LAS VEGAS --Ever since he was crowned regional champion, Matt Corron has been stopped on sidewalks and in bars by folks who want a crack at beating him. Last week, a stranger had to pay for Corron's breakfast after challenging him -- and losing -- at the Boulevard Diner in Worcester.
Corron rarely loses at Rock, Paper, Scissors, and for his talent he's on his way to Las Vegas this weekend for a shot at $50,000 and a national title.
Wait -- there's a national title for that? And money? For that innocuous childhood game and conflict resolution method most often used to decide who gets the last Creamsicle?
Believe it. The two-day 2007 USA Rock Paper Scissors Tournament Finals will bring together more than 300 regional finalists from across the nation, including about two dozen from New England. Each won a free contest at a neighborhood bar or restaurant, then triumphed again at a competition among several bars in their area to earn a berth for the ultimate prize.
"I take it very seriously," said Corron, 23, a history-political science major at Worcester State College. "If I win, that's a nice little paycheck."
The two-year-old USARPS League was founded by co-commissioner Matti Leshem, a 44-year-old Hollywood producer who never plays a round for less than $100 a shoot.
A lifelong devotee who discovered that there was a professional Canadian league, Leshem decided to start one here. He's written a set of rules, trained referees, and has unsuccessfully petitioned the International Olympic Committee to make it one of their events. At this weekend's event at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, a paramedic will be on standby because wrist and shoulder injuries often occur, Leshem said. ESPN is expected to air footage of the competition this summer.
"I'm singularly focused on Rock, Paper, Scissors. It's the thing that brings me the most joy in life," said the Israeli-born American citizen. "People don't realize that there are hundreds of thousands of people playing professionally, millions playing it semi-professionally."
While those figures are unverifiable, it is true that leagues have existed around the world for years and the World Rock Paper Scissors Society was created in 1918. Poker star Phil Gordon holds a World Series of Rock Paper Scissors at the annual World Series of Poker each year with a $500 buy-in and a $10,000 prize. In 2005 a Japanese art collector used the game to decide which of two top US auction houses would get to sell one of his Cezannes.
Leshem's league is blossoming largely because of its main sponsor, Bud Light, which is the engine behind the national tournament. The beer's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, last year hit upon the league as it sought unusual new marketing opportunities. Beer distributors organized the tournaments that produced the regional finalists, and Anheuser-Busch puts up the prize money and picks up the tab for each finalist and a guest to fly to Las Vegas and stay for three days.
This is the second year for the national tournament. In addition to the $50,000 first prize, the runner-up gets $5,000. Plus, two finalists will be chosen at random for a 500-shoot contest for a free car. All told, the promotion is costing the company at least $400,000.
"We asked ourselves, 'What do we want to do to get the attention of young contemporary adults?' and we came up with this," said Rick Leininger, Bud Light brand director. "Some people get really serious about it but they have a lot of fun at it, too. Some people dress up in costumes as scissors and rocks. A lot of people bring strategy."
Leshem's seriousness baffles many of the finalists, who admit they're in it for the free holiday and possible further payoff. David Porder, 54, of Canton, won his passage to Las Vegas through a contest at the Golden China Restaurant in Canton and then was stunned to discover the league exists. He found it amusing when Bud Light sent him a questionnaire in advance of this weekend's trip that asked, among other things, which he most identifies with -- rock, paper, or scissors.
"They asked me how many other people are coming with me to see me play," he chuckled. "I mean, you can literally do this in half a minute! Is somebody going to fly out to watch that? And they asked what's my strategy. What kind of strategy can you have? You have like a second to think about it."
Actually, many players insist there is a measure of skill to it. Corron believes throwing rock on the first shot is "definitely a mistake" because it's the most common move. Danielle Angiolillo, a regional finalist and 25-year-old accountant from North Andover, likes to have a friend observe other players to get a read on what their throwing patterns are.
"I just discovered this unknown talent of mine," said Angiolillo, who entered the contest at the Claddagh Pub in Lawrence and made a great show out of beating the male competitors. "Who would've thought, huh?"
Corron practices by playing at least 50 games a day. He recruits opponents right off the street, right down to offering to carry the shopping bags of an elderly woman if she beat him. She lost, but he still did it, he said.
Like Corron, finalist status has turned Ray Scott of Manchester, N.H., into a regional celebrity. Scott, at 64 the oldest competitor heading to Las Vegas, was even invited to throw out the first pitch last weekend for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. He had his son do it and told the crowd, tongue firmly in cheek, that he didn't want to injure his arm ahead of the national finals.
"We are pure athletes. We do not use steroids or blood doping of any kind," Scott deadpanned. Then, more seriously, he said, "This is a silly kids game, a beer promotion. It's fun but if you take it seriously, there has to be something wrong with you. Although, when you're talking $50,000, it's kind of hard to treat it as a joke, huh?"
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