Sixty-four teams will battle; one will emerge victorious. The competitors will be put through a grueling test of their minds and bodies until one duo can proudly declare they are the champions … of beer pong.

The New York Beer Pong Tour will roll into Chuck’s Caf, on its fifth top in a nine-city tour on Tuesday night at 7. Thirty-two teams have already entered the tournament and tour organizer Sam Pines expects the number to climb to close to 64.

Teams will be competing for a grand prize trip to Las Vegas. The top four teams will all receive prizes, including gift cards and food from Diamantes Pizzeria.

The games will be played with six cups and all entrants must be at least 21 years old. Competitors must pay a $20 entry fee and drinking is optional, Pines said. Teams can sign up at worldpongtour.com.

‘We’re trying to promote responsible drinking,’ he said. ‘We don’t want any binge drinking.’

The tour was started in the fall of 2006, after Pines graduated from Marist College. It started with a six-city tour and has grown to journeys as large as 15 cities in New York.

‘I had a vision of seeing beer pong played all over the place,’ Pines said.

In February, the tour made a stop in Syracuse, and drew 32 teams to the tournament. Pines said this time he only expects the number of participants to grow.

He said the fact that competitors have a chance to win such a big trip should be a big enough draw for anyone to come.

‘Everyone plays beer pong,’ Pines said. ‘If you make cups, you can win a free trip to Vegas for just $20.’

Published on April 22, 2007 at 12:00 pm