Rubber Quoits and

Slate Quoit Boards

Lehigh Valley Slate Belt Quoits is a version of quoits unique to the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania, around Allentown and Bethlehem.  A large amount of naturally-occurring slate is found in the the geology of the area, so this is one example of a game that originated from local geological influences.  Slate Quoit boards have their origins in Italy, where marble and slate quarries abound.  Italian immigrants moved into the Lehigh Valley area and began to mine the slate deposits there, bringing their version of quoits with them.  Several local slate quarries manufacture the boards right out of the quarry, and supply them to local sporting goods stores.  A set of four rubber quoits can also be purchased separately without the boards, for those who want to throw quoits indoors or don't want to pitch heavy metal quoits outdoors or around children.

Slate boards are very heavy and expensive.  Each board is made from a single slab of slate, 24 inches square and one inch thick, and weigh 50 pounds a piece.  I've been informed that pricing is $80+ for a set of four rubber quoits, and $200+ for a pair of boards. Because of the size and weight of the boards, shipping can be very expensive, running as high as $100 depending on their destination.  It would probably be best to pick these up in person!

www.kingcobragaming.com  King Cobra Gaming of Easton, PA sells five styles of rubber quoits on their website.  Their standard all-black League Quoits are complemented by multi-colored Quoits in 4 color combinations, using a swirled pattern not seen before on competition rubber quoits!  They also sell regulation Slate Boards and aluminum and brass hubs at the lowest prices! 

NOW AVAILABLE:  A lightweight composite quoit board developed to truly act the same as slate but at a much lower cost!   Call 610-762-7335 for availability and pricing. 

King Cobra Gaming is a supplier for many stores in and outside of Pennsylvania.   Visit their rubber quoits page for current product.

www.throwrubber.com  The American Quoit Company in Belvidere, New Jersey, is a company dedicated to manufacturing and marketing the game of quoits (the rubber version) to the masses.  They sell rubber quoits in multi-colors of red, white and blue, along with blue or red composite boards and American Quoit Company T-shirts.   For more information, contact them at scott@throwrubber.com.

www.rubber-quoits.com  Shappy's Rubber Quoits of Bangor, PA sells both black-rubber League Quoits for Slate board pitching, as well as red-rubber Beach Quoits and stakes specifically for pitching in the sand at home or at the beach.  They expect to begin selling slate boards sometime in 2004.  Excellent Prices.  Orders by phone or email are welcome.  Call 610-498-3934 or send an email to noreturn@fast.net.

www.QuoitsDirect.com Quoits Direct of Easton, Pennsylvania. National online and phone purchasing of slate quoit boards, rubber quoits, beach quoits, and other accessories. Free delivery within 20 miles of Easton, Pa (USA). They accept credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover), checks, and cash. Call 610-746-9800 or send email to sales@quoitsdirect.com.

www.gebhardts.com  Gebhardts, Inc. is a 3rd generation, family-owned chain of game stores in Allentown, Hazelton, and Wilkes-Barre specializing in billiards, bowling, and darts.  They are a verified supplier of Slate Quoit Boards and hard rubber quoits.  Phone: 610-439-8464 in Allentown, or 570-455-5872 in Hazelton. 

www.nestors.com   Nestor's Sporting Goods is another verified source for purchasing rubber quoits or the slate boards, but you'll probably have to place an order for the boards because they told me that it is very hard to keep them in stock during the spring and summer months due to high demand.  To order rubber quoits and/or slate boards, contact Nestor's at  610-433-6051, and then press "4" to talk to someone in the Competition Sports department. 

OFFICIAL RULES FOR SLATE BOARD QUOITS

provided by John Gebhardt of Gebhardt's, Inc.

Allentown, Pennsylvania

Distance between hubs shall be 18 feet.

 

Toss coin to determine which player shall pitch first.  All subsequent first pitches are made by the player who scores on the previous pitch.

 

Pitcher's forward foot must not extend beyond hub.

 

All pitching is alternated.  At no time shall a player make two successive pitches.

 

As soon as a quoit touches the floor it is considered dead and does not count.

 

Should a quoit hit foul and then go onto the board and disturb other quoits, said quoit should be

removed and disurbed quoits replaced to their original position.

 

If no ringer is made, the quoit nearest the hub counts as one point in scoring.  In the event a player has two quoits nearer the hub than either quoit of his opponent, he scores two points. (1 for each quoit)

 

If a "leaner" is made it counts as only one point. (a leaner is a quoit which rests on top or against the hub)

 

A properly thrown quoit landing on the slate board that bounces and turns upside down (commonly known as a female quoit) retains its scoring value.

 

Should a player make a ringer and also have a quoit nearer the hub than his opponent, he shall receive four points. (three points for the ringer and one point for the closest quoit)

 

Each ringer pitched counts as three points, except:

• When some player pitches two ringers, one directly on top of the other, six points are counted.

• When first player pitches a ringer, which is topped by opponent, the opponent receives 3 points.

• When first player pitches a ringer, which is topped by opponent, and then again topped by first player, the last ringer made counts as 3 points for the first player.

• As a premium, when 4 ringers are made, the player pitching the last ringer wins the game.

Twenty-one (21) points is game.

 

The ethics of good sportsmanship demand that players should not do anything

to annoy or distract the attention of the player pitching.