Bar Buzz: The 3rd Season

***IMPORTANT PSA: We have a very special announcement regarding the Bar Buzz and the conclusion of our Fall Season. Come to the Meet N Greet tonight to be the first to know!***

It has been approximately 121 days since you put away your Tylenol, hung up your WAKA jersey and bid farewell to your Bar Buzz aspirations. Since then, you've spent 17 Wednesdays crying for the return of your favorite weekly celebration. You've (likely) had less hangovers, shared in some family holidays/traditions and been more productive on Thursday mornings than ever before (well.. for some of you; others are still wasting hours daily on Facebook and Pinterest and posting photos of cats.) 

Jen Nardi models our "vintage"
Bar Buzz Belt

However, nothing has been able to fill your soul like waking up on a Thursday after hitting the snooze at least 3 times, quickly showering the bar film off of your skin, and stopping at your favorite breakfast joint of choice to fill your belly with grease... all the while, grinning about the time you spent on the field and more importantly, the time you spent with some of the best friends you've ever known... dancing on tables, flipping some cups, and posing for endless photo ops.  But have no fear my friends! With the official start of the season at the Meet N Greet tonight, this age of darkness is about to end. And once again our lives will be filled with that indescribable, insatiable joy. 

New and Improved Belt as modeled by
Dottie "Soon to be Mrs. Commissioner" Wood

But what does this really mean for you, your team and our league as we embark upon another season? Since it's inception in the winter of 2010, the Bar Buzz has meant to bring camaraderie, a bit of shenangiangs and overall excitement to our league. Anyone can win on the field (did you see round 1 of the NCAA games?) but it takes real dedication and spirit to win at the bar.  

This season, the Bar Buzz is back and its bigger and better than ever. And no, I'm not just talking about it's outward upgrade (see left). I'm talking about how it's finally gained the competitive edge that it so rightly deserves. Before, it was mostly just the dedicated or the naturally social teams who took home the belt. NOW even those who have once mocked it's existence want in on the action which could make for some very interesting maneuvers at Luckie's each week.

For you newbies, there are some very important things you should learn before embarking on this adventure toward social glory.

First, there are some rules:

1. Each week the teams are ranked 1-5 on the following categories: Participation of the team, Mingling with other teams, Drinking, Dancing and Longevity. 
2. Participation and Mingling are weighted on larger scale (because they of course are the ones that bring our league together the most) and those points are averaged together for an overall total. 
3. Bonus points are then calculated for flip cup participation, creativity (such as Nathaniel Johnson's love letter to his Balls or Andrea Hoffman and crew's late nite antics), and taking part in the after-midnight photo.
4. Sportsmanship/responsibility are also a factor. We are all adults (most of us) and we know that WAKA wants us to party responsibly. This means finding a DD when you need to in addition to being a team player. Because really, no one likes jerks. 
5. All of the scores are added, averaged and calculated and a winner is crowned. Or belted. (is that a word?)
6. This is NOT a popularity contest so there will be no voting. If you have other creative ways to determine our weekly winner, our Bar Buzz panel of experts are more than willing to hear them but....
7. This is a subjective experience and this is also America. Some days we will all just have to agree to disagree.

Second, despite some controversy in the past.... the Bar Buzz is all about what happens OFF the field (At WAKA sanctioned events that is. As much as I'd love to hang out with all of you all the time, we're not going to include camping trips (although the Jagers have some epic ones), random trips to hockey or baseball games, etc. It's the BAR buzz people. PERIOD. Here, we crown winners based on social behavior alone. This way all of us can be winners. 

Third, you're up against some heavy hitters.  Take a look at the facebook pages of Scott Duncan, Tom Zuppke, Matt Barcus, Ashlee Gitkos, Katie Litle, Courtney Effird, Wade Brock, Brad Gault, Brittany Travis, Nathaniel Johnson, AJ Derr, Jeffrey Scott, Tayler Wilson, Andrea Hoffman, Adam Henry, Matt Wellbrock, and even our very own Commisoner (just to name a few) and you'll see: these people don't mess around.  And rumor has is that some veterans like Brian Yohn, Kevin Gitkos and Keith Moorehart are back and ready to show the bar who's boss.  

But that's not all.  These individuals are all just a representation of some pretty consistent social teams. The Foul Balls, Jagernauts,  Rumspringa, New Kickheads and the 5 O'Clockers all have multiple championships under their belts (see what I did there??).

SO your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to Rally the Troops. Bring your A-game. Live it up on Wednesday nights like you never have before and keep showing people what the WAKA Pen Div is all about. Obtaining the belt won't be easy, but it is possible, and when you do the victory will be sweet (and so will your new cover photo).

 Until Next time -- Bottom's Up!

xoxo Gossip Girl

Up next week? A special preview for the season including past season highlights, recap from the meet n greet and our predictions for yet another epic season. Stay tuned!