Did you guys know that Dartmouth has lots of frats, and that these frats like to be really fratty? OK, to a certain extent this is global knowledge, but we've allowed Dartmouth's Ben O'Donnell to describe for us the touchstone of their fratty rep: the Big Green's version of pong. Try it out this weekend. Learn from our friends in the woods.

See if you can spot the SAT analogy: CEOs: Golf. Robots: Chess. Egyptians: Egyptian Ratscrew. And Dartmouth students? Pong.

Pong. It is not “beer pong” (as if there were any other kind!) It is a game, sure, and a drinking game, more specifically. But it is  so much more. It is a skill set, a spectator sport, a study break, a snack, a kingmaker, a heartbreaker, a bonding activity, an intensity reliever, an intensity furnace, a pick-up line, a date, as much obsession as fun, bet-you-can’t-play-just-one experience.

To your typical non-Dartmouth Hard Lemonade/Smirnoff Ice aficionado, however, pong can seem counterintuitive, unsanitary and egregiously alcoholic. It forces the consumption of Keystone Light, which tastes like a higher-quality malted beverage distilled in the bowels of a homeless person. But to understand pong is to understand us, so here it is: The Sparknotes version of our most unofficial collegiate pastime.

After the jump: the rules in full. 

Continue reading "Pong Day's Journey into Night: Demystifying Dartmouth's Favorite Game" »

October 5, 2007 2:00 PM by Jim Newell | Link | Comments (22) | Read more: Dartmouth , ben o'donnell , frats , pong