Palm Harbor woman 'stumbles' into new passion, wins national 8-ball competition

PALM HARBOR, Fla. - Some people work their entire lives to achieve success, and then there are people like Veronica Spero. 

The Palm Harbor resident recently won the American Poolplayers Association 8-Ball Classic in Las Vegas – but Spero has only been playing pool for seven years.

"I still don't realize I'm good at pool," Spero told FOX 13 Sports. "The realization was when I was in Vegas and I'm playing my skill level. Everybody I'm playing has won all their tournaments and regionals to get there. This is the best of the best. I'm in trouble!"

Spero has a laid-back approach to billiards, which is great when she's at a pool hall with friends. However, it landed her in some hot water in Vegas when she learned about a dress code for the semifinal round.

"No jeans are allowed; no flip flops," Spero said. "[When] we play in bars in Florida ... I'm wearing jeans and flip flops so that's how I'm playing out there."

That means she had to scramble if she wanted to compete.

"Total panic, but fortunately one of the APA rep was like 'don't worry, we're in Vegas. There's a Ross that's open until midnight,'" Spero recalled.

She came home from Vegas after a big win, $15,000 richer and with a new lucky pool outfit. 

She has advice for anyone considering trying something new, even if it's later in life.

"Find something you're passionate about. I stumbled into this and my passion grew," Spero said. "It's never too late to do something that you have an interest in. Go for it."