In 2008 New York Giants defensive end, Justin Tuck, and his wife, Lauran Tuck, launched a fundraising charity with the goal of providing reading materials to children in communities of New York, New Jersey and Alabama, encouraging them to read. Tuck’s R.U.S.H. for Literacy inspires children to Read, Understand, Succeed and Hope.

Since this program began, books have been delivered into the hands of as many as 10,000 children. As well, schools and homes have been the recipients of over 50,000 books. And as of June 2011 Tuck’s R.U.S.H. for Literacy has raised over $1 million. Most recently, Justin Tuck held a celebrity billiards tournament, continuing his efforts to raise funds and promote education for kids in America.

The statistics illustrate that a great percentage of children do not have access to books and that fewer children prioritize reading as they advance through school. Families, too, are shown to be an essential component in the success of children reading. Given these statistics, the importance of Tuck’s R.U.S.H. for Literacy campaign is evident.

Nowadays families can enjoy a number of activities that bring families closer together and promote physical fitness. Family members can find amusement in a game of pool, shooting darts and merely watching a favorite movie with homemade popcorn. Mental fitness, however, is as important as physical and emotional well-being. Reading exercises your brain and promotes mental fitness. This, too, gives your family something to share together as you talk about new ideas and challenge one another in trivia games that test your knowledge.

I applaud Justin Tuck’s efforts to raise our awareness of the importance of literacy, as well as his ongoing efforts to raise funds for children who do not have access to books. His endeavor is a reminder to all of us that sometimes the simplest activities are the most fun . . . and the most important.

Having a pool table in your home can be a great addition, but you need to make sure it will fit in your available space. The first thing to consider is that pool tables come in multiple sizes. A “regulation” pool table doesn’t have to be a specific size; it simply has to be twice as long as it is wide. The most common sizes for pool tables are:

7-foot table, which has a playing surface of 39″ x 78″

8-foot table, which has a playing surface of 44″ x 88″

8-foot oversized table, which has a playing surface of 46″ x 92″

9-foot table, which has a playing surface of 50″ x 100″

Of course, you need to have space for more than the pool table. You don’t want your friends putting pool sticks through walls and windows, so you need enough space around the pool table to make it possible to play the game.

Cues are 56 to 58 inches long, so you can roughly estimate that you’ll need five feet on each side of the pool table to have a proper play area. If you don’t have quite that much space ,there are other options, such as shorter cue sticks, but it’s often best to go with a small enough table to give you the play room you need.

Yet another option is knocking out a wall here and there in order to create the perfect game room, but that’s something you’ll have to talk over with your significant other. Whether you have a game room or just a room to spare, the most important thing to consider before purchasing your pool table is whether or not you have enough room to enjoy playing the game in the space you have. We can help you determine what type of table will work best for your space, and we’ll really listen to you and help you achieve your goals, not ours.

Average gas prices this summer are predicted to spike just in time for the travel season. While they won’t reach as high as last summer’s prices, which were upwards of $4 per gallon around most of the U.S., the gas prices are expected to hover between $3.53 and $3.88 per gallon.

Who wants to spend time on the road in the middle of the summer heat and construction, while also paying a hefty price for gas and hotels? If you’re looking for a getaway that costs less but doesn’t prevent your family from having fun, why not enjoy a staycation? A staycation can be an ideal way to spend your time off, especially if you have been trying to find a way to reconnect with your family.

The perfect staycation begins with disconnecting from your regular routine. You have to actually create a vacation-like environment. Don’t work, don’t answer the phone, and by all means, do not do laundry! Leave the bed unmade every morning, and pick things to do with your kids each day that make it feel like you’re away from home.

Spend time exploring your home town. Go to museums you normally overlook; spend time discovering the history where you live. Be sure to plan plenty of downtime. See a movie, play some foosball, and have some friends over for a backyard barbecue where you can enjoy a friendly game of outdoor table tennis.

If a home project is more your style, you can use your time off to create the perfect game room, filling it with all of your favorite game tables and accessories. Staycations can be a great alternative to a complicated out-of-town vacation. You can have just as much – if not more – fun and relaxation as you would on the road.

As children, we wanted to hide ourselves away in tree forts or playhouses. There we could be who we wanted to be without worrying about what others thought about us or wanted from us. As adults, we find that we outgrow the need for many childhood wonders. The need to hide ourselves away, however, is not one of them.

Be honest with yourself. You want to escape. Sometimes, you need to escape. Realistically, though, you can’t quite squeeze into that old tree fort nor make it fit your personality. But you can have a place of your own that you can use as a diversion or as an abode to gather friends for an afternoon or evening of recreation. You need a game room in which to play.

Your game room can be more than a tree fort. Make the room an extension of who you truly are and what you truly enjoy. You don’t need a video game console; you need a shuffleboard table. Perhaps you can include a pinball machine or a pool table. And don’t forget to decorate your game room with a neon sign or clock , perhaps some art work and comfortable furniture. Maybe even celebrate summer and extend your play outdoors with the beautiful NEW Extera outdoor pool table from Playcraft.

We have to grow up, but we do not have to grow so old that we can’t hide away and play. You can create the perfect game room that reflects who you are and who you want to be. When you need to escape, take a time out in your new and improved tree fort. Then invite your closest friends and family and have fun.

Let’s be honest. We want you to come visit our site and find that perfect addition to your game room. That is, of course, why we are here and why we are constantly working to keep our offerings fresh. What we don’t ever forget, though, is that you, the customer, ultimately decides if your pre-sale needs are being met.

We know that your decision to purchase (or not) is out of our hands. All we can do is listen well, provide recommendations, listen well again and inform. Once you have all of the information that you are looking for, you will be able to reach a decision – and we think it has more to do with trust than with anything else.

This way of doing business seems obvious, and on some levels it is. Certainly it is simple enough, but it is really not a dominant philosophy in this industry. There is a lot of product pushing, where the wrong pieces are suggested as a means to meet a retailer’s goals, as opposed to your goals. This is sometimes followed by post-sales issues, dodged phone calls and mounting disappointment.

We know that we need to price competitively, so we do. But we also believe that you need to feel confident with the retailer with whom you choose to do business. To help you feel confident in what we have to offer, we suggest that you give us a call and ask us your questions. We are anxious to demonstrate our difference.

We think we are different. In fact we know we are different. Give us a call. A person will answer the phone. During business hours you will speak with one of our staff – a person who has years of experience within the game room product line. They know the products, they know the shipping challenges, and listening is their first priority. After hours, an answering service will take your call. Again, these are real people – not recordings. They will do their best to help, but if they cannot, they will send us a message so we can respond.

What does this mean for you? It means that we are your resource. You will receive sound guidance from seasoned professionals who have seen thousands of installations and have a pretty good idea of the challenges that you might face. They can help you understand product differentiation that is potentially unclear. And they all know that it all starts with listening.

So give us a call. Let us know what your challenges are and how we can help. We will listen.

Your children probably cannot conceive of a world in which they cannot connect to friends through social media platforms. The relationships they build and the games that they play are filtered through wireless technology. Many (if not most) of us begin our day by connecting to check email, send IMs or post tweets. Some of us never log off or disconnect. Ironically, because of technology, we can become less connected.

Technology is forcing us to communicate, work and play faster, and while technology tends to make our lives easier in many respects, it also robs us of a simplicity that was once commonplace.

Some of us have forgotten that before iPods, there were jukeboxes. Before video games, there was foosball. Before social media, we socialized while playing pool or shuffleboard. Instead of exploring the vastness of the World Wide Web, we explored the expanse of the great outdoors. We have, at times, replaced meaningful relationships with digital connections. For everything we have gained, we have also given something up.

You can get back what you have lost.

Rekindle relationships with your family and friends by disconnecting for a spell and enjoying some family fun. Board games are becoming popular again. Tournaments are held for pool, table tennis and a variety of other activities that force you to unplug from the Internet. Social media is a wonderful tool that is opening many doors and helping us connect with others. But you don’t have to stop being social and sacrifice those connections that are closest to you and closest to home.

Olhausen Games has introduced a new series of licensed game tables. There is Air Hockey, Foosball, Shuffleboard and Pool Tables. These are all available subtedly featuring your favorite NHL or NCAAteam. Check them out using the proceeding links.

I started at 6am this morning. Basically it is all done except I need to install the top cap, height marker and I want the padding to “relax” before Icomplete fitting it. I have a completed picture except tools are still scattered about. I left a note for my son to clean up because i had to get to work. Tonight I will post fresh pics of what the whole install looks like.

It all went very smoothly exactly according to the instructions except in retrospect I learned the following:

1) If you are going to pour cenet, move all of your components VERY far away from the pour. it splashes a lot and got on my components. I washed them off but there are still residual traces.

2) I was able to mount the glass backboard “myself:” as long as my wife pushed and stabilized from underneath.

3) When mounting the glass on the frame, keep the bolts lose. The holes in the glass are protected by silicone gaskets that move around and potentially occlude the hole. It is easier to adjust if the glass is slightly lose ( although secure ! ) and tighten completely AFTER the goal is installed.

4) to put the goal up, start with ONE screw in the top slot. secure with washer, lock washer and nut. Go get the next set and then secure the other top slot ( instructions say to install both bolts in goal before lifting to mount. my way is better).

5) I almost put the top cap on the post before i lifted it into place but i was sure there must be a reason that the instructions called for it last when it was obviously going to be so much more difficult. I figured I was going to need to get my hand in there for a step that was not obvious to me. Actually – NO ! Put the top cap on BEFORE you lift the post. It would have been way easier.

I can see the finish line. The concrete was poured today. Best money we ever spent. No mixing, no questiobnable concrete quality and very easy. Driver was the owner of teh company and trowled it when done. We drew a chalk line from the foundation and measured to the bolts to make sure the backboard would be parallel to the court. Check out the pictures

The system was delivered yesterday. Typical for R and L trucking, the boxes arrived busted and open. I looked over everything as carefully as I could and then signed the bill of lading with a detailed exception about the box condition, possible missing parts and possible damage.

The driver was a really nice guy and I gave him our old portable hoop. It worked out great for him and for us. After he left I started to get to work on emptying the boxes and sorting through the components. Wouldn’t you know that the one thing I was really keen on – the template for the bolts in the base – was missing. I called First Team and by my description they were pretty sure it fell out in transit. They told me I could make one out of plywood or they could send one overnight. My pour is scheduled for 10 am the next day so overnight was not going to work. Quick call to Rand L and they said they would look and IF they find it they will bring it over. Not good enough – I need to know one way or the other. I call the specific dispatcher and get him to agree to call me after he talks to the driver. Net result is they do not have the template and I am off to the depot to get some plywood cut. I need a 12″ x 12″ square and inside I will drill 9″ x 9″ on center. I do this by making diagonal marks to identify the center and then drop down1.5″ from each end where it intersects the line. I then drill a 5/8″ hole with a speed bore.

Above is a picture of the assembled template with the bolts installed ( facing in ) . I then assembled the base so I could test my template before the pour and the end of any opportunity to make changes. The great news i that it fits perfectly.