1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,560 Speaker 1: If you want to become a sports champion but haven't 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: quite found your thing yet, I might have something for you. 3 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: New Zealand is going to host our very first stone 4 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,400 Speaker 1: Skimming National Championship next year in May. It's going to 5 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:12,640 Speaker 1: be at Lake Harwire. The winners will head along to 6 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: the World champs in Scotland. Now, Richie Lang is Lake 7 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:18,480 Speaker 1: harwea station's tourism manager and is with us morning. 8 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 2: Richie, good morning to hear that from the shores of 9 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 2: Lake Harwier. It's wonderful to be with you. 10 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 1: It's good to chat to you. Is this your idea? 11 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was, And look to be honest, if you 12 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 2: took to the station personnel, there wasn't a huge amount 13 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:32,919 Speaker 2: of interest. Initially they saw the merit, but I went 14 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:36,400 Speaker 2: ahead and contacted the World Stone Skimming Championships. They offered 15 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:39,319 Speaker 2: us two entries. I took to Melanoma, New Zealand. They 16 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:41,479 Speaker 2: wished to be the charity. We wish to raise thirty 17 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 2: thousand dollars on the day. And then there was a 18 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:46,880 Speaker 2: serendipitous event where a cheating scandal came around the World's 19 00:00:46,880 --> 00:00:50,480 Speaker 2: Stone Skimming Championships, putting stone skimming on the world map. 20 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 2: We thought it was a time to strike. We have 21 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,360 Speaker 2: a vehicle to be able to host these type of 22 00:00:55,360 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 2: events here at Lake harwea station, so we wish to 23 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: do that. In May twenty twenty six. 24 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:02,959 Speaker 1: I read about that stone skimming the cheating at the time. 25 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:05,080 Speaker 1: This is pretty hard out for an event that I 26 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: thought would just be friendly. But what was it were 27 00:01:07,720 --> 00:01:08,119 Speaker 1: they were? 28 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 2: They? 29 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:10,559 Speaker 1: Was it basically trying to make their stones as round 30 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: as possible? 31 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, look it was a stone tampering scandal, Heather. So 32 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 2: what actually happened is they rounded off the stones. And 33 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 2: I have to say now doing my research, probably from 34 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 2: an experienced stone skimmers. So I've got a Lake Harwire 35 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:28,320 Speaker 2: stone in front of me, and the beautiful thing here 36 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:31,119 Speaker 2: is that they're very flat, but they're not perfectly round. 37 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 2: You don't want them perfectly round because you want the 38 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 2: forefinger involved to maximize leverage and spin on the stone, 39 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 2: so you maximize the skips across the water so you 40 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 2: can go as far as possible. Yeah. 41 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: I hear what you're saying, and I'd thought about that 42 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:44,559 Speaker 1: as well. You need a little hook in there, don't you. 43 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: So how are you going to stop them from I mean, 44 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: do you think that We're just like, do you need 45 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: to have some way to stop them from doing this 46 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: or do you think people are just going to be 47 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: less competitive and weird in New Zealand. 48 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, look we have I've designated a task force task 49 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 2: Force SKIM. I don't know if you've met these guys 50 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 2: here that guys and girls, but almost the essays equivalent 51 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 2: of the stones coming world hyper vigilant individuals. We're going 52 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 2: to have a registration process. They're going to be patrolling 53 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:12,799 Speaker 2: the area and we're going to make sure that participants 54 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 2: are collecting the stones from a designated area. We're going 55 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:17,840 Speaker 2: to photograph the stones and then we're going to photograph 56 00:02:17,880 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 2: again before they throw, and then for the play skinners, 57 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 2: we can verify that they were using the same stones. 58 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 2: So yeah, if they do want to cheat, then yeah, 59 00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 2: let them have it. It's a very very high chance 60 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:31,160 Speaker 2: they will be caught. But any publicity is good. Publicly 61 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 2: behave all Right, So. 62 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:34,040 Speaker 1: How do people get in if they want to be 63 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: a world champion? 64 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, so if you go to Melanoma dot org dot 65 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 2: NZ and this is a call to communities around New Zealands. 66 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 2: We wish to have any New Zealander there on the 67 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,520 Speaker 2: day and look, tickets are going like hotcakes. We're about 68 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 2: halfway through so far, so tickets are still available. Go 69 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,120 Speaker 2: to Melanoma dot org dot nz you can register your 70 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 2: interests to receive the ticketing linked either as a spectator 71 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 2: or as a participant on the day. 72 00:02:57,960 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 3: Oh you're very good at it, Richie, Thank you very much. 73 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 3: Good luck that Richie Lang Lake Howe are stationed tourism manager. 74 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 3: I mean, actually you know that even it's an activity 75 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 3: you can do with the kids, So how good would 76 00:03:06,720 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 3: that be? Start of the winter down there. 77 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 2: For more from the mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 78 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 2: news talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 79 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.