The start of a new year is a marvelous time. For most of us, it brings the dawning of new possibilities. New hope. For some, it’s the chance for a new start. A new attitude.For UMass Boston alum Paul Braude, the new year brought around a shot at $50,000. However, he wasn’t alone.
From January 1 to January 5, Braude and over 800 other participants gathered at The Flamingo in Las Vegas for the fifth annual World Series of Beer Pong. The participants played in teams of two for a chance at the largest pay out in beer pong history.
That’s right. In just five days these kids had a chance to make more than what an average kindergarten teacher makes in an entire year. And that’s WITHOUT having to chase around hyper 5 year olds all day. Yup, this is the country we live in.
For the first few days, it seemed like the rest of the field was chasing Braude and his partner, Richard Patchett. The duo got off to a quick start, finishing the preliminaries with a blistering 12-0 mark and a cup differential. However, losses to Doin’ Hella Much and eventual Champs Smashing Time ended their run. The duo still finished with an impressive 18-5 record that was good enough to tie them for 17th place.
Overall, Braude saw the trip as a positive.
“It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life,” he said. “It was competitive, fun, and worth every penny.”
Although he may have come up short in his bid for $50,000; the WSOBP only serves as a brick on Braude’s road to beer pong immortality. Besides multiple local tournaments here in Massachusetts, Braude also plans on representing Cape Cod at the Beasts of the East tournament in Philadelphia. Not to mention, going for a chance at $25,000 over the summer in Atlantic City.
No doubt Braude takes this game seriously. However, due to the simplicity of the game, many are quick to denounce beer pong as an actual sport. Braude strongly disagrees. “I play sports, and it’s between a game like basketball and tennis,” the former UMass Boston tennis star explained. “If you drink beer, it does clog your vision a bit. But that’s similar to pressure in any other sport. With beer pong, there’s more than meets the eye. It’s kind of like a transformer.”
He’s not lying either. What once started out as mere entertainment at parties is quickly transforming into an international phenomenon as more and more tournaments pop-up around the world.
“It’s a serious topic of discussion in the beer pong community,” Braude said. “These tournaments are breeding elite players from all over. However, with all these new threats, newer players begin to start avoiding these tournaments.”
However, no need to fear. The blossoming beer pong icon was quick to offer up his words of wisdom to these players.
“Just go out there and play,” he said. “Sure, skill is involved, but it’s also a lot of luck. Just practice and it will pay off, just like any other sport or competition.”
Well said. It’s just a pity Braude didn’t throw this much time and dedication into his education. Otherwise, who knows, we might just be sitting here discussing his discovery of the cure for cancer. Oh well.