Ball in cup

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Rules

The basic game consists of two men on opposite ends of a table or some kind of surface satisfying the necessary standards (See Set Up). Whoever is challenging the ball in cup champion always shoots first. The men would take alternating shots of trying to land the aluminum foil ball in the cup. The game would end after five shots from each men were taken, if there was a tie at the end of the first five rounds the game would go to overtime. In overtime the contestants keep shooting until a shot is made. If the player who shot first made his shot the man who shot second would have one shot to send it into a double overtime in which the rules remain the same. Shots can be made by throwing the ball strait into the cup or can be made by skipping it off the ground or another cup into the cup, however the ball may not bounce off a player or another object that is not in the field of play. A player must also hold his cup in place when it is being shot at to make sure the cup does not move or fall. During game play there can be called redo shots if it is considered by the players and/or the fans that the person was not holding his cup firmly enough so that the ball couldn't have gone in.

Set Up

Ball

The game consists of one and only one ball, created from aluminum foil. The ball would be about the size of a pinball and is made diffrently for each session of games. The ball cannot be altered during gameplay but can be altered in between games.

Cups

The game consists of two or more cups depending on the variation of the game being played. The game originally started with two cups to shoot at, a plastic cup and a smaller styrofoam cup. Eventually the plastic cup was phased out and is now rarely used. The cups must always be held firmly when being shot at. In the very beginning of the game there would be an extremely small cup placed in the middle of the field worth three points if shot into, this too had been phased out as the game has progressed.

Length of Field

Originally the game was was played with the cups spread 60" inches apart on a flat surface, but alterations were made in the later years of the game. The most well known changes consisted of the movement of 60" to 90" in what would be called Long Distance Ball in Cup. Other offspring of the game would eventually come to be using diffrent variations of the distance of the cups from each other but the basic principles of the game stayed the same.

Variations

As the years progressed in the development of ball in cup many diffrent variations occured, after originating at Chaminade College Perparatory lunch tables the game would eventually take to the streets, being played on all kinds of surfaces such as pool tables, park tables and even park benches. With these new sufaces of ball in cup emerging many new games came and are expected to still come.

Long Distance Ball in Cup

One of the most challenging variations in the ball in cup universe this game is extremely similar to the classic ball in cup many people are used to playing. However the transition may appear simple but can take a lifetime to master. Long distance ball in cup is anything over the length of a standard pool table, 90". The score of long distance ball in cup is much lower but veterans of the game appreciate the challenge.

Rapid Fire Ball in Cup

This is another popular offspring of the Ball in Cup game was a game known as Rapid Fire Ball in Cup. The name may be deceiving because the game is no quicker than a normal Ball in Cup game, but the distance between cups was cut to roughly about one foot. The concept of the game was to score in the other person's cup, taking away one life from them. Each player began with three lives. A smaller cup was placed in the middle of the participants where, if a shot was made, a life would be regained keeping them in a game. One major catch the game of Rapid Fire Ball in Cup was that the regeneration shot sat above a small hole, so if one person were to make a shot into the regeneration cup it would still have to fall into the hole which on many occasions would not happen. Once a player has lost all his lives he is out of the game, however once a player loses his last life he has one shot to make it into the regeneration cup in the center, if the player makes this shot then he continues playing with one life however if the player misses the shot the player is out of the game. To decide the order of who goes first in this game all the participants shoot for the regeneration cup and whoever makes it starts the game, if two or more people make it in then the rules of overtime come into effect till someone wins the chance to go first. This game can be played potentially with an umlimited amount of people arouond the regeneration cup in the center, however the traditional number of players is three even though 4 has been done on occasion. Major rules of the game are exactly the same are Classic Ball in Cup.

Strategy

With each diffrent kind of Ball in Cup game there are many diffrent approaches people take to sinking a shot. One of the main ideas of ball in cup is that the slower the ball is going the better of a chance that it won't bounce out. Linedrive shots being much harder to make because the use of the back of the cup is imperative to making the shot, the back of the cup on a linedrive must be hit directly to go in, if hit to the side of the cup the more likely it will rim out. In long distance ball in cup it is hard to find the blend between linedrive and height because of the distance, veterans appreciate the challenge of the game.

Time Outs

If caught in a tough situation, a time out may be taken. Each player gets one (1) time out during regulation and one during overtime. These time outs can be of any length but no longer than 60 seconds. Time outs are usually before an important shot in order to create a new strategy or relax one's mind before the shot. Beginners at Ball in Cup most likely will not use a time out, but true veterans use them to their advantage.

Fan Involvement

Ball in Cup is one of the rare games in which the fans can have extreme influence in a match and how it is going to be played. If there is a questionable offense that cannot be settled between the two players the game will fall at the mercy of the fans watching the game. The offense in question, for example, if someone moved a cup during a shot, would be determined by the fans giving a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" as seen in Roman times and also popularlized by the former World Heavyweight Champion David Batista. The call made by the fans is considered final and is not questionable by any means. If a tie were to come within the fans a "redo" could be possible depending on the severity of the offense.

Championship Play

The game has a Ball in Cup champion that is expected to defend his title everytime that there is games going on. When the Ball in Cup Champion loses his title the player is given what is called a re-match clause which gives the player a chance to have a re-match for the title. The re-match clause can only be used once and is usually taken right after the match that the player loses the championship at. To qualify for a match with the champion it varies on the style of Ball in Cup being played.

Classic Ball In Cup Contendership

In Classic Ball in Cup in order to gain a match with the champion you simply have to call that match first and then are granted a championship match. However, this first call for a match can be overridden by a rematch clause from a former champion.

Long Distance Ball in Cup Contendership

Long Distance Ball in Cup functions on a diffrent system to determine a contender for the championship. In order for anyone to gain a shot at the champion in long distance ball in cup they are required to win a qualifying match against another person. The qualifying match can be against anyone no matter what the skill level of that person. After winning this one qualifying match the person is awarding a championship shot. However, just as in Classic Ball in Cup the person could have to wait if someone were to activate their rematch clause.

Rapid Fire Ball in Cup Contendership

To determine who gets to face the champion in a rapid fire match is simply the number of people that want to play (assuming that there are enough cups to accomedate each player. There are no real qualifying rounds in rapid fire.

Tournament Contendership

Often time in ball in cup there will be more than two people wanting a shot at the title or if there is no worthy contender they will often partake in a tournament to determine a number one contender, this contendership if won is considered to be more honorable than a normally won contendership because that can be won against anyone. Tournaments can exist in any style of game but is most popular in Long Distance Ball in Cup

Famous Players of the Game

The game has produced many greats and all of them have secured their place in the record books.

Chris Hardin (Current Champion)

Many consider him to be the most clutch and the best player in the game today, he has and knack for making game winning shots and taking many timeouts during games. He is current Ball in Cup Champion. File:Chris Shooting.jpg

L. Neil Henges

Co-Creator of the game along with Jimmy Ribaudo. He has been a cold streak of late but many consider him as one of the best natural players in the game, in late March of 2006 he announced that he would focus more on the game and begin his climb back to the top. He has established himself as one of the top players in Long Distance Ball in Cup along with fellow player Chris Hardin.

Jimmy Ribaudo

Co-Creator of the game along with Neil Henges. The proclaimed "bad boy" of Ball in Cup. He has a reputation of breaking many cups during play after losing a close game. He held the championship for an extremely long time until falling to a bacterial infection during Spring Break which he attributes his fall from the top to.

Matt Francis

One of the most unconventional players of the game and is well known for his clutch but odd linedrive shots. He has been champion on many occasions but has not yet confirmed himself as a legend.

Lauren Bayens

In one of the most famous upsets in the history of Ball in Cup, Lauren Bayens, the first woman entrant in any ball in cup game upset the current champion and legend Chris Hardin in a game of long distance ball in cup. The two battled it out over many rematch clauses from each other until eventually Chris Hardin left with the championship. She is well known for breaking the gender barrier in Ball in Cup and is considered to have a bright future. She is romantically linked with other ball in cup player and former champion Kevin Hasselfeld.

Ball in Cup Record Book

Most Shots Made in a Game: Chris Hardin (4)

Long Championship Reign: Chris Hardin/Jimmy Ribaudo (1 Week, 4 Days)

Clayton Invitational Champion: Jimmy Ribaudo

Current Reigning Champion: Chris Hardin (1 week, 4 days)

Longest "Long Distance" Ball in Cup game: Kevin "Hassel" Hasselfeld vs. Paul "Boggs" Boggeman (23 Minutes)

Controversy

Despite the extreme popularity of Ball in Cup in St. Louis many people have decided that it is not a sport and is not worth merit of a wikipedia page. Ball in Cup hopes to break out to be a main stream sport despite all of the skeptics.