As far as I know, Dee Dee Paliotti is the only girl who ever swung out over the Intracoastal Waterway on a rope tied to the old swing bridge. Wow! Decades later, I’m still awed by that. She, like most of the kids who grew up on the island, spent her days galloping up and down sand dunes (back when we had them), exploring the marsh and jumping out of bumblebee towers. Inquisitive minds like hers do not stop seeking to be thrilled by life. Oh, they may slow down a bit, but there are somethings about some people... they have to keep moving, doing, and experiencing.
Here it is blank years since she rode that bridge and she’s still putting herself out there to compete against who? Well, personally, I think she competes against herself. And just how does she do that, you may ask. Well, Ms. Paliotti has become one of the winningest pool players in our area.
Dee Dee has been playing pool for decades. In the 90s she and her league won competitive trips to Las Vegas, ten years in a row. That’s quite impressive considering how many players she has had to outscore.
Though loving the game, Ms. Paliotti put the game and competition on hold while she worked for the USPS. Now, after 20 years away from the game, she has come back to the sport she has always loved.
“I’m up at night going over shots and sometimes I go to the pool table and re-shoot shots, thinking how I could have done them better or differently.”
She (and her leagues) keeps winning too. While in Las Vegas in 2021, Dee Dee won the women’s record for fastest break at 24.6 MPH. And then when the league was in Vegas in 2024, they won third place. Remember, this is competition between all USA and Canadian leagues.
Ms. Paliotti plays locally with Down East, APA (Pender and Onslow counties) and Coastal Carolina (New Hanover and Myrtle Beach). The leagues have several different skill levels at which to compete; all ages are eligible for competition. Presently ages range from 18 to 85. So, readers, do not let age or ability stop you from pursuing this sport. Skill levels range from beginners to level seven, so anybody can play.
There are all kinds of people who participate in these pool playing leagues, men and women; they come from all walks of life. And yes, that is one of the reasons why Dee Dee likes being part of the pool playing world. The diversity and the chance to meet and talk with people from all over the country is exciting and fulfilling. Like I said, the girl loves everything the game has to offer.
Every Tuesday night the various leagues meet at one of the local establishments- Lorelei’s, Salty Dawg, Tortuga’s, and Oasis-to play a few games of pool. It is competition and it is serious business. Dee Dee likes competition. “I like the challenge of playing someone who is better than me.” She says.
At these games players acquire points for each game won. The more points you win, the better the odds of winning the trip to Vegas where the competition broadens to winners from all over the USA and Canada. In the last three years, Dee Dee and the league she plays for have been to Las Vegas twice. That’s a pretty good record.
Kudos to Dee Dee and to the Down East and Coastal Carolina leagues. Keep on keepin’ on.
