Got pong skills?
0 comments
Water pong?
Water pong?!?
That doesn’t sound like a fun game, you might be saying.
Au contraire, my thirsty friend.
Played like beer pong only with water in the cups instead of beer, there are two important reasons why this game can be a worthwhile way to pass your time while out at an area bar:
1. You’ll be competing in a tournament, with an official bracket and everything, and the winners get cool prizes.
2. Even though there’s water in your cup, you can still have a beer (or two) in your hand!
BAS Broadcasting and Maple City Ice are hosting a pong tournament at area bars that culminates with the finals in September. (They actually call it a beer pong tournament even though you play with water — I’m the one who came up with the term “water pong,” so I hope they’re not too mad about that.)
The next leg of the tourney will be Aug. 1 at I-5’s in Huron.
“People are having a blast,” said Doug Pearson of BAS Broadcasting. “A lot of people who don’t even really know the game are playing and finding out you can have a lot of fun with it -- even though you’re only playing with water.”
Pearson said the tournaments use cups filled with water instead of beer because it’s illegal in Ohio to play the game in bars using beer.
But (and Pearson didn’t say this -- I did) there’s nothing illegal about taking a drink of beer for every drink of water you consume, if you really want to get the full effect of the game. The only downside is you’ll have to go to the bathroom even more often than you normally do when you’re out at the bar. But on the plus side, drinking water helps reduce the effects of a hangover.
After the Aug. 1 tournament, the next two scheduled events are Aug. 15 at Rick’s Downtown Pub on Madison Street in Port Clinton, and Sept. 5 at Shelluke’s in Port Clinton.
“We’d kind of like for teams to pre-register so we can set up brackets beforehand,” Pearson said. “That’d be the ideal situation, but it seems like everyone has just been signing up the night of an event.”
To pre-register, contact the bar where the tournament is taking place. The cost is $10 per team (of two people).
The finals are tentatively set for Sept. 12 at Mr. Ed’s in Port Clinton, Pearson said, but that location isn’t set in stone.
The winners of the whole shindig will walk away with a Budweiser prize pack and a beer pong table from Liquid Games Online valued at $400.
“It’s a pretty sweet table,” Pearson said.
He’s not lying — I just checked out the pictures online, and the tables look well worth owning. You can see them at www.liquidgamesonline.com.
So what are you waiting for? Put down the paper and start practicing.
Beer pong tips
* Always aim for one specific cup. If there are a lot of cups on the table, choose a cup in the middle so you might get lucky and hit a different cup. But getting in the habit of aiming for one cup every time will help you significantly once you’re down to your final cup or two on the table. * Just like you’re shooting free throws, get a routine down. You don’t want to rush your throws, but you don’t want to wait too long before them either. It’s best to get into a nice rhythm. Maybe bounce the ball once, cock your arm a couple of times and let it rip. Whatever works for you. * Save the trash talking for after the game is won. Beer pong can turn on you quickly, so even if you have a huge lead, don’t start the name-calling until you sink that final shot. (Once you do that, of course, you should let loose with the insults. I like rhymes: “You’re so bad at pong, it’s just wrong. You don’t belong. Oh, and I can your pink thong, you stupid ding-dong.”) * Drink responsibly, get a ride home and have a good time.