They're Off and Rolling in Lowell's Courtyard!

There comes a time in every exam period when the need for relaxation is paramount. Perhaps this explains why the old Roman art of pecunia-iacienda came to the Lowell House courtyard last week.

Every clear evening a small group of devotees gathers around 6 p.m. in front of Lowell's J entry together with a Latin interpreter, who explains that these are no mere penny pitchers. They don't own chariots and they don't wear togas, but otherwise they have meticulously preserved the Roman tradition.

The object of penny-pitching is, like in most competitive contests, to win. This is done by prepelling a penny through the air and/or along the pavement in such a manner that the coin comes to rest closer to a wall (at which the competitors are presumably aiming) than the coppers thrown by the other contestants.

Amateur and Pro Standings

Under the rules of professional penny-pitching, the winner is entitled to collect his opponents' money; if the players are amateurs and want to keep their amateur status the pennies must be shunted back to their original owners when the evening's activities are over.

The pitching area is about nine feet long--three and a half feet of fairly level payment followed by a gradual rise for five and a half feet, at the end of which is a foot-high ledge. Pennies can be ricocheted off this ledge or rolled up to it in any manner. "Leaners" are particularly desirable, although there is always the chance that they'll be caromed away from the ledge by somebody else's toss.

Since the pitching surface is rough, the experts find the best technique is to encircle the penny with the index finger and then roll it in the general direction of the ledge, preferably with a sweeping motion from the side which is more conductive to learners. On a smooth surface, a tossing, rather than a rolling method is recommended, but on a rough surface one never knows which way the penny will bounce when it lands.

Penny-pitching is no doubt universal, but where else do they pick an "Olympic" champion (Lowell's is Alan J. Green'48) and where else does a "syndicate" operate to clean up most of the winnings