Cheaters Even Show Up in Rock-Skipping Contests

A decades-old stone-skipping contest on a tiny Scottish island made waves this year—not for record throws, but for a cheating scandal. The rules of the Easdale island contest are simple: A competitor can use only naturally formed stones from Easdale itself, and nothing wider than 3 inches, verified by the contest's metal "ring of truth." But this year, organizers say, a few participants slipped in doctored stones in pursuit of the world championship title. They'd been ground too perfectly round, per the BBC. Event commentator and "Toss Master" Kyle Mathews, who watched all 1,200 throws, said the breach only underscored the lengths people will go for a win, calling it "flattering" in its own way, per the New York Times.

Allegations of cheating first emerged during the Sept. 6 event, which included 400 participants. When confronted after the fact, those involved quickly admitted their misdeeds and accepted disqualification. "You wouldn't get that in a lot of sports," said six-time women's champion Lucy Wood, who praised how organizers handled the fallout, per the Times. Jon Jennings, this year's open category champion and the contest's first American winner, hopes the cheating won't overshadow the event's quirky, communal vibe. The annual championship, which began in 1983 in a local pub, remains a fiercely competitive but good-natured affair. This year's event brought 2,200 spectators from 27 countries to the car-free island that's home to just 60 permanent residents, per the BBC.