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   Traditional Throwing Games

Aunt Sally, Horseshoe Pitching,
Quoits, Washer Pitching,
Stone Skimming
see also Disc Golf   Skittles

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General Information

Horseshoe Pitching

Horseshoes of agreed size and weight are thrown at stakes over a distance of 27 to 37 ft (depending on the age of the players) in pits lined with flooring material to prevent excessive bouncing. Points are scored for encircling the stake or being closest to the stake. The game is believed to date back to Roman Times. It is extremely popular in N. America, but is also played in South Africa, Italy, Japan, Grand Bahama Islands, Togo, West Africa, Australia, New Zealand, West Germany, Nigeria, Honduras, Canada, South America, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, Poland, Phillipine Islands, England, Sweden, Finland and Russia. top

Aunt Sally 
A traditional pub game, which originates from Oxfordshire and  has crept into neighbouring counties.

"Sticks" 18 inches long, 2 inches in diameter, are thrown at  single white stubby skittle, about 6 inches high and 2 and 3/4 inches in diameter called "dolly" positioned on top of a hollow rod (the "iron") driven into the earth so that the top is two and a half feet above the ground. Players throw the sticks at it from behind a line known as the "hockey" which is 10 yards from the iron, scoring a point for each direct hit. It is played mainly in the Oxford and Warwickshire area in the UK and is believed to have been introduced by Royalist soldiers during the English Civil war when Charles set up court in Oxford  top

Quoits

Probably predating Horseshoe Pitching, scoring the same way, but using  doughnut-shaped metal rings with a rounded top surface and a concave underside surface.  They are usually made of brass, bronze, or steel weighing between 3 to 4 lbs per set of 4 quoits
Comparison of Quoits in America and England  from The Quoit Pits
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Washer Pitching

Similar in concept to Horseshoe pitching, scoring the same way, but using 2.5” in diameter washers with a 1” center hole and throwing them to land in a circular recessed cup as a target. The cups are made of PVC pipe and should measure 3” in diameter by 4.5” depth.  See rules  and vocabulary from the WPA
  Washer Pitching Association; the official site of the WPA, calendar of events, standings, official merchandise; vocabulary.  Rules;
Washers for Wellness Supporting Pulmonary Fibrosis Research; Dear Creek Park Maplewood MO June; Directions, about the game, history...
Bombat Washers  - manufacturers, but also have useful resources on  tournaments, some of which they organise, results, rules and a forum
Kentucky snapshot of washer pitching
Missouri Washerworks - manufactures also providing tournament info and on how to play
Pro Washers supply a version
Redneck Horseshoes Game: uses a platform roughly 4' long by 1' wide  having 3 holes scoring 1 point for the closest,  3 points for the middle and 5 points for the back, throwing powder coated washers; how to play, components, available for sale.
Yorkville International Washer pitching . Setup, rules and scoring - 2 holes using 2" washers.
Washer Pitching basic rules and how to play
Game of Washers.com  Build your own washers set and start enjoying the game of washers today. The site also contains useful sections on the history of the game and how to play
Washer Game World A variety of handmade washer pitching games as well as rules and instructions on how to build your own game.

Original Washers (Texas Horseshoes) is an exciting yard game where the goal is to get exactly 21 points throwing large metal washers on a finished wood surface. The game is played with two washer boards with 3 holes in each. This game is typically played two-on-two but can also be played one-on-one. Game rules
 

   Wa-Shoes

 - a variation of Washer Pitching, It is played inside a garage or basement, or outside in the yard or on a deck. The game uses 6 round  metallic washers (3 for each team). Three of the washers should be painted or marked different from the other 3 washers. They should also be the same size and weight. The game is played with 2 boards, each with one circular hole in the centre as a target. The boards should be placed on the ground 15 feet apart. Points are scored by whomever throws into the hole on the board, or closest to the hole.  From Washer Pitching
  How to Play Wa-Shoes
Wa-shoes   commercial company with some useful resource covering the basics, scoring and events
 

Stone Skimming

Who has not tried to bounce or Skim flat stones across the water? Well at Easdale Island in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland, UK, there is a world Championship. Let us know if this happens elsewhere.... top
  World Stone Skimming Championship   provides, the background, rules, history and winners since it was introduced in 1997. Sunday 23rd September 2007 is the date for the next one
BBC Coverage.2005
The Science
   Some science behind it from iAfrica
   Spins the thing - more science from +Maths to perfect your technique
   Secrets-of-stone-skimming