Every once in a while an athlete happens to bump into a niche, one they wouldn't usually expect. Kathlyn Reynolds didn't run into a pool hall until she was 18. Now, at 21, it's become hard for her to walk away.

"I shot a little pool for a while, and then my brother introduced me to the Billiard Center," Reynolds, of Cape Girardeau, said. "Now I play every Tuesday and Wednesday."

Reynolds said the idea came from her father, who used to play a lot when she was a child. She heard how good he was and became interested in seeing what the hype was all about. That's when she decided to try it herself.

Reynolds hasn't competed in a lot of tournaments, but instead she participates in the Pioneer League and the American Pool Association all year long.

"The APA has thousands across the U.S.," Reynolds said. "I would say there are over a hundred members in this area."

Among the few

Reynolds is one of few females in the league but she remains optimistic about the sport growing toward women in the future.

"I think more women will start to play. I certainly hope so," she said. "We really don't have many around here, but the ones that do play are pretty good."

The male-dominated sport doesn't seem to scare Reynolds a bit. She holds her own in league events and has strung together a winning streak she speaks proudly of. She claims that the men in the pool hall don't give her much grief, but she admits jokingly that "men always think they're better."

Reynolds said she hopes to gain a little more experience before taking her play to a tournament level. After only three years of practice she's enjoying her time at the Billiard Center as an employee and a regular at the pool tables.

And don't think she's scared away from the intense competition. In the APA the ultimate task is to play in Vegas at the end of the season.

"Everybody wants the chance to play in Vegas," she said.

A tough system

But qualifying is set up by points and ratings. A player gets a number of points for each game based on their rating. Some players play to lose early and get their rating down, making it easier to make it to the finals.

"I'm not very fond of it," Reynolds said of the system. "I just want to play the game. I love the game for what it is. It's very relaxing -- almost therapeutic."

And when she comes home there's always something to talk about with her family since her dad and brother are largely responsible for her introduction to the game.

"It's the talk of dinner a lot of nights," Reynolds said. "Especially if I win."

Something she hopes will begin to happen more and more often.