Quoits ( or ) is a traditional game which involves the throwing of metal, rope or rubber rings over a set distance, usually to land over or near a spike (sometimes called a hob, mott or pin). The game of quoits encompasses several distinct variations.

History

Quoits is supposedly the game the ancient Greek deity Apollo was playing with his lover Hyacinth which ultimately resulted in his death. In Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica, Thetis sees Jason and the other heroes "delighting in mass throwing (σόλῳ ῥιπῇσί) and arrows." The Greek word "σόλος" usually refers to a mass of iron used for throwing. It is often translated as "quoit."

From coyte: "flat stone thrown in a game". Probably from Old French coite: "flat stone".

Possible derivation of coilte: "cushion".

thumb|right|Game of ringtoss c. 1815

It is not until the 19th century that the game is documented in any detailed way. The official rules first appeared in the April 1881 edition of The Field, having been defined by a body formed from pubs in Northern England.

A July 13, 1836, advertisement in the National Intelligencer (Washington, D.C.) touted facilities for "the manly and healthy amusements of quoits, ten-pin, fives, &c." on the premises of a "Coffee House" in Berkeley Springs, Virginia (now West Virginia).

Variations

Traditional quoits

thumb|right|Players in Argentine [[Club Atlético del Rosario|Rosario A.C., c. 1890]]

A game played with metal discs, traditionally made of steel, and thrown across a set distance at a metal spike (called a pin, hob or mott). The spike is centrally, and vertically, positioned in a square of moist clay measuring three feet across.

United Kingdom

The northern game

This version uses the 15 rules published in The Field in 1881 and has remained largely unchanged since that time. Played under the auspices of The National Quoits Association, formed in 1986.

In this game, the pins are apart, with their tops protruding above the clay. Quoits measure about in diameter and weigh around .

The long game

Sometimes called the old game, this version is played in Wales and Scotland; Scotland had around a dozen clubs, now reduced to one which is based in Stonehaven, under the control of the Scottish Quoiting Association, whilst Wales has only a few clubs, most of them in Dyfed and Powys.

In this game, the top of the spike is flush with the clay, so encircling the pin is not a significant part of the game. The long game has similarities to the game of bowls, in that a player scores a point for each quoit nearer to the pin than his opponent. The hobs are apart, while the quoits are typically around in diameter and weigh up to , almost double that of the northern game.

  • Danby Invitation Quoits League, North Yorkshire.
  • Lower Dales Quoits League, North Yorkshire.
  • North Yorkshire Moors League, North Yorkshire.
  • Mount Wagstaff (Essex) Quoits Team.
  • Bures,(Suffolk) Quoits Team.

United States

  • United States Quoiting Association (USQA)
  • Mercer County Church Steel Quoit League, New Jersey.
  • Pottstown German Club 3lb League, Pottstown Pa
  • Slate Belt Men's Quoit League, Bangor PA

Indoor quoits

United Kingdom

  • Forest of Dean Quoits League, Gloucestershire.
  • The Builth Wells and District League, Powys.
  • Kington League, Herefordshire.
  • Easton City Quoit League, Pennsylvania.
  • Slate Belt Quoit League, Pennsylvania.
  • Cohn's Quoit League, Ringoes, NJ.
  • Pottstown German Club Winter League, Pottstown Pa
  • Humble Parlor Brewing Quoit League, Philadelphia Pa
  • Easton Women's Quoit League, Lehigh Valley, PA & Phillipsburg, NJ

In film

  • In the romance film Father Is a Bachelor, two spinsters play quoits to determine who gets to marry William Holden's character.
  • Shown in the film Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island, the sixth movie of the One Piece franchise, where the characters play a modified version of quoits as part of a challenge given by the Baron of the island.

See also

  • Horseshoes
  • Washers
  • Muckers
  • Aerobie
  • Ring toss

References

  • The Pennsylvania Version of Traditional Rubber Quoits: Quoits Direct
  • The Online Guide to Traditional Games: Quoits
  • The American Version of Traditional Iron Quoits: quoits.info
  • The United States Quoiting Association: usqa.org
  • Historic Richmond Foundation: [https://web.archive.org/web/20161028193818/https://historicrichmond.com/]
  • Game Rules for Rubber Quoits on Slate Quoitboards: Quoit Rules
  • Playing quoits in Lowland Scotland: Playing quoits in Barrmill and Lowland Scotland.
  • The Site of the Old Quoiting Green at Kirkconnel: Old Kirkconnel Quoiting Green