RECREATION
HOT SHOTS AND
COOL CUES
Pool playing has become a family affair
for fun and even health benefits
BY DEBRA MAGRANN
26 Port St. Lucie Magazine
ANTHONY INSWASTY
Denise Cintron, co-owner of Shooter’s Billiards Food and Brew House, examines her shot. The smoke-free atmosphere provides safe recreation for all.
What comes to mind when you think of a pool
hall? Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason in The
Hustler? Or, perhaps, Tom Cruise in The Color of
Money?
Just like Rodney Dangerfield syndrome, playing pool has
not been a poster sport for respectability. The industry was
in a state of steady decline, brought on by years of stigma attached
to neighborhoods riddled with crime.
But shooting pool has made a comeback, thanks, in part, to
a revival that has replaced the negative images of the past —
thick cigar smoke, hustlers and high-stakes moneyball games
— with family fun in a safe environment.
In a world dominated by instant entertainment, pool halls
are being revitalized into bustling enterprises adding sports
bar flair to the aura of pool. Promoted as a great indoor game
that has social benefits for young and old alike, pool play- >>