Big Rocky Games kindle July 4 holiday spirit Monte Rio

Winning the most famous rock-skipping contest on the Russian River is about more than just picking the right rock.

You’ve got to have a sweet sidearm throw, a slight bend in the knees and a little bit of luck.

It all came together Saturday for 12-year-old Jack Kimmel of Roseville as he stepped to the water’s edge, cocked back an arm and chucked a dagger that bounced off the water seven times.

“It’s fun being able to skip something that normally sinks,” said the youngster who won the top prize for his age at the Big Rocky Games in Monte Rio.

The annual two-day event - a showcase for unusual talents from hula hooping to watermelon eating - kicked off under sunny skies and was expected to draw hundreds as temperatures soared into the 80s.

Crowds were expected to swell Sunday in anticipation of Independence Day fireworks on Monte Rio Beach. The action starts with a canoe race at noon and is followed by games just about on the hour, ending at 4 p.m. with a rubber ducky contest.

The games are free and open to children and adults. Prizes including beach balls and plastic necklaces are donated by ?local businesses.

“It’s all red, white and blue for the Fourth of July,” said organizer Jynx Lopez.

On Saturday, the scene was a rainbow-?colored forest of beach umbrellas as people flocked to the river, rolling out blankets and splashing in the cool, green water. Others rowed by in canoes or floated on tubes nursing cold beverages.

Tom Morrison of Concord was on his family’s annual pilgrimage to a cabin bought by his grandmother 100 years ago. Morrison aced the adult rock toss, skipping a paper-thin piece of gravel ?10 times.

He said the Big Rocky Games have been “the one constant” for his family in a time of seemingly dwindling traditions.

“It’s so casual and laid back,” said the retired PG&E worker. “It allows everyone to participate. No one has to be a superstar.”

But that doesn’t mean the competition isn’t fierce. Organizers staged a number of “playoffs” after games ended in ties.

“I live right next to a creek so I’m pretty good at rock skipping,” declared Jaden Coppla, 7, of Cazadero after making a decent throw.

One returning ice cream-eating champion said her own daughter accused her of cheating last year. Gretchen Kimmel, mother of Jack Kimmel, who came with two other kids, her husband, Bill, and friend Tanna Fiske of Austin, Texas, said she planned to confirm her prowess later Saturday.

“She said I didn’t eat it all before I raised my hand,” Gretchen Kimmel said.

Fiske, who drove 2,057 miles to meet Kimmel at their favorite summer holiday spot, warned her friend not to get too comfortable. She was ready to out-eat her this year.

“She’s got a lot of competition because I have a big mouth,” she said.