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Stone skipping (or skimming) is a game where an individual throws a stone with a flat surface across a body of water, making it spring off the surface of the water. The goal of this game is to see how many times the stone will bounce before it sinks in the water.

Coleman-McGhee founded the North American Stone Skipping Association (NASSA) in 1989. It is based in Driftwood, Texas.

Kurt “Mountain Man” Steiner holds the record for most skips on the Guinness Book of Records. His stone had 88 skips which was accomplished on 6 September 2013. It was held at the Red Bridge in the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. He held the world record between 2002 and 2007.

Before the current record, Max Steiner achieved 65 skips, at the Riverfront Park, Pennsylvania and Russell Byars with 51 skips on the same location on 19 July 2007.

Every year, a stone skipping championship is held in Easdale, Scotland.  Their version of the game is different, where they measure the distance instead of the number of skips.

Stone skippers and enthusiasts from all over the world take part in the World Stone Skimming Championships since 1997. It is held every year on Easdale Island where they also use stones which were made from Easdale slate. It all started as a fundraising event. Over 300 participants join the championship. Anyone of any age and level of skills can enter competition.

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Also, a category called “Ladies and Men Old Tosser” is for veterans and with the age of 61 and up who still want to take part in the game. There is also a Team Category where members of the team register first as individuals but adding the name of their respective team they take part in.  They must have four members (with any age and gender). Their three throws count as an individual entry while the total of all their throws count for the team entry.

Official rules include “skimming stones must be no more than 3 inches in diameter and formed naturally of Easdale slate” and “To qualify, the stone must bounce no less than 3 times and stay within the designated lane as marked by the buoys”. For the prize, the over-all winner will be presented with a World Stone Skimming Cup. For the skimmer who skims the longest, he will be awarded with The Bertie, a trophy that is named after the founder of the event. In 2009, they launched a new award called The Old Tosser Walking Stick for the participants over 60 who skimmed the longest.

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Related Pages

• Men's Stone Throw at the Olympic Games
• Stone Lifting Competitions
• Complete list of unusual sports
• Videos of unusual sports