FOR LOVE OF THE GAME

They came from all over the country -- even Canada.

They had trained long and hard, perfecting their form, sharpening their focus.

They were the best of the best. Now they have a chance to prove it.

By the end of the tournament Monday, only one of the 414 teams will be crowned champion of The World Series of Beer Pong IV and take home the $50,000 grand prize.

That's right. Fifty grand. Pretty high stakes for a drinking game usually reserved for smoky bars, dingy garages and college parties.

"It's silly to think that you actually get nervous, ... but there is $50,000 on the line," said Jesse Vargas, a 24-year-old from Las Vegas. "We try to keep a nice buzz. You kinda want to have enough in you so the nerves aren't getting to you."

Most competitors insist they play for the game, not the booze. Too much Pabst Blue Ribbon (the official tournament beer) throws off their coordination as they toss pingpong balls across an 8-foot table into cups of beer or water. When a ball lands in a cup, the opposing team must drink its contents.

Teams of two take turns until one team wins by hitting all 10 cups.

Some players toss the ball like they're shooting a basketball. Some underhand it like a horseshoe. Most lean in and throw it like a dart.

But the strategy doesn't end there. Players can distract their opponents by waving, gyrating, yelling, even showing cleavage.

Most competitors are 20-somethings.

Not Kevin Applequist, 52, and his partner, Gary Barnson, 35, Las Vegans who sell floating beer pong tables called Island Floaters. They endure their share of heckling as the "old guys," but they revel in getting the last laugh when they beat their younger foes.

"Sometimes they would rather lose to a girl than an old guy," Barnson said.

The event was the brainchild of Billy Gaines and Duncan Carroll, who saw the potential for a national tournament during their days playing the game at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. They held the first match three years ago at the Oasis Resort in Mesquite with about 80 teams and a $10,000 grand prize. It has roughly doubled in size each year.

Scott "Iceman" Reck has been there from the beginning. The 27-year-old from Milwaukee, who wore a sleeveless Brewers shirt that exposed Brewers tattoos on each shoulder, has been featured in a Playboy magazine article on the sport and a documentary, "Last Cup: Road to the World Series of Beer Pong."

"I hate to say I'm some sort of celebrity, but when it comes to beer pong, I kind of am," he said.

He and his partner, 22-year-old Joey "Kanz" Kanzleiter, said pacing their beer intake is important, but the biggest key to winning is staying focused on the target, much like golf.

"We take it one cup at a time," Kanzleiter said.

They know the sport's alcohol drinking has its critics, including Reck's mother, but they believe it must remain true to its roots.

"The game is built upon beer, and you can't get away from that," Kanzleiter said.

Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0281.