"It's got balls. It's got defense. That's a sport to me," said junior Gabi Gillett.
If such criteria truly define a sport, then beer pong has become a more legitimate sport than cheerleading on college campuses nationwide.
"It's not a game of science and strategy. It's a game of shooting. You can't play when you're sober," Gillett added.
So maybe calling beer pong, or Beirut, a sport is a bit of an exaggeration, but regardless of how it is categorized, college students at GW and other universities treat it as a serious competition. And to some, it has even become a way of life.
That's why Gillett and his friends started their own beer pong league about a year ago.
"It's a great social game. It combines a competitive nature with meeting other people who just want to hang out," said junior Max Wolk, one of Gillett's roommates who participates in the league. "It's the water cooler for college students."
Twenty of Gillett and Wolk's friends and housemates have paired off to compete in the league on a weekly basis. But because the rules of beer pong vary from person to person, Wolk said he established official "house rules," now displayed prominently on the dining room wall next to the beer pong table.
But such leagues are not unique to Gillett and Wolk's circle of friends. Walk into just about any house party on campus and you're sure to find a makeshift - or well-worn - beer pong table.
Sophomore Jordan Peterson of the Sigma Nu fraternity said beer pong has been a common weekend activity for him and his brothers.
"I don't know (how it started)," he said. "It's a verbal tradition taught to us and handed down from our brothers. We don't know how far beer pong goes back in our fraternity."
Variations of the game
It's safe to say that there are no GW beer pong regulations, but according to the National Beer Pong League Web site, http:// www.npbl.net/, there are dozens of styles of play, named after regions, colleges or fraternities in some cases. Most prevalent on the GW party scene is "Long Island" style - go figure.
If such criteria truly define a sport, then beer pong has become a more legitimate sport than cheerleading on college campuses nationwide.
"It's not a game of science and strategy. It's a game of shooting. You can't play when you're sober," Gillett added.
So maybe calling beer pong, or Beirut, a sport is a bit of an exaggeration, but regardless of how it is categorized, college students at GW and other universities treat it as a serious competition. And to some, it has even become a way of life.
That's why Gillett and his friends started their own beer pong league about a year ago.
"It's a great social game. It combines a competitive nature with meeting other people who just want to hang out," said junior Max Wolk, one of Gillett's roommates who participates in the league. "It's the water cooler for college students."
Twenty of Gillett and Wolk's friends and housemates have paired off to compete in the league on a weekly basis. But because the rules of beer pong vary from person to person, Wolk said he established official "house rules," now displayed prominently on the dining room wall next to the beer pong table.
But such leagues are not unique to Gillett and Wolk's circle of friends. Walk into just about any house party on campus and you're sure to find a makeshift - or well-worn - beer pong table.
Sophomore Jordan Peterson of the Sigma Nu fraternity said beer pong has been a common weekend activity for him and his brothers.
"I don't know (how it started)," he said. "It's a verbal tradition taught to us and handed down from our brothers. We don't know how far beer pong goes back in our fraternity."
Variations of the game
It's safe to say that there are no GW beer pong regulations, but according to the National Beer Pong League Web site, http:// www.npbl.net/, there are dozens of styles of play, named after regions, colleges or fraternities in some cases. Most prevalent on the GW party scene is "Long Island" style - go figure.
