Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
The recent stone skimming championships faced a cheating scandal as multiple participants were disqualified for tampering with their stones. The event, which took place on the tiny island of Easdale off the west coast of Scotland, attracted over 2,200 people from 27 different countries. The rules of the competition strictly require that stones must be sourced from naturally occurring island slate, but some contestants were found to have altered their stones to give them an unfair advantage by making them rounder for better water-bouncing.
Organizer Dr. Kyle Mathews addressed the issue, stating that the offenders acknowledged their wrongdoing and issued apologies for their actions. Entrants in the competition are responsible for choosing their own stones, which are then scrutinized by judges using a measuring tool known as the “ring of truth” to ensure they meet the size requirement of no larger than three inches in diameter. Each participant is granted three attempts to skim their stones, with the stipulation that the stones must bounce at least twice on the water before sinking.
Despite the controversy, Dr. Mathews, also known as the “Toss Master,” expressed optimism for the future of the event, mentioning that lessons had been learned and improvements would be made for the following year’s championship. Jonathan Jennings emerged victorious as the overall winner of this year’s event, becoming the first American to claim the title and skimming his stones a total distance of 177m. The competition, initially established in 1983 by resident Albert Baker and later revived in 1997 by the Eilean Eisdeal community group, takes place in a former slate quarry that was flooded by a tidal wave in 1881 and is staged by volunteers to support local community projects and charities, having raised £15,000 last year. Easdale, the smallest permanently inhabited island in the Inner Hebrides with a population of around 60 people, continues to host this unique and beloved competition
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.