COVER STORY: Brothers of the Pong!

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Brothers of the Pong
Local team of sporting compadres head to Vegas for big prize, and maybe a date or two

Above: Ryan Young & Mark Wells creep for BPong!

By Matt Munoz, Bakotopia Editor
Photos: Holly Carlyle Photography

Beer, balls, and brotherhood.

No, this isn't the catch phrase for a new “Old School meets Dodgeball” movie - although that probably isn't a bad idea.

However, we do have Bakersfield's “Hollywood Chihuahuas” beer pong team who bring the best elements of those classic flicks and twist them up for a sport everyone can find a way to enjoy, within legal boundaries of course.

Sitting in during a practice pong session at BRyder's, 7701 White Lane, before the annual “World Series of Beer Pong” in Las Vegas this past January 1-5, Chihuahuas members - Mark Wells, 23, and Ryan Young, 23, took a break from their strenuous workout of lift, aim, toss, and sometimes drink, to explain its appeal.


Above, l to r: Mark Wells, Patrick Wells, Tyler Hurst, and Ryan Young of The Hollywood Chihuahas!

“I enjoy the drinking (duh!) and the competitiveness,” said Wells before launching his ping pong ball across the team's official “BPong” playing table and into the formation of cups, some with beer, others with water. “I started playing with my bro Pat, 26, (another member of the four-man team, and also including Dereck Sprague, 23) in '05. After awhile I started doing some research online, Googling terms like 'beer pong.' I ended up finding the World Series of Beer Pong tournament, and I was like, ‘Yep!’”


Above: Mark Wells show of his BPong org skills

And faster than a Saturday night burp, Wells and his brother began the trek to beer pong perfection. Graduates of Bako's Garces High, these guys know the value of training for such a popular and often misunderstood “sport.” Oh yeah, there's also a top prize of $50,000 for the winning team at the tournament.

“We're all former athletes,” smiled Young of his team's competitiveness spirit. “Except for Dereck. He was in the band, but I don't think you had to actually play anything to be in it.” (They both laugh).

To make further sense of it all, we suggest a crash course on “Beer Pong 101.”

According to BPong.com, the official website of the Vegas tournament:

“Beer Pong is simple. In one variation of the game, two teams stand at opposite ends of an 8-foot long table, where ten 16-ounce cups are each filled with roughly two ounces of liquid. The cups are placed in a bowling-pin formation, and each team member takes turns tossing table tennis balls at their opponent's cup formation. If a ball goes into a cup, the cup is removed from the game. The first team to eliminate all of its opponent's cups wins. At the WSOBP, six of the 10 cups in the formation are filled with beer, and four are filled with water.”


Also according to organizers, “The WSOBP also happens to be the largest organized beer pong tournament in the nation, originating in Mesquite, Nev., in 2006.”


But while there will always be more than one authority on any topic (especially one that involves alcohol), the best way to comprehend the game is to find a team and start playing yourself. No need for too much brain power, just a party attitude. Remember playing “quarters” in college, or at your best friend's house that allowed underage drinking, so you don't do anything “dumb?” It's basically the same thing, only not just for getting trashed.



“It's a seasonal thing too,” said Wells of the best time to hit the table again. Although beer guzzling is a year-round thing, beer pong is best played like a real sport, complete with its own prime time of year. “Summertime is too hot, so we cut back, but once fall and winter hit, we play every weekend.”

Similar to football spring training, the Hollywood Chihuahuas will have practiced hard with plans and strategies before Vegas.



 “About two weeks before the tournament, we'll practice about 4-5 times each week,” explained Wells.

Young, nodding his head with a smirk, shares some pre-tourney info about his teammate.

 “Mark sets up tournaments for practice and sets up the rules so he wins,” he laughed as Wells quickly perks up turning his head to Young.

“Not true,” smiled Wells. “We'll break-up our team into two teams and use water instead of beer during each match.”



When asked about the critics, many who decry the sport as a gateway to alcoholism and extreme college hazing, both Wells and Young disagree.

“No one usually gets out of control,” said Wells. “Not at the WSOBP. If you're going to last, you gotta pace yourself. Everyday gameplay is from 11a.m. to 6 p.m., so don't go crazy out of the gate.”
Young agrees.

 “Vets of the sport usually play in Vegas,” he said.

In addition to perfecting your aim, another important team strategy is to distract your opponent when possible.


“I love distracting the other teams, making them mad, and watching them blow it,” said Young.

For a game like beer pong, you wouldn't think trying to stay focused would be that difficult, or is it?

“A lot of the teams are very uptight,” explained Wells. “We do everything to get into the other teams’ head. There's one thing to play at home with friends, but there's another to walk into a big hall with 400+ people. Last year, I even rolled my ankle doing a distraction move!”



 Young remembers a perfect example of when the pressure managed to take down one of their former key players, Chris Guerra, during last year's WSOBP.

 “Chris just choked under pressure,” he said laughing. “This year, we're going to be dancing, trash talking, and doing the weirdest things you can think of to win.”

Weird is right.



“Last year, players were complaining that we were breaking the rules with our hands and bodies, going over the lines, etc. ..,” said Wells. “So we mimed behind the cups and games lines. Now, that was funny.”
So, what's up with their team name: “Hollywood Chihuahuas?”

“We couldn't find a name, and the big movie out at the time was “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” laughed Young.

Wells shakes his head, adding, “We knew no one would have that name.”



Just in case you're wondering if the Hollywood Chihuahuas have girlfriends - all you single ladies are in luck, ahem, they're all available.

“We may comeback to Bakersfield with a lady after they see us play,”said Young. “Maybe even score some groupies this year!”

Wells also wanted to mention that the team does offer private beer pong lessons. Who knows, you could become the Tiger Woods of beer pong with the help of the Hollywood Chihuahuas.

“Single women also get a 10 percent discount,” Wells said.

*We'll be following up with the Hollywood Chihuahuas in the 1/22 issue of Bakotopia!

On the web: www.bpong.com

Didn't make it to Vegas? Try this!


Printed in Bakotopia magazine, issue 45, 1-8-09