When The Skipping Stone was published, I included some fun facts in the back of the book, including the record for the most skips, which at that time of publication was 51 consecutive skips, achieved by Russell “Rock Bottom” Byers in 2007. The Guinness Book of World Records now tells us that the most consecutive skips of a stone on water is 88, achieved by Kurt “Mountain Man” Steiner, achieved at Red Bridge, near Kane, Pennsylvania, USA on September 6, 2013. Mind-boggling, isn’t it?
Kurt, a previous record holder from 2002-2007, has been practicing for the past few years to improve his skills. He has collected more than 10,000 “quality rocks” and has sorted each according to its type, to prepare for the best possible throw. He looks for stones “that weigh between 3 – 8 ounces… that are very smooth (they don’t have to be perfectly round), flat bottoms and are between 1/4 – 5/16th of an inch thick.”
The Skipping Stone Hardcover Edition $20
I’ve been collecting skipping stones since my picture book was published and I give them to anyone who purchases my book. If you’d like to try your hand at skipping stones, I’ve created a special offer: purchase one autographed copy of The Skipping Stone and receive five carefully selected stones for skipping, perfect for a day of family fun!
I hope you’ll send me pictures of you and/or your child skipping stones. I’ll post them here.
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