World Series of Beer Pong

It looks like Aaron is eating a sandwich. His Mom packed him a cooler with all types of lunch meats, cheese and the various condiments that we would need for delicious sandwiches. This was his way of preparing for the excitement that would follow during today's play.

The tournament took place inside of the convention center, which was just big enough for the 16 tables and all of the participants. The nice thing was that our room was about halfway between the convention center and the casino, something that would come into play more later on when we needed to regain our edge. For those of you new to the sport, some players find it easier to play when they have already consumed a few beers, and believe that their performance increases the drunker they get. For seasoned veterans like myself and Balkman (pictured) I can understand this because we've gone though the shooting motion so many times that it becomes easier to turn off our brains and just let the muscles take over and work based upon repetitive motions. That is why pre-game, game, and post-game drinking is very important.

Knowing that I would have the jitters going into the 1st day of play, I needed to start off the day right - with a beer in hand. And not only a beer, but Milwaukee's own Miller Lite, also something that would come into play as the tournament went on. As you can see from the flags displayed below, the beer was provided by it's beer sponsor, obviously the retched company known as Coors. Drinking the Coors Light made me yearn for Miller Lite, so I went back to the room often for a cool refreshing beverage that has great taste and it less filling.

This was everyone else's idea of getting ready for the day's events. You might be wondering why I am not doing shots with my buddies, and that's because me and shots just get along any more. We had a big fight in college, and we haven't spoken since then.

They announced that there would be a delay in the start of the tournament for undisclosed reasons. I think it was because they were not ready. They probably encountered some unforeseen circumstances. This was the 1st WSoBP after all, there's bound to be a few glitches. Knowing that, I went to the casino dressed as a pirate to play the pirate penny slot machines. Ge-arrrr Matey! I won me some booty!

Chris and I were in the 2nd division, so we played 1st (divisions 1 +2 played at the same time.) We didn't know what to expect, so we just went into the game expecting to lose. Since we didn't want to lose, we brought our "A" games to the table.

Everyone who wasn't playing was eager to check out the competition, hence the countless bodies hovering around the beer pong area. They also learned early on that it would be necessary to support your "team mates" (those traveling with you from your home city) and to assist your team in psyching out the opposition. But no one could prepare for the onslaught that team Milwaukee brought with them.

Chris and I were the 1st Milwaukee Team to play in the tournament, so we had a lot pressure upon us to do well. Thankfully Chris and I don't fold under pressure because we beat the Sloshballers from Pacifica, CA in 9 shots, making the last 4 shots in a row. We dominated the other team, beating them by 4 cups and being the 1st team to record a victory. I also was the 1st person to hit a kill shot in the WSoBP. That's two things that I'll never be formally recognized for but will carry with me throughout my days. Our opponents were impressed with our performance, as were several people around us including writers from Toro Magazine (a Canadian publication) and Playboy.