The 2005 USQA World Champions

The CQQC MasterQuoiters

Mark Snoberger and Ben Bernard

Way to go, Masterquoiters! 

This article about the 2005 USQA World Champions appeared in the Lebanon Daily News on September 23, 2005

Lebanon Daily News, Lebanon, Pennsylvania

Friday, September 23, 2005

Snoberger, Bernard doing ‘quoit’ well, thank you

By Jeff Falk

Daily News Sportswriter

If you’re ever at a backyard barbecue pitching quoits around and a couple of guys by the name of Mark Snoberger and Ben Bernard approach you about the possibility of playing for a little scratch, don’t do it.

No, Snoberger and Bernard aren’t hustling wise guys.  They’re World Champions.

“You could probably liken it to the difference between backyard volleyball and competitive volleyball” said Snoberger.  “It’s pretty serious competition.  I guess anybody can knock two pegs in the ground and throw four-pound quoits 20 feet.  But there’s a lot to the game. 

“We’d like to think there’s a lot more strategy involved than whoever throws the most ringers wins,” Snoberger continued.  It’s precision.  It’s defense and offense.”

The Team of Snoberger, a resident of South Lebanon, and Bernard, of Rexmont, earned the title of “world champions” on Sept. 10 in Amityville at the United States Quoiting Association’s World Championships.  It was the second time in three years that The members of the Cornwall-Quentin

Quoit Club claimed the title, and the $1,400 first-place prize that goes with it. 

A couple of “penny players,” Bernard and Snoberger compiled an 18-3 overall record in in the pool-play-to-single-elimination tournament. They’re also further proof that you can fit a square peg into a round hole.

“It’s a little corny, but quoits is our thing,” said Snoberger.  “whether it’s tiddly-winks or Olympic swimming, to be a world champion feels unbelievable.  The use of the term “World Champion” is a bit of a stretch, but we’ll take it.  It was the Super Bowl of all the tournaments the USQA does.  We’re very well respected in what exists of the quoits world.”

“I’m sure people are going to see this and say ‘Yeah, right,’” said Bernard.  “We get it all the time from our friends.”

Quoits is a game that involves tossing metallic “doughnuts” at pegs, or “hobs,” from a distance of 21 feet.  Points are awarded to the quoits of players that are the closest to the peg. 

“When Mark doesn’t do well, he’s not happy with himself – and I like that in a person,” said Bernard, 49.  I love Mark as a brother, and we’ll be friends forever. These world championships are just a bond.  We’re world champions together, and no one will ever be able to take that away from us.”

The USQA World Championships wasn’t exactly an international event, but it was an open tournament that included Teams from California, Arizona, Texas, and the Midwest.  As Snoberger succinctly pointed out, central Pennsylvania has become a “hot bed” for the game of German origin.

“You just need to be consistent with your release,” said Bernard.  “If you’re relaxed and consistent with your release, the quoit is going to fly in the right area, and you’re going to hit some big shots.  But I think the mental aspect of the game is more important than the physical part. 

“There’s definitely a mental side to the game,” said Snoberger, who practices with Bernard once a week, 25 times a year.  “The stronger you are mentally, the better you’re going to do.  And it’s not just repetition.  Sometimes you’ve got to alter your shots depending upon situations.”

More than self-gratification, Snoberger and Bernard would like to use their title to promote the sport.  They’ve both been members of the Cornwall-Quentin Quoit Club since its inception 15 years ago. 

“The average person doesn’t even know what quoits is,” said Bernard.  “They relate it to horseshoes.  All of us have some sort of competitive spirit in us, and it’s a great game for the average person to play well.  It’s a great easy game a lot of people play at picnics.  It’s a game for everybody.”

“We’re about the betterment of the game,” Bernard continued.  “let’s get more people involved. Let’s grow this thing.  Let’s expand this thing.”

“We just want people to know that this sport exists,” said Snoberger. “We want to promote the sport.  We’d like to see the sport perpetuated.”