Recently, Susan Bonifant of the Washington Post wrote a piece on her first experience playing beer pong with her college junior son on a North Carolina campus during a “snowpocalypse” party, of which, cancelled all classes.
Without knowing it, Susan perfectly outlined so many details of what makes the sport of professional pong and the beer pong community such an incredible and unique family to be a part of.
A revelation took place within Susan in regards to her perspective on what it means to be “old”. This phenomenon is not a new concept for us here at BPONG.COM. Fortunately, for us and some of our players/organizers, we’ve got the pleasure to watch this exact scenario play out at various tournaments across the country, including at The World Series of Beer Pong itself!
An extremely rare feature within the sports world that professional pong can proudly claim is that player participation limitations are ageless. Meaning, the physical demand that eventually claims the ability it takes to play most any competitive sport does not exist within “beer” pong. Hence, how an individual that may view themselves as “old” can experience the adrenaline rush that drives a youthful competitive spirit.
Whether this experience is a revival of a former athlete or a brand new emotional high for someone who has never had the opportunity to feel the satisfaction of conquering another team in any sort of organized competitive fashion, beer pong can be a fun rush. The thirst that’s quenched after being able to feel that competitive spirit many had no choice but to leave in their high school/college locker is often so fulfilling. It’s difficult to not be able to blatantly see the youthful joy on a player’s face.
The thrill of learning, growing, and succeeding in new experiences is more commonly prevalent in any particular individuals youth versus the years spent rhythmically succeeding within the niche career they’ve chosen. Beer pong has proven, time and again, to disrupt that rhythm for pre-millennial generations. It provides a unique platform to connect with later generations, often stemming from one’s own children getting their first opportunity to teach their parents something, as was the case with Susan.
Though professional beer pong tournaments tend to be competitive, success is enjoyed and measured on many different levels that make the game enjoyable for all ages, regardless of where you ultimately place in any given tournament. For the mother competing in her first game with her son surrounded by a flock of his closest bros at a “snowpocalypse” party, a single made shot seemingly fields a similar reaction to a rowdy group of friends watching their buddy cash in on a $50,000 check after finally taking down that World Series of Beer Pong title, after nearly a decade of efforts.
So, in our opinion, and as Susan has discovered, you are never too old to play a little beer pong.
_On a Side Note_
Susan also obliviously provided us here in the pong big leagues a quality scouting report of how our future stars are developing on college campuses across the country! Look at you guys being all responsible and using water in your game cups. (Please, always drink responsibly.)
You guys were also giving parents tips on following through using your wrist!! Looks like the young guns have ditched the heave and are figuring out some shot mechanics before gracing a BPONG table at an official tournament; impressive, gentlemen.
Your mother was just one small detail away from filling me with so much pride that I would have been so overwhelmed, I likely would have had to hop a flight to North Carolina and personally ran a WSOBP XI. Satellite tournament myself for that campus!
Leaving me only one final piece of advice for her if she ever does enter the professional circuit – lean or get leaned on, Susan.