Hotels book up years in advance. Competitors travel from over 27 countries and the cheating scandals can make international headlines.
The events in question? Hurling a deceased mullet across the Florida-Alabama border. Skimming stones into a Scottish quarry and assembling 500-piece jigsaw puzzles against the clock. Serious stuff!
Obscure competitions operate on a different frequency than mainstream sport, the stakes feel simultaneously meaningless and also absolutely critical…
When Stone-Skimming Becomes an International Incident
The 2025 World Stone Skimming Championships descended into scandal when organisers discovered competitors had ground down stones with machines to improve their ‘hurlability’.
The rocks were “suspiciously circular”—fitting the competition’s measuring device “almost too exactly.”
When confronted, the cheaters expressed “sorrow, sadness and apologised for bringing the sport into disrepute.” The BBC covered it. The New York Times covered it and the scandal sent “ripples” (pun absolutely intended) through the stone-skimming community…
The competition offers no cash prizes. Only a trophy.
Yet over 2,000 spectators descended on Easdale, a tiny car-free Scottish island with a population of 60, to watch people throw rocks into a flooded quarry. Competitors stood with both feet flat. No running allowed. Stones have to bounce at least twice across a 206-foot span to qualify for finals.
The organisers threatened future consequences. If stone doctoring continues, all competitors will be required to use pre-selected rocks. This eliminates one of the event’s highlights – watching people hunt for the perfect skimming stone beforehand…
The Physics of Fish-Flinging
The Flora-Bama Interstate Mullet Toss requires throwing a dead mullet from Florida into Alabama. Naturally.
The current record stands at over 189 feet into the neighbouring state.
This three-day spectacle draws such devotion that accommodation is secured “months, if not years in advance.” The event raises over $40,000 annually for charity. After use, the tossed mullets are donated to Alligator Alley where the alligators are delighted to eat them.
Jigsaw Puzzlers Train Like Athletes
Emma Quirke completed a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in 41 minutes and 55 seconds to win the inaugural UK ‘National Jigsaw Puzzle Championship’.
Her training regimen? Weights and dead hangs at the gym.
The reasoning: “When you’re doing jigsaws you’re bending over the board for long periods so it can be quite intense” she is quoted as saying.
She owns approximately 300 puzzles. Completes one 500-piece puzzle daily for practice. At the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship in Spain, over 3,400 “power puzzlers” from at least 72 countries competed.
Competitive puzzlers are scientifically known as “dissectologists.”
Hollywood star Hugh Jackman even shared competition footage on his Instagram stories.
The Irish Jigsaw Puzzle Association—established following the championship maintains what observers call “one of the most wholesome social media feeds in the world.” People post completed jigsaws. Others congratulate them. No crowing. No trolling about lost pieces.
Toe Wrestling: Exactly What It Sounds Like
The World Toe Wrestling Championship takes place annually in Derbyshire England, requiring competitors to interlock bare toes and force their opponent’s foot to the ground.
Competitors train year-round. Some develop signature moves. The reigning champion is known for “devastating toe flexibility.”
The sport emerged in the 1970s when British pub-goers decided they needed a physical competition where Britain could actually win a world championship. They succeeded. No other nation bothered to compete seriously for decades.
Athletes remove shoes and socks. Lock toes. And Fight. (Not to the death though).
Injuries are common. Broken toes happen. Pulled tendons happen. Yet competitors return annually, driven by the same inexplicable force that compels people to machine-grind rocks for stone-skimming superiority.
The Signal Hidden in Absurdity
Remove the money. Remove the fame. Remove any logical reason to actually even care.
Yet people still engineer rocks with power tools. Still do deadlifts to improve their jigsawing posture. And still travel internationally to interlock their toes with complete strangers.
Bizarre But True! It turns out humans will compete over literally anything. Even dead fish!
