Wharton Journal

Issue date: 4/8/02 Section: Insider

On March 23, 2002, Doug Grossberg WG'03 and Lee Grinberg WG'03 paired to win the first annual Wharton International Invitational Beer Pong Tournament. Combining raw athleticism with Jewish heritage and matching t-shirts, the two utilized an aggressive offense to overcome a talented field of eight first and second year teams. Sam Brasch WG'02 and Pete Jensen WG'03 brilliantly orchestrated the tournament which was sponsored by Lacoste, GAPSA and the letter E. The tournament was held on the storied hardwood at 1811 Addison with Anheuser-Busch, Pemmican Beef Jerky and Towne Pizza providing refreshment for the athletes.

Team G-Berg advanced to the final against Brasch and Dan Thornton WG'03 with solid performances in the double-elimination play of the difficult first year bracket. In a highly anticipated early match, the G-bergs faced off against Todd Maclean WG'03 and Jensen. Brasch stated that Jensen is, "The best pure player I have seen. He has the Gift." Unfortunately for Maclean and Jensen, this talent was not in evidence as they went down 9-2. The Dartmouth-trained pair also dispatched Team J-Crew, Matthew Shulkin WG'03 and Devin O'Reilly WG'03, with ease. After the drubbing, O'Reilly cited a lack of stretching and a failure to carbo-load as contributing factors to the defeat.

Matthew Anderson's team advanced to the first year final with a hotly contested victory against Maclean and Jensen. The 10-4 score final score was not representative of the closeness of the epic contest. During the match, Grossberg said, "You can taste the tension." Calls to confirm that he was actually savoring the lingering taste of the prior night's pina coladas were unreturned at press time. Resplendent in his customary double-breasted blazer, Aloha shirt and Fu Manchu moustache, Anderson led his team to victory with pinpoint accuracy. A bitter and visibly exhausted Maclean commented after the match, "It's all politics," and called the height of his opponent's lobs, "questionable at best."

In the second year bracket, Brasch and Thornton carried the evening despite being outclassed in the crucial "outfit" category. The Junk Yard Dawgs, Edward Volchko WG'02 and Chris McKee WG'02, did themselves proud with an eclectic combination of tennis togs, "Hooters" gear and synthetic hair. They were the first team eliminated from the tournament but took comfort from their well-deserved Miss Congeniality award. Similarly, Rod and Todd, Andrew Gaffney WG'02 and Jeff Collins WG'02 had a strong showing with matching see-thru t-shirts, head bands and sweats. Fetching attire, however, could not overcome their unfortunate propensity to sink on serves and not during play. In the second year final, Team No-Unis met Team Head Band, Josh Rosen WG'02 and Chad Robins WG'02. Despite well-choreographed hand shakes, Team Head Band could not withstand the home-field-fueled assault of Brasch and Thornton.

Continued...

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