NEW YORK— The international beer pong community was shocked early this week amidst the rumors of a potential breakup of Smashing Time, winners of last year’s World Series of Beer Pong.
“Like this is not what I wanted to happen, Smashing Time is 99.9% chance of winning I feel again,” said Ron Hamilton in a prepared statement on BPONG.COM™. “I always think we are going to win. And we should win as we do, I don’t want to not play, I’m just forced a month before the tourney to get a partner, because I get no feed back from my partner.”
Smashing Time put an exclamation point on its storied career with its victory over Getcha Popcorn Ready in the finals of the World Series of Beer Pong IV at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas this past January. The win capped off a successful 2008 season for Ron Hamilton and Michael “Pop” Popielarski, who had always performed well in the preliminary rounds of The World Series of Beer Pong but had been unable to take home the coveted grand prize.
Prior to the tournament last year, rumors circulated throughout the beer pong community that the success of Smashing Time had created a contentious relationship between the two. Despite the controversy and to the dismay of many, the duo from New York entered the tournament as a favorite to win the title.
Between the imposing presence of the towering Ron Hamilton and seemingly flawless shooting of Michael Popielarski, Smashing Time became arguably the most feared beer pong team of all time.
At the time, Billy Gaines, co-founder of The World Series of Beer Pong, said “Smashing Time is a household name in the sport of Beer Pong, having been featured on ESPN and Time magazine.”
While most competitive beer pong players agree that any successful team consists of two great players, it appeared that both Popielarski and Hamilton wanted to take the credit for the success of Smashing Time. According to sources close to the situation, Hamilton became disenchanted as the beer pong community praised Popliearski as the better shooter of the two.
Hamilton didn’t help his case as he detailed the winning formula for Smashing Time’s success in the video preview for the upcoming World Series of Beer Pong V in January.
“He hits the ten, I hit the nine, he hits the eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, game over,” Hamilton said.
Despite only doing ten percent of the work, in his own words, Hamilton feels his value to Smashing Time is far greater.
“I’m seventy-five percent of the team,” he said. “I get people to miss. I hit all my shots.”
Popielarski, who could not be reached for comment, would certainly be in a tough position. Although “Pop” is considered one of the world’s best shooters, with less than 45 days left until the World Series of Beer Pong, most elite players have already finalized plans with their respective teammates. The sudden availability of Popielarski could create a ripple effect which could dramatically alter the World Series of Beer Pong landscape.
“Pops and Ron have always had a tumultuous relationship,” said Austin Lanham, co-founder of Maryland Beer Pong and four-time World Series of Beer Pong veteran. “The fame and success they've had would wear on anyone's relationship, but I think with these two, the honeymoon is over. Domestic abuse could be an issue for them this year in Vegas.”
Meanwhile, as Ron Hamilton’s self-imposed deadline nears, the Cinnamon Life enthusiast may need to win the tournament more than anyone to cover next month’s phone bill, which undoubtedly will cost hundreds, if not thousands of dollars.
“I have texted [Pop] over 1000 times. Called at least 100 times,” Hamilton said. “Unreal, I think.”
While the beer pong community anxiously awaits the developments in the eleventh hour, many are just trying to make sense of it all.
“It takes so much energy just to try to decipher what Ron is saying,” Gaines said. “I think his keyboard is fucked up or something.”
The deafening silence of Popielarski throughout this controversy finally ended late Tuesday afternoon, when his written list of demands surfaced on the beer pong forums. Although the majority of beer pong enthusiasts aren’t buying the Smashing Time breakup, with almost two-thousand views in a little more than one day, people are certainly entertained.
“In addition to their beer pong prowess, Smashing Time is arguably the most entertaining duo in the virtual world, with both attaining the reads-like-a-twelve-year-old-girl status in the forum posting rankings,” said Peter Rusch, co-founder of Southern California Beer Pong. “Pop (an 'idk' enthusiast) and Ron (who uses 'lol' in place of any and all punctuation) frequently air their frustrations with each other online, much to the delight of competitive beer pong players around the country.”
