Throwing a stone in the hope of watching it bounce off the water as many times as possible is an age-old sporting entertainment that has gladdened the hearts of both children and adults for a great many years. But for some, it becomes a more serious calling.
After years competing across the country to hone her skills, Christina Bowen Bravery reached the ultimate pinnacle by being crowned world skimming champion. The nursery worker can cast a pebble more than 55 metres (180ft) across a body of water.
She said: “I’ve been throwing stones since before I could walk. I’ve been skimming as long as I can remember. There’s a deep satisfaction in making a rock that should sink, glide across the water. My dad first showed me how to skim stones when I was very young. I never thought I’d be a world champion. Now I can throw around 55 metres - unofficially - but in competitions, I’ve won with 45 metres (147ft).”
The 39-year-old, who lives in Cumbria's Lake District (what could be more perfect?) in north west England, trains several times a week and spends hours looking for that perfect stone. “It can’t be too heavy or too light and must be no bigger than your palm, or too flat.”
Her first competition was in 2017 at the All England Open Stone Skimming Championships where she came third with a distance of 37m (121ft), then won in 2018 with a distance of 45m.
After discovering the existence of the World Stone Skimming Championships on Easdale Island, Scotland, she couldn't resist entering in 2019. More than 350 individuals from all over the world went head to head in the competition, with some travelling from as far as the US, Canada and Australia. She, like everyone else, selected stones from a bucket of regulated slate and threw 41m (135ft) - and was crowned the winner!
She hopes to win again in this year’s World Championships in September and wants to become the first woman to hit the back wall of the quarry at Easdale - 63m (207ft) away from the starting point. OGN will keep you posted on how she gets on.
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