Friday the 13th News

The World Series only comes around once a year. For some of us, that is just too infrequent. Hotel based tournaments put to shame the experience of a one day bar tournament. For some, competing for a five digit prize gets the blood flowing. For those that like to party, the atmosphere is like a college dorm, with instant drinking buddies wherever you turn. For veterans, having a reputable tournament that is worth the entry fee and an airline flight offers the opportunity to see friends and acquaintances from all over the country. The environment at the World Series is what lead us to set up the 2009 SCBP Open.

Unlike many groups that have announced plans for big payout tournaments, we had no delusions of it being financially lucrative. Our hopes in 2009 were to not lose money and for everyone to have a good time. If we could succeed in those two goals, there was hope that we'd establish the event in order to draw a larger crowd in future years. After all, there are plenty of reasons for even the most diehard players to not go to a weekend long beer pong tournament. Unorganized messes (Jamaica Spring Cup, Philly 5k, etc) and announcements that do not come to fruition (King of the Cups, International Pong Federation 100k, 10k College Championships, 20k Clash at the Cups, Midwest Pong 10k, etc) make it ten times harder for any big events to succeed.

For the most part, we succeeded on our goals. We were able to pay our bills and a five digit prize. The short weekend was a lot of fun; one person said it was the most fun they had on a weekend trip that wasn't in Vegas. At the World Series, I've fielded many inquiries about whether we would do it again. Last year, a scheduling conflict with the failed KOTC caused us to postpone any SCBP Open plans. After that debacle, I was committed to 2011. I researched hotels, and have negotiated a contract. However, the summer is staring us in the face. We have regular life happening, and the thought of giving up any and all available weekends to run qualifying tournaments (a necessary evil to make this event succeed to my expectations) is just too daunting. I can't do it while sustaining a day job. We realize this is disappointing news for many. It is sad news for me to deliver, and I apologize to anyone who has been planning a trip to Southern California over Labor Day.

While the SCBP Open is not going to happen this year, we will still have tournaments, and hopefully a fall league. This is not SCBP closing up shop. It's just a scaling back of scope. Thanks to everyone for their continued support - we appreciate it.