Rock In River Festival

The Official Website of the Pennsylvania Qualifying Stone Skipping Tournament, held in Franklin, PA

Kansas Man Wins in Final Round for a Stunning Upset!

Final results from 2009 here

Click here to see the 2009 Rock In River Photo Gallery

See the CBS Sunday Morning story on the 2009 event!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

In a stunning upset, Wichita, Kansas resident Grant Mitchell walked away with the Pennsylvania State Title Saturday at Riverfront Park. A medical student at Penn University, Mitchell himself was stunned to have taken the trophy away from long-time winner Russ Byars. "I had been wanting to compete in this tournament for awhile," Mitchell said. "I had just arrived in Philadelphia late in the week to get ready for fall classes, and I had partied quite late Friday night. I woke up at 9:30 Saturday morning and knew I had to make a choice: roll over and go back to sleep, or hop in the car and drive as fast as I can to make the cross-state trip to Franklin in time to do the tournament." Mitchell arrived just 5 minutes before the start of the pro competition and just barely made the registration deadline. During the course of the 6-round competition, his single-digit skips impressed no one. He had been written off as some hotshot who had no business skipping with the big dogs. But on his 6th and final skip, Mitchell fired off a stunning 42-skip throw that had the crowd of several hundred fans gasping in disbelief.

Prior to Mitchell's final toss, Russ Byars himself had nearly clinched the title with a solid 39, thought by many to be untouchable. But Scotsman Allistair Cooper, having flown in from California and skipping in his now-trademark kilt, was nipping at Byars' heels with a respectable 38. Conditions for the 2009 event were somewhat challenging, as record-high river levels made it impossible for the competitors to skip at water level. Instead, they were forced to throw from higher up on the grassy bank, which was slick from mud created by several days of hard rain.

Event organizers knew 2009 would prove to be a hotly-contested tournament, as ESPN and CBS News film crews were present to cover the story. A sizable contingent from the Mackinac Island Stone Skipping & Gerplunking Club, the sanctioning body for stone skipping, was on-hand, with two competitors of their own. Eric Steiner, "The Voice" of Mackinac stone skipping, provided color commentary for this year's Franklin event. CBS' own Bill Geist competed as a celebrity pro skipper.

The Rock In River Festival is the newest Franklin festival, overlooking the confluence of French Creek and the Allegheny River. This festival includes kids games, rock decorating contest, chicken barbecue, boat rides, live music featuring the Ryver Nymphs, and the fun of watching amateurs and professionals (including reigning World Champion and Guinness World Record holder Russ Byars, and  former Guinness World Record Holder Kurt Steiner) compete for the state championship of skipping stones across the water. Registration for competition begins at 11:00. Click here for directions to Riverfront Park.

Our competition is sanctioned by the Mackinac Island Stone Skipping and Gerplunking Club, who operate the nationals in Michigan each July 4. The Pennsylvania winner is entitled to compete in the prestigious "Pro Category" at Mackinac the following Independence Day.  A very elite group of professionals from around the world gather on Windermere Beach, a stone-covered beach on Lake Michigan beside ferry boat docks which connect Mackinac Island to Mackinaw City on the mainland.

Officiating the PA Qualifying Stone Skipping Tournament is High Commissioner Brian Barnett of Franklin and his team of judges.  Contestants are asked to submit a small donation ($3 a person amateur, 12 and under $1, pros $10), and although the event is a "bring your own stones" tournament, exotic skipping stones from various parts of western Pennsylvania are usually available for contestants for an additional small donation.

Registration for the competition begins at 11:00; amateur competition starts at 1:00, and the Allegheny Chukker Challenge (pro & celebrity category) takes place at 3:00 p.m.  In keeping with tradition, the winner will receive locally-produced fudge. Click here to see the competition results from 2008 in all categories.

Mark your calendars for the next Rock In River Festival, Saturday, August 28, 2010.

Also: Run, bike, and paddle for prizes in the Allegheny Outdoor Adventure! This non-competitive event is open to all ages and starts at 9:00 at the Franklin trailhead of the Justus trail. You'll finish up just in time to catch the stone skipping activities in the park.

Attention all press: high-resolution photos and info now available here.

7/4/2009

Byars Claims 5th World Championship Win

Russ Byars edged out with a 28 over Todd "Mussels" Calewaert and Nate "Dogg" Rango, both tossing a best of 26, at the 40th Mackinac Invitational.

8/23/2008

Byars Holds Pennsylvania Title

Russ Byars rolls over Eric Drusko with a 35 over Drusko's 30 at the 2008 Pennsylvania Qualifying Tournament. See the final results here.

7/4/2008

Byars Becomes 4-time World Champ

With a top toss of 25, Russ Byars takes out Glenn "Hard Luck" Loy to take the lead and win the '08 Mackinac Invitational for the second straight year, continuing his reign as the top skipper in the sport.

9/19/2007

Byars Sets New World Record

Byars' July 19, 2007 skip goes into the Guinness World Record book at an amazing 51 skips, beating Emporium's Kurt Steiner. Get all the details, including video footage at ProStoneskipping.Com.

8/25/2007

National Public Radio Covers 2007 Event

WPSU covered the 2007 Franklin event and put together this little news piece.

7/4/2007 Byars Shatters Mackinac Record

Franklin's own Russ Byars steamrolled his way onto Mackinac Island to regain his title as the top skipper in the world. "Rock Bottom" Byars not only regained his title at Mackinac, but set a new all-time record for the venue. Guinness world-record holder Kurt "Mountain Man" Steiner followed closely behind with his own Mackinac first of 30 skips, putting Pennsylvania in the top two positions.  Full story with photo gallery

8/26/2006 Byars Returns to Top Spot There was some question as to whether or not "Mountain Man" Steiner would return to compete this year after injuring his arm in a mountain bike crash. But he did return, and proved himself a capable contender, with a best throw of 36 skips. But Byars edged him out with a best of 38, to take the trophy.

8/23/2003 Franklinite Russ Byars Takes the Win for PA On Saturday, August 23, 2003, Franklin's own Russell Byars successfully secured the current PA title by narrowly outskipping Kurt Steiner with a high smut of 28. He is now qualified to represent Pennsylvania at the Mackinac Nationals on July 4, 2004.

7/4/2004 Byars Goes On to Claim National Championship On July 4th, 2004, Russ went to Mackinac and picked up the national title. Conditions were brutal, with bone-chilling cold and rain throughout the competition. Lake Huron was whipped into a frenzy while the top skippers in the U.S. duked it out for the title. See pictures from the event here.

8/28/2004 Byars Repeats Performance to Maintain PA Title Russ continues his streak by claiming the 2004 title at the Riverfront Park event, by casting an outstanding 35 skips. Could Russ be the Tiger Woods of stone skipping?

7/4/2005 2005 - Byars Is Unstoppable! In an event jam-packed with some of the highest scores in Mackinac history, Russ pulls ahead of the pack in the final round with a record-breaking 30 skips at the Wilmer T. Rabe Memorial Mackinac Invitational on July 4th, 2005, to win his second consecutive world championship. Could Russ be the Lance Armstrong of stone skipping?

8/15/2005 Byars To Be Cast In Independent Film Russ Byars has been booked to provide stone skipping expertise and act as a stunt double for Guns & Butter Entertainment, LLC, in their feature-length film The Book of Caleb, to be filmed around the Delaware River in Philadelphia. Filming is expected to begin this October.

8/27/2005 Steiner Wins it Back! In a dramatic battle for the top spot, Kurt "Mountain Man" Steiner, current Guinness World Record holder, came through in the clutch and ended the reign of Franklin's own Russ "Rock Bottom" Byars.  He is now qualified to represent Pennsylvania at the Mackinac Nationals on July 4, 2006.

"Let he who is without frisbee cast the first stone!"