http://www.cracked.com/article_17324_6-people-who-made-living-playing-retarded-sports.html
Bpong ranking in at number 6.
It’s so simple but it’s where the championship is going to take place.
Check this out for information on the game and other articles written on the “sport”/ “game”
Beginning the feature article captured my attention immediately because being a resident of Montreal I know the roads as well… they’re terrible and full of pot holes. What I enjoyed was the article went from a general image and then narrowed down to the specifics of corrupted politicians and construction companies. The article kept the same idea from beginning to end and made me want to read more with all the facts and properly placed quotes. It was almost as if I was reading a news article, very well structured. I think the direction of the article was straightforward… the potholes are bad but the politicians and corruption is even worse. One of my favorite parts of the article is when the comparison is made between the restaurants:
“The firms hike up prices and accept to use the extra money on gifts and vacations instead of improving the quality of Quebec infrastructure. Montrealers are now being forced to pay so much more for construction in their city but are not getting better quality services. This is would be like if you went to a fancy restaurant and paid for a 50$ meal and received just a trio from McDonalds.”
Even if you have no idea about the topic, this can give a mental image to relate on the situation. This is why I chuckled when reading, it was humorous and true.
When I read the article I almost put myself in a court room setting or as if I was watching you report the situation over the news, which was creative and I’m not sure if it was meant to be like that; however, it comes off strong and easy to follow. My only suggestion is just read the article out loud a couple of times and possibly re think the sentence structure for certain sentences. Perhaps you will get an even better read after doing this multiple times.
Overall, The article is well written, the introduction leads you straight into what the topic is about; corruption in the construction. With your Intro leading into powerful content perhaps closing the article on stronger words and something to think about for the reader would be amazing. Leave an image on the readers mind and make them think of your article the next time they are driving.
Great article,
-Cod Robert Ryan
Part II:
Every year there is a game played for $50,000 in Las Vegas, Nevada called Beer Pong. We’ve all played it or have heard of the game; however, never would one think to consider this game at a world championship level. With over 500 teams from across the world competing for the grand prize last year, the event has been exponential in growth.
Part IV:
What’s the first thing you would do with $100,000? Imagine, winning the World Series of Beer Pong. Yes, Beer Pong. The fraternity developed party game has evolved from binge drinking, to competitive sport like events. Do you think you can drink your way to the grand prize?
Part VI: Titles
1. Memoirs of a Future Champion
2. The Road to the World Series… of Beer Pong. *
3. Fill up my cup… I Have Another Story.
4. It’s Not Gambling if You Always Win… *
5. The Experiences of a Drunk Champion (* Defs not )
6. Beer Pong… No Expenses.
7. Welcome to the Good Life.
8. Hometown Hero to World Champion
9. Champion
10. The Master of Beer Pong * ( Leading up to the Masters of Beer Pong)
Part VII:
1. It began as a drinking/ ( party) game.
2. Everyone is good at something.
3.
It was my first major tournament game and I was nervous as hell. Driving for nine and a half hours in a 97 Honda civic from Montreal, Quebec to Atlantic City, New Jersey was a long trip… Sleeping outside the Golden Nugget Casino to wait for my room was even longer. The anticipation and anxiety started to kick in as I lay in my car around 1:37 am on the Thursday night in late June. The 21st of June to be exact. So eager to arrive in New Jersey at the main event for $20,000 I was not expecting to have to sleep in my car overnight with my Tournament partner Dylan Boisvert; who is 6,3″ 235 lbs. With a stiff back, myself being 6,2″ in the front seat of my small Honda Civic it wasn’t the best situation for competitors in the countries largest tournament on the East Coast. As I lay there visualizing the ball room and my first game tomorrow I panic. I’ve never played in a competition so big, and doing my research months before I felt the anxiety of having to play with the best in the world. These were World champions… this was the big league. With all the stress taking over and my partner comfortably asleep next to me I had to just go for a walk and clear my mind. I pretended it was a vacation rather than a tournament. I went sight seeing at 2:00 am in the ghetto of New Jersey and it wasn’t pleasant; the drug free zones were not drug free zones and the episodes of Fox’s television show Cops was nothing compared to the reality of these places. It was terrifying. Let’s just say I wasn’t focused on putting a ball into a cup anymore. Waking up to a scorching 40 degrees in a baked sewer smelling Honda Civic, I was ready to go check into my room at the Golden Nugget. I was 20 years old at this time so the look that I received upon checking into the Golden nugget hotel alone without an adult was pretty funny… it made me more comfortable in a weird way. Without realizing how amazing the offer my tournament package was I waited patiently for my room card at the lobby desk. The gentleman working behind the desk realized my Quebec driver license and immediately started asking about Canada and the weather… of course our penguins and polar bears and not to mention the stereotypical igloo for homes. I laughed, I was at ease and just happy to be in the Golden Nugget checking in. The sound of slot machines and gambling chips filled the atrium of the building. It was Las Vegas… Only in Jersey. I had never experienced a Casino even in Montreal where I was considered legal (18+ in Canada). I somewhat forgot that I was underage with all the easy access I was granted for my room then the invitation to the VIP pool party on the top of the building. As I got my card key for the room I headed upstairs and noticed a group of people walking through the Olympic sized golden doors. I stopped and stared to notice a ton of the previous world champions as they walked in confidently as if they were kings. I wanted autographs at that time, I wanted to meet them and greet them I was so overwhelmed. Having the card key was already a big deal so I continued to my room. It was unimaginable. 27th floor with a window view over the beach and Ocean. It was practically a penthouse suite. Two king sized beds and nothing but perfection…I’ve stayed in hotels before but I now understood why it was called the Golden Nugget. Later finding out my room was worth $1,317 a night I almost fainted. I had only payed $250 to enter this tournament… just being in the building was a vacation technically so I began to ease up. The pool party is where the tournament really began. I thought Friday would have been day 1 of the event; however, it was the Saturday that kicked off the preliminary round of the tournament. Friday was the first day to party and it kicked off with a VIP pool party. I was in paradise. No one tempted to check my ID nor did they question me when buying alcohol. In fact, one of the hostess’s was my age. She was a gorgeous Jersey girl trying to make a living with her new Bar maid position. Myself using the Canada charm asked her for a tour around the city… the trip just started and it had already been the best summer of my life. At this moment in time, the tournament wasn’t even a concern. There were 500 people in bathing suits, beautiful women from around the world but mainly the U.S, floating beer pong tables in the pool, and fun surrounding every corner of the pool. After charming the bar maid Jen I was then interviewed from the World Pong Tour Divas. Being one of the first Canadian’s on the tour I was an attraction. There had been a lot of talk of a “Canadian Kid” coming to New Jersey to compete and I was him. The tournament was then the priority… the partying and fun was forgotten. I went to my room after that interview feeling like I had the world on my shoulders. With all the stress and expectations of doing well as a Canadian I began to panic. I tried to let it go and have a good time so I went back to the pool party after taking a shower and just relaxing. I stayed awake the entire night until 10:00 am… my first tournament game. The bracket I was placed in had no familiar names so I felt confident… still nervous and shaking, the tiny plastic ball felt heavier than a basketball. I took the first shot. Even though I showed no fear on the outside, I was terrified. Before taking the shot I looked around the ballroom. There was 50,000 square feet, 150 beer pong tables, and 1100 people there to do the same thing I planned on doing: winning the $20,000.
Dear Robert,
As I was rushing for the next bus from Penn Station in New York I couldn’t help to realize the amount of people running around like chickens in a coupe. It was a jungle, nothing was organized and to be honest I felt threatened from the species circling around and waiting as time passed by. There was never one second of freedom in this concrete asylum. Constant honking drowned the overwhelming voices of every individual preaching into their cell phones. The smell was dusty. Every breath seemed as if I we’re on a construction site. As each person walked on by I would get the constant whiff of coffee or bagels. I tasted the air and it was not refreshing. I imagined the trip to be a fresh of breath air but it’s actually a reality trip. The bus station is like dreams because we constantly chase something that is in front of us the entire time; it just takes one step to get on the bus and chase it.
Your friend,
Cody Robert Ryan
Proposal
Part I
Program: General Social Science
The tools required to become an entrepreneur in a constantly developing society.
Topic: Beer Pong
A party game that has evolved from binge drinking teens into competitive International competition.
Or
Beer Pong is the urban revolutionized game of the 21st century that will replace darts, pool, and bowling.
Beer pong began as a binge drinking party game that involves throwing a plastic ball into a plastic cup filled with alcohol. Without a doubt, every party has their local beer pong hero that claims to be the greatest of all time. This is where the feature article becomes interesting. Whether you’re male or female, twenty or forty years of age, or just feel like partying… The World Series of Beer Pong (WSOBP) is where you want to be. It’s the biggest competition in Beer Pong with a 1st prize of $50,000.00 US. Although it seems ridiculous to imagine, it is something to look forward too every year for anyone who has ever played the game. The people who attend such events are not you’re average college buddies. In fact, they’re lawyers, doctors, and teachers… they’re normal human beings looking to have fun and compete for the top prize. The article would be interesting to a general audience because eventually everyone will come across beer pong in their life. Some may never hear of the WSOBP but that is why this article will be such a great read. Being an active player in the community and the game along with being a host here in Canada I don’t feel any restraints holding me back on information or even interviews. I believe that the feature article would be considered a “big idea,” due to the sense that it would be delivering such a big amount of information on a concept that nobody thought would be possible. The article will relate to my field of study ( Social Science) because as a host and a competitor I am able to use the tools given to me such as business, economics, psychology, and all my core components such as English and history. As a host you need to know all the business aspects of running a tournament and the psychology of pleasing people.
After completing part II of the proposal, I’ve come to conclusion that one difficulty I’ll come across is discovering that there are no scholarly articles on Beer Pong. I used the databases of Dawson College and used more articles from “prestige” magazines such as Time.
Part II
All In The Head:
Lehman, Garrett. “All In The Head.” Pong Stars.net! N.p., 26 Feb. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. <http://www.pongstars.net/index.php/site/entry/all_in_the_head/>.
This article defines the differences between amateurs, semi-pro, and professional beer pong players. It’s the first of it’s kind and the debate has been going since the birth of the game. Who ranks where and why do they rank? This article gives the idea of where the individual player will rank by winning mid major($5,000.00) tournaments and the difference between other various competitions. I plan on using this source as a build up for the reader. With these notes I’ll be able to use the source as a mind shocker for when the reader recalls their first beer pong experience. I do not disagree entirely with the author; however, I do believe that the author is very subjective to the “Elite” players as he states in the article. Basically, he is separating the individuals who just won titles rather than giving the credit that should be given to players who do compete and rank every year very highly. This source will help me prove to the reader that there is an entire sport/ competition based upon the game they believe is a beer chugging experience.
Everything you’ve read about the history of beer pong is bullshit:
Barnes, Jeff. “Everything You’ve Read about the History of Beer Pong Is Bullshit.” BPONG. N.p., 23 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. <http://www.bpong.com/2012/12/everything-youve-read-about-the-history-of-beer-pong-is-bullshit/>.
The biggest organized tournament in the world is currently held in Las Vegas, Nevada for $50,000. They are the “big dogs” of this up and coming sport. Every year on January 1st the competition starts for a 3 day party. The Tournament ends on the 5th of January and they aren’t satisfied with what they read when they do the research on the game they claim to own. Even before the big prizes and parties held in Vegas every year, beer pong was played and dates back to the 50’s on east coast campuses across America. Long story short, Jeff Barnes, the author of the article doesn’t agree with the research he has done. I myself disagree with the information I have found too. I do agree with this article completely, in the sense that as long as beer pong is played it really doesn’t matter which rules you play with… it’s the fun of the game. What the WSOBP is trying to do is just simplify the game. They want world wide rules that every can just fairly adjust too, this is the mission of the WSOBP. I plan on using these notes to express the game itself and a little bit of the history. Recently, I’ve been encountered with many angry people claiming that I myself am an “elite” or “pro”. Being banned from local tournaments and out of state tournaments is not my idea of fun… In fact it sucks. This article will show that no matter what level of player you are or where you play the main point of beer pong is to have fun!
Beer Pong’s big splash:
Keegan, Rebecca Winters, and Meaghan Haire. “Beer Pong’s Big Splash.” Time172.7 (2008): 46-47. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.
The big splash is an important article to my feature article. There is information on the social aspect of beer pong, the playing of the game and the events, and the marketing aspect of beer pong. The article leans towards the financial aspect of the game called “beer pong”. Like any other sport or pool hall game, it has to start somewhere. When people, especially business investors, they see such a high chance of success that they jump right into sponsors and other finances. I’m going to take the marketing aspect of the article and use it in my feature article. This article will help push my article that beer pong is more than a game… it’s a lifestyle.
Part III:
The topic of Beer Pong is becoming mainstream and being a “ranked” competitor I am able to interview top players from around the world. Someone of interest would be the peoples champ Michael Popielarski. With an astonishing history in the world of beer pong such as two time winning world series champion back to back years and hundreds of other championships he would be the man to talk too. Not only is he an astonishing player of the game, he lives the life through beer pong and talks when needed. With a history like Pop’s, who wouldn’t listen to the man when something is wrong about a tournament or situation. Christopher Baker, the finalist in one of the most memorable World Series of Beer Pong ever! World Series 3 was a remarkable event to remember when finalist (not winner) lost to the other team in a major upset. Baker also has an amazing history in the world of beer pong with numerous final table appearances; however, never a winner of any majors. Baker would be a great person to interview and would not be difficult since I will be playing side by side with him in the future. There are tons of people I can interview without any difficulties:
Billy Gaines: The Founder/ creator of the WSOBP
Reed Allen Slobusky: A new face in the world of beer pong and game changer in growing the sport. A member of the WSOBP team.
Brandon Marx: The West Coast organizer, Pongstars.net and business expert in the game of beer pong.
Although these names may not seem familiar to the reader right now, as soon as these names are entered they are not hard to spot out.
Beer Pong events are local and everywhere in Montreal. As the game grows so does the competition. Experiencing the environment and getting people’s ideas and thoughts down just from being a player in a tournament is a great way to gain experience. For my feature article, I will be able to use the experience from the weekly tournaments I hold and be able to use out of town tournaments as research for the article. For instance, March 14th is an out of town tournament in St Jean de Richelieu. I’ll be able to keep the article in mind throughout the night and just experience beer pong.
Beer Pong is the urban revolutionized game of the 21st century that will replace darts, pool, and bowling.
It started out in a basement, backyard or some hidden location of a fraternity house. Every party eventually leads to it and every hometown hero claims to have their respects heard with bragging rights at the end of every match. Eventually as all seeds do, they grow. The game took off and people starting competing for competitive prizes such as $50,000 1st place in Las Vegas Nevada or Montreal’s own mid major at Pong Madness 8 for $2,500 on January 26th, 2013. Who would of thought a plastic ball throwing and beer chugging game would have such an impact on anyone or anything? Well, what I’ve noticed is this… darts, bowling, and pool had to start somewhere along with ever other sport or game… It’s only a matter of time before this evolves. For the past two years I planted a seed of pong here in Montreal and slowly i’m branching out across Canada/ North America. It’s all about the risk, time, and hard work. Who would’ve thought right?
Cody Ryan 