Big Bucks in Little Kid's Game

SYRACUSE, N.Y., April 21, 2009 -- Rock, paper, scissors, shoot! It's a game most people have been playing since they were children. But for Syracuse University sophomore Jon "Naco" Monaco, it's actually a sport.

"I threw paper and he threw a rock and I ended up winning the $20,000," Monaco said of his scholarship earnings. "There was no way to describe it, winning $20,000 playing rock, paper, scissors. Like, that's a joke to people. But when people see it actually did happen, it's amazing."

Monaco, better known as "Naco," won the first-ever USA Rock Paper Scissors College ChAMPionships last month. The USA Rock Paper Scissors League has been around since 2006, holding tournaments nationwide. This year, it partnered with AMP Energy and mtvU to fund education through scholarships.

It all started back on campus, when Monaco noticed a poster hanging around school. It advertised a rock paper scissor competition at a local restaurant. He said he checked it out, hoping to win the $100 second-place prize money.

The rules of the game are simple: Paper beats rock, but loses to scissors. Rock beats scissors, loses to paper. Scissors win against paper, lose to rock.

Monaco won first place, and what happened next, he could have never imagined.

"The next day I was contacted by a guy name Jon," he said. "He was with AMP Energy and next thing I know he's buying me a plane ticket and hooking me up with a hotel in Panama City for our spring break."

The tournament took place over a two-week span from March 8 through 21, coinciding with college spring breaks. In order to win it all, Monaco had to beat the first round of 32 students. The matches were best two out of three, twice. And he did.

"I was telling everyone before that I'm throwing paper for the win every time because I won with paper in Syracuse," he said. "And I ended up winning the final throw on paper beating him, to come back for the second week."

Monaco flew back to school. He asked his professors if he could miss some of his mechanical engineering classes, all to play what many consider a child's game. But with a $20,000 scholarship on the line, none of his instructors said no. So he flew back down to Panama City Beach.