lift the profile of women’s snooker here and it definitely needs to continue to lift. It’s going in the right direction, but I think having this and having the quality of players coming here increases the profile and shows that women are capable of being fantastic.
“The game I had with Mink [Nutcharut] was probably the most enjoyable and stress free because I didn’t have any expectations on myself, I didn’t feel any expectations from anyone else in the room and I played ok.
“I like to say I had her on the ropes and she had to make that 52 clearance to win in one frame! But I thoroughly enjoyed watching her. Last year I played On Yee, I think it’s a privilege, it’s wonderful and no pressure.”
Like many in Australia, Tait is a fan of Neil Robertson on the professional World Snooker Tour and recalls her unique experience of following his journey to becoming world champion for the first time back in 2010.
“The first time I watched him play was in the final of the World Championship when he won,” continued Tait. “I was in hospital having given birth the afternoon before and was just flicking on the TV and they happened to have the snooker on and I was like wow, what’s this, I didn’t realise what it was. The nurse came in and asked me if I wanted to change the channel and I said no, history is happening right now, this is amazing, and it stuck with me forever.
“I like how he interviews; he has a great attitude and the way he approaches everything at the table you can see that come through as well. I have never met him, but I enjoy watching him play.”
Away from the baize Tait has worked as an E-commerce and Distribution Manager for a hotel group, for over 20 years, but snooker is never far from her mind as she has become increasingly involved as part of the Board of Snooker and Billiards NSW in recent years.
“I was always heavily involved in my home club because of my dad who was heavily involved and so I became involved,” said Tait. “My dad was involved in running our local league and when he gave that away there was literally nobody else that would do it, so I said that if no one else put their hand up I would do it and I have been doing that for six of seven years.
“Through that I got to know Alex [Render] and said if you need any extra help I will join the NSW Board not realising what I was in for! But I have learned a lot working with Alex in particular. It’s probably only during the last couple of years that I have felt comfortable enough to own that position. I wasn’t there just as a helper which initially was all I wanted to do, but now I feel like I can take projects and run with them.”
One such project earlier this year was the launch of the new Empower Snooker Invitational, a women’s handicap event held at the Newcastle City Snooker Club back in June. Aimed at removing barriers, including dress code, standard of play, cost and providing free goodie bags, the tournament aimed to be as inclusive as possible to women of all abilities.
The weekend event proved to be a success, with 23 entries including more than half who were new players, or those returning from extended time away, and many having continued to play in further events since the tournament.
While her roles leave her with little time for practice, Tait remains as passionate about the sport as ever and continues to play on a regular basis.
“I don’t practice by myself, but I do play a lot,” said Tait. “I tend to mostly play in social competitions, I like a beer and a laugh. With snooker administration I get bogged down in that so much that it’s not fun anymore, so I make a point of going to the fun things and trying to keep the enjoyment alive. So that’s a social thing and generally the same group of 16 or 20 blokes and we all play and it’s comfortable, easy and fun.
“But if I’m not at an event I’m often at my desk working at the next event. I’m not very good at being idle, I have to be too busy!”
And how does Carlie see the current development of women’s snooker in Australia?
It is getting healthier and moving in the right direction. We still have a long way to go. I’d like to see more Jess’s and more Lilly’s coming through. It is fantastic to have more players, but more of those players would be the next step.
Thank you to Carlie for her time and we look forward to seeing her at a future event!
