Sunday night, the Hilltop Tavern in East Sacramento held a Fling Ping Pong Tournament. This was the first attempt for the bar at hosting a ping pong tournament, though plans for a second are already underway.

Sixteen Sacramento locals competed in the event, which took place on the final day of Beer Week. The tournament was sponsored by Pyramid Brewery, hence the name Fling, which is the company's newest seasonal Pale Ale.

Challengers first competed in a traditional 21-point game of ping pong, followed by a side game of Pyramid Fling Pong. Fling Pong is played on a miniature collapsible ping pong table, small enough to stow away in a school bag, and with paddles the size of large sand-dollars.

A total of four Fling Pong tables were set up, and winners received two lift tickets to Sugar Bowl. The whole thing looked like something one might find in a frat house for drinking game purposes.

A $5 entry fee included tournament play, chili dogs, Pyramid t-shirts, the chance to win first and second place prizes in both Fling and ping pong, Beer Week priced drinks, and a whole day of fun. East Sac local Christina Riker said outside the bar, "The weather's perfect and I'm having so much fun. Today is a great day."

About 50 people came out for the event and all really seemed to enjoy the spectacle of watching challengers taking ping pong seriously - a game most people would channel-surf right by in the early hours before bed.

The crowd encircled the main event table cheering for a good match throughout the tournament, but the biggest excitement happened during mid-game when USA tied Canada in Olympic hockey with 24 seconds left in regulation. In that moment, ping pong became obsolete. People were hugging and screaming, never turning their fixed gaze away from the TV.

After people regained their composure and a couple of beer spills were cleaned up around the table, it was back to ping pong.

The final match was battled out between Robbie LaCasse, bassist for the band The New Humans, and John Cavanaugh, favorite in the tournament and a really nice guy. Cavanaugh took home the gold and upon receiving the trophy exclaimed, "This is for the old guys." Don't feel bad for LaCasse, he finished second place in ping pong and first in Fling pong.

The Hilltop Tavern is planning another ping pong tournament, along with other games and food for St. Patrick's Day. If the weather permits, "the event will be outdoors and profits will help breast cancer research," said manager Adam Reinertson. For future events, check out the Hilltop Tavern's website hilltoptavern.net