Kickball and Flipcup

Phone conversation from last Sunday.
ET#1 - Isn't it nice to know that after 15 years of not doing something, you can still retain that muscle memory?
ET#2 - Ummm yeah okay. I'm not so sure I ever played that game.
ET#1- Oh I don't think we ever played in college. It was definitely a high school thing. You know that and Hour o' power.
ET#2 - Maybe your high school.
ET#1 - I was going to tell them that I played this game while they were in elementary school, but I decided not to.
ET#2 - That was a good idea. I think you should post about this.
ET#1 - About Flipcup or about kickball?
ET#2 - About all of it. And include a team roster with nicknames. I can imagine it all now....

When I moved to Baltimore, it was extremely lonely. I missed my friends and it getting adjusted to driving and trying to meet people was taxing. I sent a million e-mails whining about it, and called everyone I knew for a little sympathy. But then it was enough. As part of a proactive move to meet people, I joined a kickball team.

On a chilly March morning, I donned some long underwear, sweatpants, and a white t-shirt that said "kickball" on it. White was our team color. (how appropriate) When I got to the field at 9:55am, I found the other white shirts: 11 boys and 2 girls. As soon as I got there, I introduced myself, and a fellow in a headband and yellow sunglasses passed me a red plastic cup. "Drink up, and let's be friends," he said.

Here is the line up:
"the Hulk" - He is a bouncer at a bar. He is large and very Aryan.
"Johnny" - He is the "funny"one. 6' and weighing 150, he wears a terry headband and matching wristbands.
"Captain" - She is tiny and speaks only from the side of her mouth like Joey Potter (Dawson's people!). She made me touch her leg "muskles."
"Mouse" - She is a slighter plumper gal, who likes to chew on her hair.
"Irritating Southerner" - He is the stereotype for a frat boy that went to Duke.
"Americorps" - He is from Kansas, and just wanted to meet some friends. He is geeky and okay with it.
"Band of generic white boys" - the rest of them are friends of Johnny's and kind of are hard to distinguish from each other. Case in point, I introduced myself to one of them 3 times.

We lose the first week, and win the second, but no matter what the morning ends the same way: everyone in the kickball league congregate at a local bar. It is enormous with over two hundred people in colored shirts milling about. And inevitable there are several fold up tables set in rows on the side. On each side of a table is 5-6 people in same colored shirts facing off of people in different colored shirts. This is the real competition: this is flip cup.

For those of you have never played, here are the rules. You drink a shot of beer in a plastic cup and then you try to flip that cup upside down. When you have successfully done this, the next person on your team can do so. First, team to finish wins. Now, there are variations to this game. When I was in high school we used to line the cups up and one person had to go down the line by themselves. So I have a little experience in this game.

Being a woman of Asian descent, it was assumed I did not know how to play. Irritating Southerner kept giving me pointers throughout the afternoon. I got mine on in maximum two flips, he took forever.

At some point during the high fiving and taunting, I looked around. I got a little sad, then a little giddy. Maybe it was the beer but I could not stop laughing at the absurdity of it. I'll be back next week though and the game will go on.

In the meantime, quarters anyone?