Gym apparatus. Seven inch diameter doughnuts, made from inch thick foam-rubber. I can't remember any of the games they were used for, or why we ever got them out, but I do remember the comforting feel of one of the rings when you put it down the front of your shorts.

These are actually known as quoits. Women and attentive male heterosexuals will know that they are eerily reminiscent of the neck of the cervix. Or the neck of the cervix is eerily reminiscent of a quoit. Whichever. -Susan.

Quoits are used for various cunning tortures including throwing one at point-blank range into Jamie's face, and rubbing the perished and cracked rubber in a sawing action on Jamie's head.

Before you begin to think that we were extremely cruel to Jamie, be advised that Jamie did ballet, was proud of it and once performed it in assembly in front of the whole school wearing tights.

As an ex-Murchant Navy officer I can tell you that a quoit is an esencial part of lifeboat and liferaft rescue equipment. What do we use them for?

The quoit is used in conjunsion with a line, a quoit and line. The line is attached to the quoit, your left arm is put through the quoit up to your armpit and the line is secured to the rescue craft. Then you can then swim out to someone in the water that you intend to rescue. You and the rescuie can be pulled or pull your self back to the rescue craft. I don't remeber them ever being used for this purpose at school, except on my training courses, but I found them to be a good source of questioning at my Q&A quizes for my lifeboat team.