Is Stone Skimming Really a Sport? This Welsh Champion Thinks So

By Gethin Spencer

Skimming at Sunrise at Carew Castle, Wales. Credit: Philip Bloxham

Most people have skimmed a stone across a body of water at some point in their lives. Few, however, have done it at more than 70 miles per hour.

Fresh from a first place finish at the Welsh Stone Skimming Championships with a official record 153 meter dash. Cardiff-based Philip Bloxham, 35, is pushing the limits of a sport many don’t know even exist.

He only discovered competitive stone skimming four years ago after someone shouted out that he was a “champion stone skimmer” while visiting a beach in Devon.

Two weeks later, he entered the Welsh Championships and finished second.

Since then, the Welshman has become one of the world’s best, unofficially exceeding world-record distances and skip counts.

His ultimate target is reaching 200 metres.

He said: “I think I can do it,

“It’s a race to see how far my generation can push it.”

Bloxham has travelled internationally through stone skimming, recently judging a competition in Patagonia.

Despite the success, he states his frustrations around having to prove the sporting merit of the activity.

He said: “People feel quite strongly that stone skimming is ‘just a hobby’

“To me, it’s not a debate”

For Bloxham, the difference between casually throwing stones and competing internationally is the difference between having a kickabout in the park and playing in a World Cup final.

Bloxham noted: “Most people who are good at skimming stones can probably get 20 skips or maybe 50 metres on a really good day,

“That’s something I can do with my eyes closed, through my legs.”

Bloxham has an unofficial skip count surpassing 99.

Bloxham preparing to judge a stone skimming championship in Patagonia. Credit: Philip Bloxham

Sunrise skim at Patagonia. Credit: Philip Bloxham

Competitions now take place across Wales, Scotland, Germany, New Zealand, Argentina and the United States, with formal rules, judging systems and championship events.

Bloxham said: “Sport is a competitive physical activity governed by formal rules, requiring significant physical exertion or complex motor skills to determine a winner through performance rather than chance,

“Stone skimming ticks every box.”

He points to recognised sports such as javelin, curling, and darts as examples of disciplines built around throwing objects with precision and technique.

The physical demands involved are also rigorous. According to Bloxham, many elite competitors centre their entire regime around the sport, using rotational exercises, polymetrics and sports-specific moments designed to maximise power and spin.

He argues: “High-performing skimmers release their stones in excess of 70mph,

“It takes years to practice and to master. You need strength, precision and accuracy”

He points to his own improvement as evidence of the skill involved.

“I spent my whole life skimming stones and hit 77 meters in my first competition. Fours years later, after taking it seriously, I have more than doubled that distance to at least 157 meters"

However, Bloxham believes the sport may not be operating at its greatest capacity for recognition. Most major competitions require competitors to use naturally sourced stones, something he argues can create inconsistencies.

He compares it to Olympic javelin throwers arriving with random branches collected from the woods instead of standardised equipment.

“Anyone who claims stone skimming is not a sport has just never witnessed a real stone skimmer displaying the skill”

Despite the records, rivalries, and professionalisms within the sport, the Cardiffian believes the community remains one of the sport’s elite strengths:

“It’s a wholesome bunch of people”

“I think the world would be nicer place if people met up and skimmed stones”

Bloxham practising skimming knee deep in a river. Credit: Philip Bloxham

Bloxham and his wife after the Welsh Championships, 2024, her in third place, him in first. Credit: Philip Bloxham