Ewa Mataya Laurance - Part 4 (The Win That Mattered Most—and the Life She Chose After Greatness)

In the final chapter of our four-part life story with WPBA Hall of Famer Ewa Mataya Laurance, we land where legends are forged: on the road, under the lights, and in the moments that reveal what matters most.

Ewa takes us inside a whirlwind era when she was traveling 260 days a year—tournaments, exhibitions, corporate events, and the kind of surreal TV appearances that can pull an athlete away from the very craft that made them famous. It’s a candid look at success: how it arrives fast, demands yes, and quietly reshapes priorities.

From there, Ewa opens the curtain on the business battle behind women’s professional pool—her time leading the WPBA, fighting for excellence over image, and pushing back against the idea that the sport should be marketed as entertainment first. She recalls pivotal negotiations with ESPN, the strategy that helped create meaningful airtime for a true tour, and the tug-of-war moments that defined an entire generation of women’s pool.

And then… the match.

Ewa relives the victory she treasures most—not a world title by name, but a win that felt like the ultimate statement: defeating the incomparable Allison Fisher in the finals of the 2012 Soaring Eagle Masters, in what she calls the last great ESPN era before the shift to ESPN3. From switching cues days before the event to reading the smallest signs of pressure across the arena, she brings us shot-by-shot into the mindset of a champion who still knew how to summon greatness.

We close with our signature three questions—Ewa’s moving reflections on forgiveness, the one “mulligan” she’d take back, and how she hopes to be remembered: hard-working, honest, stubborn, fair… and a very good grandma.

This is Ewa’s finish—full of fire, heart, and truth.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a pool history podcast featuring interviews with Pool Hall of Fame members, winners of major championships and other people of influence in and around pocket billiards. We also plan to highlight memorable pool brands, events and venues. Focusing on the positive aspects of the sport, we aim to create and provide an engaging and timeless repository of content that listeners can enjoy now and forever. Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher, Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, our podcast focuses on telling the life stories of pool's greatest, in their voices. Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cue.”