Quoits?

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Badfish740

Minister of Fire
Oct 3, 2007
1,539
Just thought I'd share a Memorial Day tradition with everyone here. Horseshoes are a pretty commonplace picnic/BBQ game, but quoits are mostly confined to the Northeast:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quoits

It's similar, but played with steel rings instead of steel horseshoes. Even more obscure still is the version of quoits played in around the greater Trenton area/Mercer County NJ:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quoits#Mercer_County.2C_New_Jersey

"Trenton quoits" are larger in diameter with larger inner holes than traditional quoits. I've never really been able to figure out why or how Trenton quoits evolved from the more traditional version that is played in places like the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania and elsewhere. My theory is that some local metalworkers (Trenton was a big manufacturing center at one time) somehow adapted traditional quoits for their own purposes. Why I have no idea, but growing up, no outdoor gathering in the summer was complete without the "clang" of quoits in the background. You can read up on the rules on the Wikipedia page, but this was the tournament clincher of this year's tournament (I won :)):

20140526_164821_zps229f79f0.jpg


Any quoit players here-traditional or otherwise?
 
In Texas we had a lot more horse shoes available than quoits. ;lol
 
Isn't quoits a mineral in New Jersey? ;)
 
LOL ;lol 'xctly!
 
I have played quoits since childhood. I throw a mean quoit but can't throw a horseshoe to save my life.
 
horseshoes are prevalent in the south, but I find the idea of quoits intriguing. may have to cut out a set on the high def plasma to take to the beach next week.

as for home , our preferred yard game is Bocci
 
You know, I've heard of quoits a zillion times, and never had any idea what the game was about, how it was played, or just what a "quoit" was. Thanks!
 
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