We got a big ol' scandal for you here, folks.
The Stone Skimming Championships, held annually almost every year since 1983 off the coast of Scotland, has been rocked (yes, I have to use this pun because I saw every other outlet doing it) by a scandal.
The scandal? Rocks that seem to have been ground into more of a circular shape.
Genius, that is, until "Toss Master" Kyle Matthews heard through the grapevine that this was happening and went into full detective mode.
From Popular Science:
The World Stone Skimming Competition rules are clear: contestants must use unaltered stones selected from among the island's naturally occurring slate. Judges then use a measuring device dubbed the 'ring of truth' to make sure that each rock is no larger than three inches wide.
...
Unlike the unaltered skimming stones, the stone selections in question appeared to have been ground into more circular shapes in the hopes of improving their bounce potential.
Speaking with Popular Science, Matthews — who has also served as a competition organizer for the past three years — says the discovery was a first for the championship, which also serves as a charity event for local organizations.
Interestingly enough, the cheaters admitted to their stone-grinding by a show of hands. This left an unknown number of competitors out of the original 2,200 to battle for the championship.
I'm hoping the winner wasn't one of the stone-grinders.
Professional stone skimmers like Jon Jennings spend countless hours practicing strategies to make the most of these dynamics. And this year, the Kentucky resident made history.
'It still feels unreal… My goal was to make the top 50 and qualify to come back next year,' Jennings tells Popular Science.He more than met his goal during his second visit to the World Stone Skimming Championship. With a cumulative score of 580.7 feet (117 meters), Jennings is the official world champion. He's also the first American to ever win the showdown, as well as the contest's new record holder for distance.
The World Stone Skimming Championships will be back next year with an even bigger competition at its beautiful location on the Slate Islands off Scotland's west coast.
Hopefully there will be no cheaters!
Alright, well, I have no choice but to head to the pond and find me a few skipping rocks.
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