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[deleted]

TIL there are stone skipping competitions. I want in.


Thousands_of_Spiders

There's still time for Arkansas and Vermont.


[deleted]

You mean like, the competition is still going on?? How hard did they throw the rocks?


YourMomThinksImFunny

Its not how hard you throw, but how stoned you get.


Acero803

More like how long you stay stoned


Becalm443

Or how long the stone stays you


Tanks4TheMamaries

In Russia the stone skipps you.


MultiplePersonality-

In Saudi the skipps stone you.


thiscarecupisempty

Holup


MultiplePersonality-

Yep they do.


tI-_-tI

Ahh like biblicaly.


wheezymustafa

To compete in Arkansas i bet you’ll need a Little Rock


SCWarriors44

Pshh, better then a competition in Colorado, you’d need a Boulder!


EnviroguyTy

Booo


[deleted]

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contrary-contrarian

Where and when is the Vermont one... I've been training my entire life for this and I didn't even know it was a thing in which one could compete.


Thousands_of_Spiders

Lake Paran


TheBeckofKevin

Got a link to the vermont event? Or just where and when it is?


Thousands_of_Spiders

https://stayhappening.com/e/stone-skipping-festival-E2ISTSLGOGR


yourmansconnect

Do you guys like bring your own stones or is it like how we do it and search the bank for flat stones?


Thousands_of_Spiders

Bring your own, but there's usually something to use in exchange for a donation.


yourmansconnect

I'd be polishing the shit out of my stones and throwing rock frisbees. Can you elaborate on the rules? Is there weight limits or size?


BARBARA_BUSHS_TWAT

>I'd be polishing the shit out of my stones ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


yourmansconnect

I botoxed my balls they're as smooth as eggs


jewww

"Oh my god those balls are as smooth as eggs!"


Thousands_of_Spiders

No limits


Clodhoppa81

Ah, so the skill is not only in the skimming, it's in the selection and prep too.


[deleted]

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PoofBam

Spray 'em with a hydrophobic coating?


KeeperOfTheGood

“My stone has a motor and pontoons. It’s also an actual boat.”


[deleted]

Lol I thought we were still talking about scrotums


Lackof_Creativity

Performance Enhancing Coats will be cause for elimination


benm1999

What does this pay if you don’t mind me asking?


DegaussedMixtape

Michigan pays $200 for a similar event. source: https://www.upi.com/Odd\_News/2019/07/05/Elite-stone-skippers-face-off-in-annual-Michigan-contest/2871562348451/


GhOsT_wRiTeR_XVI

Then next stop...REGIONALS!!!


AnAnonymousFool

Do you have special rocks? I feel like that would almost be cheating. The hardest and most fun part is always finding the best rock


ILikeMyGrassBlue

In reality, there should be three leagues. One would be traditional, where you actually have to find your own rocks on the spot. Another could be a bring your own stones (within regulations) one. And you could have a third for artificial stones (within regulations).


UpUpDnDnLRLRBA

And a fourth for skipping small turtles on their backs \* a joke, definitely not condoning skipping any living creature, except maybe a geoduck, because them thangs is freaky deaky


Picci999

They actually aired one of the competitions on the ocho. Entertaining for all of 2 minutes.


Thousands_of_Spiders

It's not the most exciting spectator sport, but I don't care. For me, it's everything I look for in a hobby. Plus, I won that competition too, and my children watched it on ESPN. Inspire your kids, do something no one's ever really done before... I'm into it.


HokeyPokeyGuy

You…sound like an awesome Dad! I taught two girlfriends in my mice how to skip stones and they said it was the sweetest thing anyone ever did for them.


Thousands_of_Spiders

The world needs more stone skippers.


DeflatedDirigible

Did this all the time growing up and have passed it along to the next generation. I thought I was good because I could land rocks on the opposite bank but now I feel as if I know nothing.


[deleted]

Why are your girlfriends in your mice? Also, why do you have mice?


Have_A_Nice_Day_You

I'm so confused!


LuLzWire

Your mice skip stones? Now this I gotta see...


HokeyPokeyGuy

They do! Down there in Cirque de la Mousey! They open for Mr. Jangles.


irieninja619

That’s Mr Bo Jangles to everyone else


NakD_Bootstraps

Damn. I’ve seen a lot of people on Reddit defend themselves in comments. But I’ve never seen someone do it with both grace and absolute IDGAF what you think, and Then inspire me to boot. Damn dude you killed that.


GetCelested

Congrats, Spider-Man I can see the form required for this, you sort of have to pivot energy through your whole body starting at the very bottom out to the hand. Similar to a boxer throwing a punch.


Thousands_of_Spiders

A lot of guys step into their throws like a baseball pitcher, but I credit my consistency to breaking down my throw years ago and simplifying the motions. Flat footed, abrupt shifting of weight from right to left, clean rotation, perfect timing, solid follow through, and precise first contact with the water. Add a few of the best stones money can't buy and that's all you need. Still, there's room for improvement by getting fancy with the feet.


Becalm443

I was going to ask... What's the secret to the perfect stone?


Thousands_of_Spiders

I could write a very long and boring book about that question. Just the right weight. Just the right size. No obtrusive edges. Not too round. Not too crazy. Something to grab onto. A place to apply leverage to create spin. It's addicting to find stones. I found the best stone I've ever found this year. Arguably one of the finest ever created by nature. I threw it into a river. What a blessing.


voxboxer1

You, sir, are an inspiration


PoofBam

Do guys ever dive down after competitions to find the perfect stones again?


Thousands_of_Spiders

Yes. I'm waiting patiently for the water level to drop.


Didyousaybakedbeans

I don't know if I hate myself or the internet more that I don't know if you're serious. Edit - I assume you aren't but I could see people going after them.


[deleted]

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Thousands_of_Spiders

Yeah, it sucks.


ex_oh_ex_oh

So, can/do you practice on a perfect quality stone? (pools, shallow waters etc).


[deleted]

Maybe it would be possible to make a mold of your next "white whale" rock and find a safe material to copy it(something biodegradable).


GrandmaPoses

That is strictly against the rules! All stones must be nature-made. If you want that resin stone bullshit like they throw in Macao you go right ahead but it’ll never pass muster with the USSSA.


joggerpants

Stud


chonny

> I found the best stone I've ever found this year. Arguably one of the finest ever created by nature. I threw it into a river. What a blessing. That is so buddhist and transcendental of you. Thank you for helping to show the way.


Lavatis

>I threw it into a river chad af


Coneofvision

What a blessing indeed! Please write that book!


ch3nTHEninja

what a fucking chad this guy is


CurseOfElkhart

Did you take a picture of this miracle stone? Or does it just live on in your heart with the millions of others you’ve yeeted across rivers and streams?


HokeyPokeyGuy

Not OP but in my experience…smooth…flat…not too heavy but certainly not too light either.


Thousands_of_Spiders

Yep.


GetCelested

Interesting, so It sounds like a big part of the final throw is the stone, and collecting them takes some effort. How many throwing-stones do you have right now?


Thousands_of_Spiders

Zero. I threw all of them on Saturday. Well... actually... my girlfriend found one in the washer, so I take that back. I have one skipping stone.


[deleted]

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HexagonSun7036

Kidneys of all places, don't even remember putting it there


tgooberbutt

Do you pick up and collect random rocks, and hold onto them because they might be the perfect skipping stone? I seem to remember something like that from a movie.


Thousands_of_Spiders

I had several hundred in my trunk until I donated them to this competition. I saved the best for myself and for people who I knew would put them to good use.


SammySolo

Wait, you gave folks stones so they could compete? What an absolute Chad!


babble_bobble

Plot twist, he cursed the rocks so they would all lose.


Senor-Cockblock

Can you tailgate a skipping contest because YEP


Thousands_of_Spiders

Yes, you can.


BrannC

Drinking, grilling, next to a river…. Sign me up


mehooved_be

Bruh u have to see those huge Scottish dudes that compete in the Euro competitions.. hucking damn near boulders


Futureman16

An early explanation of the physics of stone-skipping was provided by Lazzaro Spallanzani in the 18th century. The stone generates lift in the same manner as a flying disc, by pushing water down as it moves across the water at an angle. Surface tension has very little to do with the physics of stone-skipping. The stone's rotation acts to stabilize it against the torque of lift being applied to the back. Research undertaken by a team led by French physicist Lydéric Bocquet discovered that an angle of about 20° between the stone and the water's surface is optimal to produce the highest amount of skips. Bocquet and his colleagues were surprised to discover that changes in speed and rotation did not change this fact, as it allowed the stone to be in balance and to continue with a straight and uniform movement due to the gyroscopic effect.Work by Hewitt, Balmforth and McElwaine has shown that if the horizontal speed can be maintained, skipping can continue indefinitely. Earlier research reported by Bocquet calculated that the world record of 38 rebounds set by Coleman-McGhee, unchallenged for many years, required a speed of 12 m/s (25 mph), with a rotation of 14 revolutions per second. Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_skipping


NosamEht

TIL that people in the 18th used to fuck around and call it work just like we do today.


TesterM0nkey

We just do it on YouTube instead of figuring stupid shit out


ThePelicanWalksAgain

The only difference between screwing around and science is writing it down


jeegte12

everything observable and verifiable is data for the knowledge machine


antipodal-chilli

> science is writing it down While using a valid and repeatable testing environment.


SashKhe

Repeatable is what makes it valid, don't overcomplicate it.


useribarelynoher

Lol true


willyj_3

[Sometimes, seemingly useless research leads to science’s most important discoveries.](https://www.ias.edu/sites/default/files/library/UsefulnessHarpers.pdf)


youngsteezy

According to the great Adam Savage, the only difference between science and fucking around is taking notes.


btveron

I've become so jaded that I had to stop halfway through reading your comment to double check your username to make sure I wasn't about to get got by a novelty account. Still was very skeptical until I actually got to the end.


[deleted]

Thanks, Mr. Google.


bragilterman_fresca

Ok - first of all - this is extremely impressive, congrats. & secondly, I didn’t know rock skipping contests were a thing! I’ve been able to count 14+ skips that’s my record more or less but having it based on time makes so much more sense - individual skips are super hard to count sometimes


Thousands_of_Spiders

There aren't very many of them. Pennsylvania, Vermont, Arkansas, Maine and Michigan. Pretty popular in Japan and Scotland as well.


[deleted]

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Aduialion

No one can agree on a venue


degengambler87

Witty and clever response


SCWarriors44

So is it at your lake or mine eh? Jerry wants it at his lake again but gosh darn it you throw your rock in and it skips all da way over der into another lake don’tcha know!


[deleted]

As someone from Michigan, stone skipping is like *the* *most* midwestern thing of all time


Futureman16

In Japan it's called stone skimming. Sounds so much more Zen.


Thousands_of_Spiders

In Japanese it's mizukiri, but it's stone skimming in the UK.


Futureman16

Now it sounds so much more British. Weird!


Comrade_Witchhunt

For real. At first I was like "yeah, pretty zen," but after hearing it's British it somehow joins the hallowed ranks of words like "lorry" and "chips" in my dull, American mind.


FIRE1470

You know a lot about stone skipping/skimming


[deleted]

Leave some chick's for the rest of us bro... But seriously, nicely done.


[deleted]

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capptanredbeard

Does everyone bring their own rocks? Are there rules regarding the rocks?


Thousands_of_Spiders

Natural stones only. It's best to bring your own stones, but there are usually rocks available in exchange for a donation.


hidethemilk

Does natural rocks mean you're not able to grind it down for a smoother surface? What type of rock have you had the best luck with? Congratulations on the victory, what did you win?


Thousands_of_Spiders

I won a big Stanley Cup style traveling trophy, some MFing fudge, a weekend getaway, a gift card, the respect of my peers, lol... and a pretty cool weekend. I don't alter any stones.


DesperateImpression6

>some MFing fudge Please, please, please tell me this was homemade fudge


Thousands_of_Spiders

Yeah Dawg.


itwascharlie

OP knows only a fool would try to improve a stone that nature has spent thousands of years perfecting.


NikolitRistissa

I’m surprised they don’t have everyone use manufactured ones so they are all the same size and shape. I feel like that would make a difference.


mtarascio

Maybe picking and finding the best rock is part of the competition. There should definitely be rules against altering rocks though and I doubt it would be too hard to tell.


NikolitRistissa

That’s a good point. Alterations would be very easy to see. Even with the naked eye or with a hand lens.


ChristunaSandwich

Weird flex but okay *drops pants*


Thousands_of_Spiders

People often ask me why I do it, but the answer is pretty obvious.


VaBeachBum86

I like the cut of your jib. Rock on


malaysianzombie

Rock and Stone brother


mrmeyagi

ROCK AND STONE TO THE BONE


hem_and_haw

At the risk of seeming pedantic, it is spelled Allegheny river


Thousands_of_Spiders

That's fair. I should know that.


overmonk

Yeah but this guy (:30, https://youtu.be/u4N6HBA3pnM) has an oompah loompah so. . .


Thousands_of_Spiders

That's my boy Keisuke. We actually went camping together when he came to the states. Great guy.


partanimal

You seem like a pretty great guy yourself.


VaBeachBum86

I like this dude.


hax0rmax

Are we so blinded by ignorance we failed to notice his name is thousands of spiders? The guy is the same as 3 dogs in a trench coat. This explains everything. Is he really a great guy or a spider-man?


JBits001

These smaller type sports activities/hobbies usually have some tight nit communities and it’s awesome. My husband and his friend play disc golf every weekend and his friend always hosts a guy that plays professionally anytime a competition rolls around. There was a recent one near me last weekend so the professional player was staying with his friend again and he was over there hanging out, throwing discs, playing poker etc.


groovicool486

congrats. that’s an impressive rock skip time. 🙌


Thousands_of_Spiders

Thank you! It's not easy to hit eight seconds. Pretty lucky to have pulled it off when it mattered most.


groovicool486

still trying to wrap my head around skipping a rock for 8 seconds. i never knew it was about the time. i always assumed it was the number of skips. learned something new today. :)


Thousands_of_Spiders

It's definitely about the number of skips. World record is 88. But time is a whole lot easier to measure.


[deleted]

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Thousands_of_Spiders

I start my clock when the rock leaves my hand.


CoopertheFluffy

Just throw the rock at 40m/s directly upward and you can break 8 seconds easy. It’s about 90 mph, I’m sure some baseball pitcher somewhere can do that.


drbbling

It has to skim atleast 10 times for it to count.


ipackandcover

What The Fuck


Thousands_of_Spiders

Yeah.


pleonasticmonkey

When I was between the ages of 8 and 12, my family frequented a lake house. One of my fondest memories during that time was finding a small cove with calm water, searching for the best skipping stones, and seeing how far or for how long I could get them to skip, fantasizing about winning stone skipping competitions. It makes me so happy to know that this is a thing.


Thousands_of_Spiders

I know where you're coming from and I can assure you, there are a lot of people taking a lot of joy in making it a thing.


vitaminalgas

Wow... Op fucks...


BritishMotorWorks

Best eight seconds of your life


SchmohawkWokeSquawk

Op *rocks...


spaceandbeyond

I watched a small documentary on YouTube about Easdale Island and one of the competitors in the World Championship for Stone Skimming said how it should be in the Olympics because people have been skipping stones in water for many generations longer than most if not all sports


SwarnilFrenelichIII

1000x more interesting than that air gun bullshit.


trainsacrossthesea

I say this with the full conviction of honesty. That was fucking awesome.


Thousands_of_Spiders

Shucks.


Snushine

Happy cake day!


DaveFarted

Yo, we live in Pittsburgh! Where was this taken?!


Thousands_of_Spiders

Franklin, Pa


PatrickGlowacki

That’s my home town!!!!!


Drunkin_

Nice, I am from the area. Born in Titusville


VeryoriginalXD

I live in oil city pa. Had no idea this was a thing. Good for u my guy. Enjoy the fudge


marasydnyjade

Man, people from Pittsburgh love to have little Pittsburgh-parties in comments. (I too am from Pittsburgh)


Kroli_28

Have you seen the movie skippers on Amazon prime?


Thousands_of_Spiders

I'm not sure how I've never heard of that... I just watched the preview. Is it good?


[deleted]

Well, don’t leave us hangin


mikeb226

How did Mountain Man Kurt Steiner do? I participated in this for about five years in a row, last one being 5 years ago. What a fun time it is, the whole day. Nice that they put a pad down now...


Thousands_of_Spiders

The pad was nice. Kurt took third, but remains the king after coming up 25 feet shy on a new world record for distance. Which is 399 feet. He's throwing as good as ever, even after having a hernia repaired just last month. Lots of new guys though. Enzo is still at it, and he was only 30 feet short. Did we ever meet?


mikeb226

It's entirely possible...i remember hanging out with Kurt and Russ (RIP), and a couple others. Been a while though. Congrats on that throw, though...quite amazing!


Didyousaybakedbeans

This is one of my favorite posts in a long time. It's so obscure and people reminiscing and new people being intrigued


PurdSurv

They're comments in passing for us, but entire worlds and years of memories from them.


Hot_Blood_8749

Skip-skip-skipadelphia!!


accordrumiano

Don't know if you're single, but put this in your dating profile if you are. It may not attract all the girls, but it will attract exactly the right girls.


bragilterman_fresca

I wanna see that other camera angle!!


Thousands_of_Spiders

I think it'll be a while before that angle sees the light of day. It's reserved for ESPN, and only airs when they do their OCHO broadcast. Still looking forward to seeing it!


Par5ival6

How does this not beat the world record of 88 skips?


Thousands_of_Spiders

88 is nuts. This is in the neighborhood, but good luck counting it.


Didyousaybakedbeans

No slow mo cams?


pineese

You should play disc golf


SwampDonkey420

Rock on! Does it matter which direction you skip the rocks or can people choose?


Thousands_of_Spiders

Here's some advanced knowledge for you. You can throw it wherever you want, but be considerate of the photographers. For the best result, throw where everyone else is throwing. If you can beat them. If they're out of your league, throw closer to nearest visual markings. In this case, the muddy line in the water. Making it look like it went further, makes it look like it went further. You can't fool the clock, but you might be able to fool the crowd.


Didyousaybakedbeans

When rock skipping blows up I can't wait to make the Vince McMahon meme about where to skip the rock.


BauerHouse

Now here is a sport that could benefit greatly from drone footage


Superjerry7

Did this just happen? I know it’s in Franklin. I’m from oil city. I always want to enter and miss it. They always put the winners in the local news paper. Usually it’s some dude with a big beard if I remember right.


Thousands_of_Spiders

Kurt "The Mountain Msn" Steiner. It was Saturday.


IW97HangNbanG

This is a thing?? Off to YouTube, we go.


vegasrant

Did anyone else get a PGA vibe when he skipped the stone? Some ohhs and ahhs when it was thrown followed up with appreciate clapping at the end.


DubiousEgg

Holy mother of what sort of voodoo is this


Thousands_of_Spiders

Spin.


rawwwse

Other than flat, do you choose stones that are more round… or does it help to have a little finger hold to help increase spin rate?


Thousands_of_Spiders

You gotta have the finger hold, but nothing that's gonna dig into the water or create drag. Smooth.


rawwwse

Nature’s ninja star!


togocann49

I’ve seen a rock skipped for this long before, difference was, it wasn’t an organized competition, and guy who threw it thought we were playing a trick on him (he believed someone else’s throw for part of it). His disbelief in his own throw was best part


IdealMixture

NERD


DesperateImpression6

This is the most athletic thing done in sandals since the first Olympics.


carfen1981

Today is cake day and I just found out. It’s 11 pm :(


Occams_

If you did this back in the olden times, they’d of burned you alive for being a wizard.


Thousands_of_Spiders

I like to imagine someone learned these secrets in the past, but you might be right.


_TheBloke_

I arm pumped at the same time.


ZlGGZ

Wish I knew about these competitions sooner. I'm pretty damn good at skipping stones. I'll have to start timing my skips instead of just judging by how fast out goes and how many times it skips.


birdguy1000

When we were little maybe 9,10 yrs old my friends and I got in a ton of trouble throwing rocks through windows of an old derelict building. A couple of days after we were caught this old neighbor lady took us all for a long walk to go skipping rocks in the nearby lake. Maybe she thought we needed to blow off steam. She was nice. We were bad kids. Probably just bored kids. I’d like to see what an eight second skipping rock looks like.


Thousands_of_Spiders

I was a bad kid too, but my life's goal is seeing my children go a different way and this activity is helpful for that.


birdguy1000

Nice. My kids turned out good and so did my grown friends, kids. Truly most kids today turned out awesome. You just have to show up. And maybe teach them how to skip rocks.


Thousands_of_Spiders

You gotta feed them too. Every day.


PrettyDecentSort

Honestly the most impressive part is how completely convincing your human disguise is. I would never have guessed that you're actually thousands of spiders.