Greylady Beer Pong

May 29, 2004
(Nantucket, MA)
Another practice session for the Philly tourney yields mixed results.

Greylady Beer Pong
On a sunny memorial day weekend, Wildman Bill hosted a Nantucket Island pongfest with Piyum "Sukhenda" Samaraweera and Shibley "The Rookie" Shibley of Shibley Productions. Other players noted as part of this round robin rotation included the ladies of the house - Lynn, Lisa and Chris.

Pong Paddles of Choice
Finding and playing with a Pong paddle of choice is half of the amusement of playing (and watching) beer pong. Piyum amused the crowd as he played with the lid of a cooking pan. Everytime Piyum hit the pan we heard a curious high pitched "ping" sound. Later, Piyum switched to the wooden cornershelf piece known as the infamous "RamRod" paddle. Unfortunately, these paddle roattions may have hurt Piyum's performance as he struggled to live up to his historical reputation. Shibley "The Rookie" Shibley found an extended wooden shingle paddle that worked well for him until it broke in two later in the match.

Suntan Lotion anyone?
It must be a difficult thing when the only three tough things about playing beer pong in the sun on Nantucket are: 1) Fetching the balls, 2) Getting more Coronas to fill up the beers and 3) Putting on suntan lotion. Unfortunately, the intense sun (and heavy wind) caused the crowd to get a bit sunburned. As a footnote, professional pong player should remember to bring suntan lotion to all outdoor summer pong matches.

Wildman Stunned Early...
What may have been a stunning opener for the heavyweight favorite, Wildman Bill was rocked early by the Rookie, Shibley Shibley. After a first set of Volleys to start off the tourney, Wildman casually plunked Piyum (formerly "Sink Master") to start off the rotation. But then it was Wildman himself who would struggle against Shibley the rookie. Wildman underestimated his opponent as he knew that Shibley's collegiate stomping grounds lacked the any participation (or knowledge of) the game of Beer Pong. Within 10 minutes, Shibley productions pulled out the quick arc sink and the crowd roared for the underdog.

"I am an Athlete!"
Shibley seemed to manhandle the competition quickly, but not quietly. Challenger Lisa S. stepped up to the table, unfamiliar with Beer Pong, but only recalling "Beirut" from her college days was easily downed by Mr. Shibley. In the process, Shibley apparently gained alcohol momentum and confidence (or cockiness) claiming that not only was he a beer pong champ, but in this sport he was also "an athlete." His beer pong athletics proved to lack a touch finesse as Shibley productions knocked over his own beer three times. This costly error had a less than sobering effect on his game. Next up to the table was rival (and better half) Lynn S. who stepped up to the challenge to sink her hubby to the crowd's delight.

Island Pong Scoreboard
After several round robin games, Wildman eventually resurfaced as the victorious champ in Beer Pong, but only after being scathed. Nantucket rules are a bit different than traditional Beta rules. A hit on the cup (without a save) = a point, a sink = 5 points (without throwbacks) game to 5. Throwbacks negate any points and sinks or hits on the serve = negative points. Knockovers were noted as well as number of throwbacks in this match-up. With less than a week left, Wildman Bill needs to really step up the momentum and pressure with a distracting pong paddle and solid skills to have any chance of walking home with the Philly tourney.

Greylady Final Pong Scores: