Stone Skipping Glossary

– A –

Agnew:

A stone that hits a person, Judge or bystander.

– B –

Brown liquor rule:

See, high commissioner for details

– C –

Clear the bucket:

Shoot the last stones of a six-stone set.

Cluttered:

In reference to scoring. A “rude” assortment of pitty-pats and plinkers.

Cresting out:

Rock hits wave top and takes high angle course with slight rebound. Not a plonk.

– G –

Gerplunking (or Geplunking, eastern):

Children’s form of stone skipping. Dropping rock into water with resulting sound “gerplunk.” Earlier included in tournament but never successfully scored.

Golden year, the:

A generally accepted reference to the 1975 MISS&GC open tournament when

Seven contestants broke the previous world’s record: Rodger B. Williams, Glenn A. Loy, jr., and Todd Callewaert, each with 22; James Ohlinger, David Bogen and Bob Grayson, with 23, and Warren Klope with 24. In the far east this is known as “the year of the smooth stone.”

– L –

“let he…Who is without frisbee cast the first stone”

Traditional cry by Cmdr. E.M. Tellefson, U.S.N. (ret.) To open the annual Mackinac Island July 4 Tournaments of the MISS&GC. Prof. Lou ward of Lake Superior state college’s English faculty has been petitioning the winter rules committee to change this to: “let him who is with- out…” but this has been decried by members as “effete.”

Little David trophy:

Large rock awarded to Winner of Mackinac open. Must be carried from island to validate winning and qualify for year’s fudge supply.

– M –

Masters: The Sonny Eliot masters invitational.

Winner receives Sonny Eliot boulder trophy (professional stone skippers defy superstition.)

Mor-far-soster-bror:

Norwegian, for stone skipping; i.e. Mother, father, sister, brother. Norwegians aim to make a score of four, “nelja,” which is a mystic number.

– O –

Open:

The Mackinac Island open tournament. “Open” to professionals as well as amateurs. Winner receives Little David trophy.

– P –

Pitty-pat:

(hyphen added) short skips at end of run with light water showing between.

Play the fudge:

Play more for the year’s supply of fudge than for the sport. Some would prefer not to see the fudge prize “as it spoils the amateur standing,” but others enthusiastically vote for the fudge year after year at the annual winter rules committee meeting.

Plink:

A clean cut skip, usually at head of a run; heavy water shows between hops.

Plonk:

A stone that sinks on first hit of run.

Plonk out:

The act of throwing a plonk.

– R –

Run:

A single stone skip sequence, generally composed of pitty-pats and plinkers.

– S –

Score for the pound:

To set a new top score for the day and thus win a pound of Mackinac Island fudge. Set regulation six stones hurled consecutively by single player; the best “run” becomes his score for the set.

Silver Birches Beaches:

Location of earlier tournaments. Approximately one half way around island in front of silver birches cottage. Large dock extending into lake facilitates Judging. A fine course, very Sporty.

Skronker:

A stone that never hits water.

Smorgas:

Swedish for stone skip, as in smorgasbord, i.e. Sandwiches.

Smut:

Danish word for stone skip.

Smutklubben AF 1948:

Founded in Copenhagen by Carl Weinholdt, world champion 1957 to 1976. Exclusive little smut club for stone skippers.

– T –

Tellefson, U.S.N. (ret.), cmdr. E.m.:

The grand old man of stone skipping. His 17-skip stone at point aux pins in 1932 was remarkable for its time. Now retired, the commander opens the tournament annually with his traditional cry: “let he who is without frisbee cast the first stone.” This wording is the subject of great debate at the annual Winter rules Committee meeting. Purists prefer “him” but veteran stone skippers have labeled this ‘effete”

– U –

Unicorns, Ltd. Conglomerate

(short form: “unicorn hunters):

Unicorn hunters:

The MISS&GC is a scion of this organization, Lake Superior state college founded and based, but worldwide in membership. Of which the woods-runner is the recognized official quarterly journal.

– W –

Windermere:

Site of current tournament playoff and unofficial MISS&GC headquarters. Windermere Park, part of Mr. Robert Doud’s Windemere hotel properties. Though Mr. Doud graciously allows the club to use his beach every year, he does not attend, preferring to follow play through high-powered spy glass from his hotel.

(He is reputed never in his entire life to have skipped a stone, either Privately, or Professionally)

Winter Rules Committee:

Meets annually at 11:30 a.m. On the day after thanksgiving (traditionally) in the upper room of the Detroit press club. Reservations and payment must be made in advance with the club. Any Club or group of stone skippers may send representatives, though only certified delegates may vote on “major agenda issues”.

All representatives may and do debate, talk, propose points, argue and drink and eat.

Woods-runner:

The unofficial quarterly journal of unicorn hunters and, ergo, the MISS&GC. Yearly subscriptions available, see Unicorns, Ltd. Conglomerate.

– Y –

Year of the smooth stone:

:see “golden year”