“Who are you planning to smack with this thing?” 

These were the words of the cashier at Granite Five & Ten last week, when I handed over my purchase, an 8-inch Lodge cast iron skillet. 

Skillet toss was popular with all ages. — Tim Johnson

“Sir,” I said, “this is Martha’s Vineyard. We don’t weaponize our skillets. On this Island, we throw them as far as we can for sport and glory.” 

I stumbled upon Agricultural Fair’s skillet toss competition by accident at last year’s fair, while quietly enjoying some fair food and soft serve on my day off from fieldwork at Morning Glory Farm. What a silly concept, I thought immediately. Don’t we have better things to do, as women of the 21st century, than to compete against each other wielding the symbols of our historical domestic servitude? Very quickly the feminist knee-jerk subsided, and I watched the oldest age group, 80 and over, toss skillets as far as they could. This was delightful. 

The Ag Fair adopted the event in 1998. Women are divided into six age groups and throw an indestructible, 3-pound, 11-once steel frying pan in a straight line as far as they can. No boys allowed. Throw it off-center and points are deducted. 

My first goal for the event: Do NOT throw the skillet backwards, embarrassing myself and my historical news organization. My second, and more ambitious goal: Win the event.

With my brand new, 3-pound 3-ounce practice skillet in tow, I drove to the high school track. I lined up next to the long jump infield for a reference point, and began my practice. 

It went okay. I got a few curious glances from the runners doing laps, and even some cheers from a pair of women walking together. The skillet went about 35 feet, occasionally getting stuck in the ground, handle-down. Then, I threw it off-center, and it landed with a ding on the track. The handle split off and went flying. 

I am not the first this has happened to. West Tisbury’s Rebekah Thomson signed up for the toss one year but backed out when, while practicing, she broke the handle of her mom’s special cast iron skillet. It was a sign, she told me. 

But not for me. I would not be deterred. 

Sunday at the Ag Fair: Sun and heat, delighted screams emanating from rides, the sweetest, most beautiful animals flicking their tails in the barn. I love how the Vineyard transforms for the fair. It’s a celebration of the might of the small, rural farming community that is West Tisbury. Whatever it is that draws you there — the baby pigs, the Ferris wheel, the oversized vegetables — you always get a taste of that hard-working, joyful agricultural spirit that sustains the Vineyard. 

Keep it close to the line. — Tim Johnson

The women’s skillet toss took place at 3 p.m. on the final day of the fair. 

As the competition approached, I began to grow nervous. But I also realized I missed the adrenaline rush of athletic competition from my high school and college days, the nervous energy that fills the limbs, the performance and execution required. The skillet toss, I realized, could be all this for me.

The other contestants agreed. Pam Coblyn of Oak Bluffs, 76 years old and a longtime skillet tosser, explained its appeal. 

“It’s the camaraderie with your age group that we are going outside our comfort zone and doing something,” she said. “We’re still competing, and it’s so great.” 

That camaraderie was truly stunning. We stood around sharing tips before it started, debating throwing barefoot — this allows the competitor to be one with the earth, it seems — and whether or not to take a running start. I learned that I was not the only one who destroyed a cast-iron skillet while practicing. And in my own age group, I made a few friends. 

Why a skillet? we wondered together. The answer, we agreed, was: Why not? 

The competition begins with the oldest age group and ends with the youngest, with a championship throw at the end for each age group’s top throwers. Each tosser gets two throws, and the crowd gets boisterous, especially when that pan goes soaring. 

“It’s just fun,” said Judy David, 81, the winner of the 80+ age group with a 25 foot, 1 inch throw. “I’m glad I can still do this at my age.” 

As the contest went on, I tempered my expectations, forming a new goal: Remain as fit and spirited as all these women are for the rest of my life. And when I hit 80 — I am 22 now — still be able to throw a 3 pound, 11 ounce skillet. 

I mostly blacked out during my turn. This is typical for me during high-adrenaline athletic competitions. The skillet was heavy, and my first throw went 35-some feet. My second, to my delight, went 45 feet, 7 inches, earning me a second place ribbon in my age category. I celebrated with my new friends, the adrenaline beginning to break.

At the end of the contest, the winners of each age group competed in the championship. Ms. David competed alongside Josette Wood, Ainslie Vorel, Hope O’Brien, Kelsey Ivory and Em deBettencourt of Oak Bluffs, the skillet tossing champion for the second year in a row. Her 48-foot throw was the last and the furthest of the day, out of all 83 women who competed. 

Here are my final notes from the activity, for those hoping to get in on the action in future years:

A 45-degree angle makes the pan go furthest; this is simple physics, but that perfect release is hard. If you’re interested more in the showmanship element: The higher the pan goes, the more the crowd reacts. 

A successful skillet thrower must use her legs in the throw; this is where the true force is generated. She may practice, but must be prepared to break a cast iron skillet, so heirloom frying pans are discouraged. 

And, if you’re throwing, have your family, friends or coworkers come and cheer you on. That excitement and support makes all the difference.