Business & Tech

'Beer' Pong Champion Vies for $10K Prize

Morristown resident, Vince Catizone, considered one of the best players in the world.

What's the value of beer pong without the beer? About $25,000, apparently.

That's what Vince Catizone, a Windmill Pond resident and manager of on Morris Street, won earlier this year when he competed in the World Pong Tour Atlantic City Championship at Resorts Casino Hotel.

Note the name: Pong Tour. According to Sam Pines, founder of the World Pong Tour, the point of the event was its competition, not for getting drunk.

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"I saw a game everyone loved and played; it was a social event," the 28-year-old from Westchester, N.Y., said. "I thought it could be a sport."

Of course, what is more commonly-referred to as "beer pong" has long been an activity reserved for alcohol-fueled college parties. The game typically is played on a long table, where cups on each side are partially filled with beer. Your opponent throws their ping-pong balls into your cups. If he hits the target, you drink. If you hit his target, he drinks, until one side's cups are drained, and you're likely buzzed.

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No wonder it has long been a popular college event.

It was during his time at Rutgers University that Catizone, 27, got his first taste of beer pong. He also found he was good enough to make it interesting–as in financially interesting.

After winning some regional beer pong tournaments, Catizone found the World Pong Tour online and decided to give it a shot. His victories have netted him money, trips and a lot of recognition.

But, none were so big as the $25,000 prize he and his partner took home in June.

And, all the ping-pong balls ever touched was water.

"We're all about the social aspect of the game," Pines said, noting there is no beer in the cups, but bars tend to offer specials to competitors during the event weekends. "You can drink on the side, but it's not about the drinking, it's about the competition."

Since no beer is used in the competitions, participants 18 and over are welcome to compete. "It's basically beer pong with water," Pines said. "We have a lot of people who come that don't even drink beer."

From Nov. 18-20, Catizone and about 200 other participants from the East Coast are expected to descend upon Atlantic City once again, this time for a $10,000 purse in the U.S. Pong Open.

Catizone is clearly ready to compete, having spent most of his life competing in one event or another, from soccer, to basketball, to kickball with . "I'm very competitive," he said. "You have to be, especially in the World Pong Tour, or you'll be walked all over."

"Vince is one of the best players in the world," Pines said. "He's always been a class act. He's just having a good time."

That good time has brought Catizone to the near-pinnacle of beer pong glory. He's ranked No. 6 in the world.

And, while the sport's origins are coated in cheap beer, Catizone knows his limits, and what it takes to win. "I'm not one to over drink," he said. "I've seen some so drunk, they can't even hit a cup for the life of them."

As time marches on, Catizone knows he must recognize when it will be time to put down the ping pong balls. A victory on Nov. 20 could be a good benchmark. "I've proven what I need to prove," he said. "If I win this, it'll definitely be moving toward my retirement."


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