land's Stone Skipping Hall of Fame. Rabe founded the Mackinac Island Stone Skipping and Gerplunking Club. As tournament director and publisher of the stone-skipping journal The Boulder, he promoted the sport throughout the U.P. Tellefson, regarded as the "grand old man of stone skipping," began his skipping career with an impressive 17 skips in 1932. For many years until his death in 2008, he opened the Island

tournament with his traditional call that continues to this day: "Let he who is without Frisbee cast the first stone!" "Mountain Man" Steiner set a record for the Guinness Book of World Records with 88 skips in 2013 in Kane, Pennsylvania, with a stone estimated to have traveled at 43 miles per hour. 

THE PERFECT PITCH

The two most important factors for any aspiring stone skipper to keep in mind are spin and speed. When a thrown stone has spin, the rotational force helps to stabilize its plane in relation to the water. The speed of the stone keeps it from sinking. With enough spin and speed, the stone bounces off the surface to skip again. However, with each subsequent skip, the stone loses speed because of the friction created by contact with the air and water. As the friction increases, the speed decreases, and the stone eventually sinks.

Research has shown that in addition to carrying adequate spin and speed, stones that

enter the water at a 10- to 20-degree angle have the best chance of producing multiskip throws. (Yes, professional and amateur scientists have studied stone skipping.)

To up your skips, try some of these tips from the pros:

• Choose a uniformly thick, oval stone that's neither too heavy nor too light. Rectangular stones

• Hold it between your thumb and index finger. It should fit easily in the palm of your hand.

• Throw the stone quickly, flicking your wrist as you release it to add spin.

• Aim to keep the stone parallel with and as close to the surface as possible when it hits the water.

• The stone should enter the water no more than 15 feet from shore, at an angle of between 10 and 20 degrees.

• Hold a few stones in your nonthrowing hand for a counterweight.

• For best results, try skipping in the morning or evening, when waters are usually calmer.

Martie Majoros is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire who lives in Burlington, Vermont.

Photo: Mackinac Island Stone Skipping and Gerplunking Club