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| Photograph by Samantha Dittmann | |
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Chris Spangler is a ringer in more ways than one. The washers champion is capable of tossing a tiny metal ring 23 1/2 feet forward through the air (that’s the official tournament distance, of course) and plopping that sucker right into a tiny cup, time after time. The Arnold, Mo., resident is good enough to have made the finals of the annual KHITS 96 World Washers Tournament at Queeny Park (July 25) each of the last five years, first partnering with his father, Michael, in 2005 to win the inaugural contest.
The younger Spangler—who does not say “wersher” in the South City parlance, by the way, but rather the proper “washer”—explains that a toss into the box is worth one point and a toss into the small cup within the box earns three points. The first team to hit 21 or better advances to the next round.
His secret? “Focus on the cup, keep the arm straight, and follow through,” he advises. Keep it simple.
And practice lots, right?
Um, no.
“The more I practice, the worse I get—it’s kinda weird,” he says. “Actually, I avoid practice.”
