Next time you're shooting a pingpong ball into a beer-filled Solo cup, it could be over a flashing-light display or naked Kim Kardashian mural.
GatorPong.net and its competitor, Gator Beer Pong Tables, began as creative projects, but orders from fellow students turned them into actual businesses.
"I just started playing with a couple of people up here, and they said, 'Hey, you could really sell these,'" said Jason Siedel, 21, owner of Gator Beer Pong Tables.
According to Austin West, 25, owner of GatorPong.net, playing beer pong combines basketball with drinking by shooting pingpong balls into beer-filled cups on a table. If a shot is made, a member of the opposing team has to drink the cup's contents.
"You go to a party where they play on a kitchen table, and that's cool," West said. "But if you go to a party, and they have a dedicated beer pong table, in my view, the cool factor goes up."
With the businesses only weeks old, word of mouth has been instrumental in bringing in early orders.
And these tables can be as customized as possible.
"If a couple of girls are absolutely obsessed with Hannah Montana, we can lacquer her on the top," Siedel said.
Each business takes a different approach in creating the tables. West paints the table like a canvas. Siedel's creations are more complex and include LED lights under the cups to make them glow and automatic ball-washers for a more sanitary game.
"Our No. 1 factor is portability," Siedel said. "They come with a strap, they fold, the legs are removable; it's probably the greatest thing ever since the koozie."
Both companies also have to deal with the ethical question of selling tables to underage buyers.
"If a couple 16-year-olds have enough cash to buy a table, then hey, more power to them," Siedel said.
For more information, visit GatorPong.net.
