Ready for Her Close-Up

Exercise and an improved diet have helped Herndon reshape her body and improve her mental stamina. (Photo by Carla Bonner)

Sixth-ranked Monica Webb has no doubts. "There are some girls ranked higher than Melissa right now that don't play nearly as well as she does," Webb maintains. "Believe me, I've gambled with her and she's a tough competitor. She definitely plays better in the poolroom than at the tournaments. There are no weak spots in her game. Her game is there. She just needs more experience. I really believe her potential is at least Top 8." Adds fourth-ranked Helena Thornfeldt, whom Herndon has beaten twice in WPBA events, "I like Melissa's style a lot. She totally unafraid, hits you with some very aggressive stuff." With the long, fluid, quick stroke of her idol, Earl Strickland, she's been hailed as Girl Strickland at times. "Especially when I get into my zone and start jacking up on shots and spearing them in," Herndon says. "People do say I have a lot of firepower."

Herndon is a Botticelli girl stuck in an Anna Kournikova world: a thick, big-boned, exceedingly busty 5-foot-6. "You know," she says, "there was a time when the skinny girls were considered ugly." Though she won't divulge her weight or dress size, she concedes, "I do carry some extra weight." It's in her genes, she says, explaining that her mom is on the large size and the women on her father's side tend to grow big with age. "I also grew up in a Southern, meat-and-potatoes home," she says, "and I especially became addicted to potatoes. Potatoes in any shape or form. Baked, boiled, mashed, au gratin, French fries, ruffles, you name it. And my biggest downfall is potato chips. My god, I'm a potato chips freak!" Thornfeldt, who has struggled with her weight over the years and is the unofficial Queen of Overlooked Players, has firsthand knowledge of the hurdles Herndon faces. "Melissa is a gorgeous woman, but I know from being heavy myself, it's very hard," she says. "Nobody likes being overweight. You have to fight for credit so much more, work so much harder for approval."

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