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century, where kings, counts and commoners were hooked on the simplicity and elegance of the game. It is said that Mane Antoinette and Louis XVI played pool in their parlor as their fellow countrymen came to arrest them. Shakespeaze makes mention of the game in one of his plays, as did several writers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In the United States, presidents since the dawn of the republic have professed a passion for the game, from Washington and Jefferson up to the present administration. Today the sport of billiards is making great strides in bringing back the elegance and appeal of [hose eazlier times. The new wave of billiard clubs I are airy and well lit. In decor they run the gamut"from posh to yuppies, ( trendy to family style. f Each ambiance is focused to dispel the pool hall stereotype of days gone ~ by, and to attract a specific clientele. In today's pool clubs you are likely to find an executive discussing his portfolio on a cellular phone, a family ' enjoying quality time together, or a young couple on a date. Inclusion of cue sport's into the Olympic Games is a realistic goal. The International Olympic Committee has recognized cue sports as "true sports," and recognition by the`General Association of International Sports Federations is pending. 1987 began a new era for billiazds, and the improved image of the sport is effectively drawing new participants. Total Participation figures show billiards still ranks number three, behind bowling and basketball, with 46,886,000 Americans, over the age of six, who played at least once during 1994. Frequent Participants, playing 25 days or more, reached neazly 11 million in 1994, surpassing both bowling and basketball, and according to a study compiled by the < Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) billiards leads all other activities with an amazing 217.13'o increase in freouent participation since 1992. Core Players Participation, people who play 52 times a year or more, has grown to 4, 821,000. ' New Player Participation was equally as impressive, with 6,525,000 new players entering the sport last year, continuing a trend that has shown a 41.19'o increase in new players since 1987. The re-imaging period of billiards has lead to growth in the sport across the entire spectrum of social, economic, age and sex categories, indicating that the old stereotypes of the industry are gone, and that all segments of the public, including women and families, find the new ~ billiard clubs acceptable and desirable forums of social activity: Page 43