For Suzanne Smith of Edgewood, a return flight home two weeks ago from Tampa, Fla., was not without incident.

In her possession as a carry-on was a towering, marble-and-bronze trophy which proclaimed her recent win in Tampa in the women’s division of the 2011 U.S. Amateur Championship, an internationally recognized amateur billiards tournament. She won the tournament undefeated.

“Because of its weight, I couldn’t check it in my bag,” Smith said. “It was quite the conversation piece.”

Smith qualified for the championship rounds in Florida last September during a preliminary round held in Salem, Ore. — one of 21 in the United States. Smith qualified among 32 players selected out of 394 nationwide to move on to the U.S. Amateur Championship Nov. 5-6.

It’s one of three tournaments produced annually by the American Poolplayers Association, which sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league and provides competitive opportunities for about 270,000 members nationally in 8-ball and 9-ball league play.

Smith got her start in pool about 10 years ago when she was in college. After she blew her knee out twice in competitive volleyball, she turned to billiards.

“It’s a lot more lower impact than volleyball,” she said.

While pool doesn’t work your muscles as much as some competitive sports, what it does exercise is your brain, Smith said.

“I’ve been working on the mental game during the last two months,” she said. “It’s all about staying in the moment and focusing on the moment.”

To prepare for the amateur championship, Smith took pool lessons and started to focus on increasing her ratio of high-percentage shots to low-percentage shots. She said she took the competition very seriously.

“I didn’t want to take anyone for granted,” she said.

Before competition in Florida, Smith met with the other 31 competitors and collected their autographs in a special book. She also collected stories and tournament stats. The APA wrote about it on the organization’s website.

“I enjoy getting to know people I compete with that I don’t know,” she said. “The passion for competition is what unites the community of pool players.”

Smith said she can’t wait to look back on her book of memories some day. Most recently, she started a blog, where she posts player profiles.

With her U.S. Amateur Championship title in hand, Smith qualified to compete in June 2012 at the Women’s Professional Billiard Association U.S. Open Championship in Tulsa, Okla. In addition, Smith is automatically guaranteed a spot to return to defend her amateur title next year.

“Suzanne appears to be a strong enough player on the amateur level,” said Jason Bowman, a spokesman for the APA. “If she’s determined enough and refines her skills, I don’t see why she couldn’t be a touring professional in the WPBA.”

For now, she’ll keep pushing to improve her game while she plays on an APA-sanctioned league team in Orting. And for those who want to play pool, she said knowledge is the key.

“If you love to (play pool), then put the time in and get out there and get the knowledge,” she said. “The more knowledge you get, the better you will be.”

Reporter Andrew Fickes can be reached at 253-841-2481, ext. 313, or by email at andrew.fickes@puyallupherald.com.