MEDIA CONTACT:
Howard Hatch, Owner
Hatch Billiards
14 Maine Street, Box 4
Brunswick, ME 04011
207-721-0070
Contact
www.hatchbilliards.com

Story Ideas for Pool and Lifestyle publications

Forget the smoke-filled rooms, the cigar-chomping stereotype of the pool hustler. Pool playing has entered the mainstream: Since 1998 the number people who play the game of billiards has risen steadily from 32.3 million players to 36 million in 2005 (as reported by the National Sporting Goods Association), which makes billiards the 8th most popular participation sport in the U.S., followed by walking, camping, swimming, exercising with equipment, bowling, fishing and bicycling. Billiards is a sport that crosses gender and socio-economic stereotypes as well with 41 percent of players being women, and 40% of all players who earn over $75,000 a year.

Would a story about the renaissance of billiard playing - and creating pool/recreation rooms - be of interest to the readers of your publication? If so, there are several angles on this topic that your magazine can take, all of which Howard Hatch, billiards table designer and owner of Hatch Billiards, is ready to speak and provide lively quotes and information. He can talk about a variety of billiards topics including: high end pool tables, the art of making tables, the best woods for pool tables, and more.

Here are just a few story ideas that the readers of your publication might enjoy. Please feel free to call Howard Hatch directly for comment and insight on any of these - or other - pool/billiards story topics:

Women are Playing More Pool.
Creating a recreation room with a billiards table centerpiece may be the dream of many men, but it is now the fantasy of many women too. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, 41 percent of the pool players are women. Howard Hatch can talk about this trend, and how a recreation room for women can be made remarkably different (and more feminine) for women.

Tips on picking a high quality pool table for your new recreation room.
High quality pool tables have unique characteristics that make the $18,000 and up price tag worth every penny. Howard Hatch can talk about these new "designer" pool tables and what goes into the craftsmanship that makes these tables so special.

9 foot table or 8 foot pool table - what size is best for your recreation room?
There's nothing more frustrating than buying a 9 foot table and realizing (too late) that you don't have enough room to use the full cue length. Howard Hatch is prepared to talk about some parameters that are necessary for a room before installing a pool table.

Green, Blue or Red Felt for Your New Pool Table: Does Color Matter?
Green is the traditional color for a pool table, since this color (as well as blue) is the simplest to sight. Red is also a popular color, but other colors - as pretty as they may look - can be distracting and show chalk, grease and dirt easily. Howard Hatch is prepared to give tips on the color coordinating your new pool table.

Looking for quirky Travel Stories?
Howard can talk about his adventures while traveling across country to deliver this tables. Because he personally transports his tables to his customers, his job involves much travel and meeting lots of interesting characters. This is an aspect of the job he loves and from which he has many tales.

The History of Billiards.
The game of Pool dates back to the middle ages when it was played by the aristocracy. Ask Howard why the traditional pool table color is green and he'll fill you in on the historical whys and wherefores. Perhaps you'd like to write a story about the origins of pool and pool culture, and how it's come to be the game we know today - Howard will be glad to fill you in.

The Design Process - How are pool tables designed and what makes solid wood and custom joinery special.
Learn how these kinds of traditional design techniques fit into the evolving history of pool table design over the years. Ask Howard how he finds his quality woods, what tools he uses and why he chooses to design the way he does. Find out what furniture styles have influenced and inspired him as he's moved from furniture to pool table design and construction.

Howard Hatch can also give design tips on creating a custom-built pool table; tips on the composition of right woods for a table; talk about wood vs. metal tables; how to find a good anchoring spot for a new table; and what kind of billiards accessories are "musts" for a new recreation room.

Call Howard Hatch, owner, Hatch Billiards at: 207-721-0070 or hatchstudio@verizon.net.