33 Skips Sets Record as Professional Stone Skippers Compete on Island
17 Skips Wins Youth Division Contest for Drake Lewandowski
By Sean Ely

Kurt Steiner stands in ankle-deep water (far right) before launching his stone in the fifth of six rounds. Mr. Steiner's longest throw of the day came in the last round, when it skipped off the water 30 times, awarding him second place. Judges and the crowd watch from the rocky shoreline on Windermere Point.

John "Skippy" Kolar, Glen "Hard Luck" Lloy, Todd "Muscles" Callewaert, David "Lefty" Kolar, Kurt "Mountain Man" Steiner, and Russ "Rock Bottom" Byars all bear the nicknames of seasoned stone skippers, and they met in competition Wednesday, July 4, for the 39th annual William T. Rabe Pro Invitational stone-skipping tournament at Windermere Point. The event featured 10 of the top skippers, as well as amateurs and children under the age of five.

Mr. Byars took home two Grand Hotel goblets filled with one dollar bills for his winning score of 33 skips, the highest score recorded on Mackinac since Mr. Rabe started the event in 1968. "Rock Bottom" also broke the Island record two rounds earlier, when he threw for 29 skips. He donated his prize money to the Mackinac Island Public Library, where other proceeds from the event go.

"It always feels good, because you're trying to win," said Mr. Byars, a resident of Franklin, Pennsylvania. "If you lose up here on the Island, it's not a big deal, because you're surrounded by good people, all the money is for the library, and, most importantly, it is a lot of fun. But you are definitely trying to win, so doing it feels great."

The rock that Mr. Byars used was heavier than normal, he said. He threw a couple stones he thought were pretty good, because usually when he lets go of a rock, he can tell if it's going to be a good one by the way it hits the water.

He said he will return next year to defend his title.

For the pro division, the 10 participants lined up across the shoreline, taking turns throwing their stones. There were six rounds, so everyone was given the opportunity to obtain six scores, which were determined by a group of judges who conferred after every throw, averaging the skips each counted. A shot clock was ticking down the seconds, so nobody could wait for waves to pass. Shots had to be thrown quickly, just 15 to 20 seconds after the last one.

"When it gets close to 30, it gets really hard to count," said Mike Piskie of Royal Oak, a judge for the past seven years at the Mackinac competition.

"Some of the stones almost hit the dock today, so they can get pretty far out there, as well. We average it out, as judges, get some highs and lows, and come up with a score between one or two skips of what everyone saw. That's why you have to have five people. Everyone's vision is good, but not that good."

Mr. Piskie is also the Web master for the group at www.stoneskipping.com.

"When you get the families with a four-year-old competing against a six-year-old who is competing with an eight-year-old who is competing against his mom and dad, it's unbelievable to see," he said. "It's just fun to see the families, and it doesn't matter if you're young or old. That's why it's the best. The pros are fun, but I really like to witness the families. When dad can barely do better than the six-year-old, you'll see the child feeling good because he thinks he can compete with his dad. Even brothers and sisters will tie and say, 'We need to have a skip off.' That's neat, even the little ones that throw these tiny stones, they can get six or seven skips out of the stone, because they are so light. Everything about it is fun and exciting."

For 15 years, Leonard Field has also been a judge for this competition. He started off as a pro, but now counts the skips. He also loves seeing the child-like tendencies everyone goes through while skipping stones.

"Even the adults act like kids during this event," he said. "It's like they are back to being eight, 10, or 12 years old again, even if it is just for a brief moment. When you're walking along the beach anywhere, and you see a stone and you pick it up, what do you do with it? You skip it. That's why this competition relates to everyone. I've even seen people go from skipping scores of five and six, to 21. The looks on their faces are priceless."

Also at the event was Guinness Book of World Records holder Kurt Steiner, the "Mountain Man," from Erie, Pennsylvania. He once skipped a stone 40 times in a competition, with TV cameras to verify the number. Mr. Steiner was seen sorting through his suitcase of flat rocks from home. He enjoys this event, because it is an excuse to get out and do something fun, with competitors who know what they are doing, want to win, yet have fun doing it.

One of the main reasons Mr. Steiner and Mr. Byars like the Mackinac event is because they know they will be competing against one another.

Mackinac Island's waters are seen as a bit tougher than some of the inland lakes on the circuit. The passenger boats create a water surface that becomes more choppy as the day wears on.

"It's a challenge to find lanes, but it's a lot of fun, too," Mr. Steiner said.

Although it might seem like shattering records is what stone skippers shoot for, it is actually quite the opposite. Mr. Steiner and Mr. Byars both agree that they prefer going somewhere that they choose, without the pressure of a contest.

"It's almost impossible to set a record in a competition, because your only concern is to beat the guy ahead of you," Mr. Steiner said. "To break a record, you are going to have a high number of failures, and the more force you use, the less precision you have. To set a record, you have to have that combination of both, and you don't want to necessarily take that risk in a contest. You're just trying to beat the guy ahead of you by at least one. The high number doesn't matter."

The record holder, who works both with computers and as a welder, is currently living in the woods, without electricity. He got into stone skipping competitively when he was camping with his wife. After setting up the campsite, his wife was reading a local paper that said there was going to be a state tournament in Franklin, Pennsylvania. He told his wife that he used to be a good skipper, so she asked, "Why don't we go?"

The two drove 100 miles back home to get stones from near Lake Erie. Then they drove another 50 miles to Franklin, where he met Mr. Byars. On his final throw of the day, Mr. Steiner defeated Mr. Byars by one skip. The two have been rivals since.

That is when Mr. Steiner said to himself, "Maybe I should actually try practicing, or thinking about what I'm doing more." He said that he got better after that, and even continued throwing his trick shots, which he practiced as a child.

Mr. Byars, an electrical technician in Franklin, says that if it weren't for this competition, he would have never traveled to Mackinac Island, which is why he is grateful that he found it.

"Kids always come up to me and want tips," he said. "It's fun to see their expression and help them, and let them know how to guide the stone out of their hand. It really is a crowd thing, and having a good time. I even had five kids asking for my autograph."

John Kolar, last year's winner with 25 skips, likes the anticipation of the event.

"I love to be down here at the beach watching all of this, which makes me afraid to look away while I'm hunting for good stones," he said. "I hunt, and then look up. Hunt, and look up. I just don't want to miss a single thing."

Eric Steiner, the public relations manager and announcer, said the event has grown each year.

"We talk about this event all year long, like even at Christmas it comes up," Mr. Steiner said. "It just feels great to be doing something positive for the Island while having fun doing it."

The winner in the 5-to-12- year-old division was Drake Lewandowski from Roscommon, with 17 skips. Two years ago, he was awarded second place. This year, he searched for the perfect flat rocks along the Island's shoreline and hit the jackpot with a group of rocks that he knew would help his chances. He even skips rocks in a river behind his house, helping him prepare for the action on the Island.

Second place was Logan Faber of Chicago, who threw a pair of 16s, giving him the silver medal.

In the 12-and-up league, Michael Steiner of Grosse Pointe won with 23 skips. Instead of taking the prize, he was asked to join the pro lineup, making him the 10th participant. In second place was Jim Kaderabek, who has participated for 10 years.

"I enjoy coming to the Island to celebrate the Fourth of July, America's birthday on a very American, and beautiful place," he said. "It's a freespirited thing, and it raises money for the library, which is great. It celebrates the American spirit to be free. The founding fathers said, 'Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' We often times forget that, because it was later changed to the ownership of property, but the founding fathers knew that people weren't going to be complete without feeling free."

"We'll start planning tomorrow for next year's event," Mr. Steiner said. "It's kind of like the Thanksgiving Day parade; you have to start the next day. I'm already looking forward to it."