University of Wyoming students John Creel and Neil Beuberger traveled to Las Vegas during the winter break to take part in the World Series of Beer Pong. Nearly 600 teams from around the world, including Holland and Australia, competed for a $50,000 prize. (Photo: Jacek Bogucki)
Two students from University of Wyoming made their way to Las Vegas to compete from Jan. 2 to 5. John Creel and Neil Neuberger played six games a day against different teams. There were about 600 teams in attendance.
“The tournament was not what I was expecting at all. There were teams from all over the world. We both met teams from Holland and Australia, just to name a few,” Creel said.
There were beer pong clubs from around the country that would bring up to 16 people to compete, Creel said.
Creel first heard about the tournament from a documentary titled, “Last Cup.” The two decided after that to make the trip.
“We were both in our last year of college and it seemed like now or never. We both assumed that as we started careers, our skill level would only decrease,” Creel said.
After embarking on their adventure to Las Vegas, the two finally realized how much competition there was going to be.
“There was a lot of diversity as far as play styles and attitudes were concerned. I met some of the nicest, laid-back players I have ever seen and some of the rudest as well,” Creel said.
Aside from the rotten attitudes of some teams, the rules are different from what most consider standard.
“The rules are drastically different from what most people play in Wyoming,” Creel said. “For instance, you can lean as far over the table as you want and cups are pulled immediately after a cup is made. Another major difference is that the cups are much smaller than standard solo cups and the WSOBP balls are larger than normal ping-pong balls.”
Through all the different obstacles, the team ended up finishing with an even number of wins and loses.
“We were pretty nervous the first day and didn’t do as well as we would have hoped but we picked it up the second day and ended up with an even record of 6 and 6,” Creel said.
“I am extremely pleased at how we played. We were playing the best in the world and I think we held our own.”
