Rock skimming champion game

McElwaine also pointed out that, in theory, a skipping stone will bounce indefinitely across the water if the horizontal speed can be maintained. And because air is times less dense than water, its impact on the rock's flight is relatively minimal. We could say stone skimming is a miracle of fluid dynamics. But there's more to it than math and science. Kurt "Mountain-Man" Steiner currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive skips of a stone on water.

But his achievement was not a stroke of luck. The truth is that he had been training for years for the moment. Kurt collects several thousands of "quality stones" from Lake Erie and sorts each according to its type to have the best possible throws. There are different shapes for different skips and conditions, just like a surfer or skimboarder picks a board from his quiver for a specific type of wave.

It's paramount to choose your weapon wisely - "Mountain Man" has triangle, square, and circle-shaped stones for all situations. These stones do not have to perfectly round, but they need to be extremely smooth and have flat bottoms. He developed his own tossing style, which somehow defies science's paradigms regarding optimal skimming stone formulas.

Steiner prefers to throw his stones fast at 30 degrees to an imaginary horizontal line, swiveling his shoulder back and bringing his arm like a whip. When the stone is thrown, it looks like it is going almost directly into the water, except by the time it hits the water, it's not actually going directly down and then comes out at about five degrees.

How do you skip a stone across an ocean, lake, river, or body of water? Here are a few tips that will help you become a better and more talented stone skipper. The first thing you have to do is determine which side is going to be down. Flatter and slightly rounded are good; if it's cupped or jagged, put that up. It all depends on the water conditions, the stones you have, and distance versus skip count goals.

For example, if you're aiming for multiple skips, you should attack the surface of the water with a steep rock release. The brief time between release and the first skip - less than a second - is enough to change the landing orientation of the stone. Under high rotational and forward velocity, non-flat stones experience significant aerodynamic effects. You might want to select rocks that spin aerodynamically against the gyroscopic twist, similar to the vertical propeller on a helicopter.

One final word of advice: stone skimming can cause injuries. So, make sure to warm-up your muscles before trying your luck. The competition features five divisions: adults male and female competitors aged 16 years or more , juniors boys and girls aged years inclusive , children kids aged nine years and under , old tossers male and female competitors aged 60 or more and team maximum of four athletes of either gender and any age mix.

The stone must bounce on the surface of the water at least two times to be considered a valid skim. The island is so small that only a few hundred people can watch at a time. And when skimmers skim, they must keep the stone within a designated lane and only throw a maximum of 63 metres — the distance to the back wall at the end of the flooded quarry. At the British championship, Lewis skimmed metres.

Lewis has investigated the science of the skim. He throws at about five degrees to the horizontal. The first bounce should be around 10 metres from you, he says — or metres in windier conditions. Of all the people I meet, Lewis is most alert to the money-making potential of skimming, a sport that offers no cash prizes. He recently wore a T-shirt to a skimming event that, by chance, had a photo of a chalet on it. The chalet owner got in touch to tell Lewis that if he continued to wear it, he could stay in the chalet for nothing.

As I leave, he hands me a business card. The morning of the championships arrives and I practise with some kids at the quarry. Worryingly, there is an eight-year-old here who looks more promising than me. A man turns up and launches some stones. This turns out to be Peter Szep, the defending champion. Long was a fireman who got caught by a collapsing roof in a hotel fire in He believes the stones should be standardised, comparing the idea of picking your own stones to someone turning up to an Olympic javelin event with their own spear.

He knows a manufacturer of decorative stone products who could do the job. He built a pond in the lab and they used motion-tracking technology to capture a 3D image of Wood in action. They also used force plates to examine her weight distribution and high-speed video to record her skims.

The tournament begins at the quarry. A hush descends as Isaacs, a favourite here, steps up. When he hits the back wall with his first and third skim there is an almighty cheer from the strong crowd.

But for now, this is progress. Just as in the late s, the Giants had to be embarrassed into making fundamental changes. They are taking their first baby steps in the right direction. January 12, pm Updated January 12, pm.