More people, from more countries, and LOADS more unhinged fun!
Big things start small. Although Billy and Duncan had been conceptualizing a large-scale beer pong tournament since the beginning of BPONG.COM, plans for the first WSOBP were not set in motion until a small casino 80 miles outside Las Vegas contacted the two and proposed they run a “small beer pong tournament.”, which the casino –The Oasis– promised to help market and advertise. Alter scouting the venue, Billy and Duncan agreed that although it was not the ideal venue, it would be a great place to start.
Once the event grew and became a success (there was no question of “if”), the two reasoned that they could always relocate to a swankier Vegas venue. in a short time the name ‘World Series of Beer Pong’ was agreed upon. the date was set, handshakes were made with the casino, and the two flew back home to plan and orchestrate the details.
Fast forward to 1/1/2006. Semi~miraculously, the critical pieces of the tournament have fallen into place, including a front-page article in The New York Times Sunday edition, along with sponsorship from Playboy.com, who has agreed to send out a Playmate to cover the event. Online sign-ups have produced 81 teams,
enough to cover most expenses and the $10,000 prize. Both working full-time jobs. Billy and Duncan are fully appreciating the term ‘sleep deprivation’. The teams arrive that day and check in. Players from 22 US States and Canada are present. The first games of the first-ever national beer pong tournament are about to begin.
Gameplay begins at 10:00 AM. Six cups are used per side. Double-sinking on last cup equals victory with no redemption. The competition is fiercer than expected, but teams are civil. A reportar who came to slander the event as a drunk~fest cannot help but take note: These are not drunks, but competitors. The rules are fair. Disputes are minor and short-lived, and despite fears from elbow-rule proponents, the tallest players are not even remotely dominating the field. By the end of Day 1, three teams are undefeated. By Day 3, only one team has not lost a game: We Own Your Face.
On Day 3, the top 32 teams are entered into a double~eiimination bracket. The number-two ranked team. Ship it To Papa, suffers a staggering one-two loss and is out by the second round. We Own Your Face does not fare much better and is out by the fourth round. Team France. ranked 13th in preiims. goes on a tear, sending five teams to the ioser’s bracket before taking down Slippery Fetus in a riveting final round.
Organized beer pong was no longer a dream.
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