Saturday was my 2nd ever Highland Games, which took place at the 50th Annual Salado Gathering of the Clans. It was a really impressive event and you could really learn a ton about the amazing amount of Scottish tradition in Central Texas. Great shops too - I took the opportunity to upgrade my highland games outfit with a little Longhorn flair.
Since I wear the tartan of my wife's clan on my kilt, I felt compelled to stop by their tent as well:
The competition itself was very well-run. The field and the crowd were both great as well. Dave Boyens was the Athletic Director for these games, and he did a stellar job. He was a genuinely fun guy to hang out with and his whole team really seem to love what they do. I will spoil the ending and say that I performed much better than I was expecting. I am very pleased with my finish. Before I get into the particulars, though, I feel like I should address something that my brilliant wife pointed out:
Not everyone reading this blog really knows what the heck Highland Games are.
Even if you do know what they are, odds are that unless you have competed you don't know the ins and outs. It's okay; this is called "being a normal person." I will take this opportunity to give a quick 1-sentence description of each event so when I blabber on about them at least you can get a mental picture. If that sounds unbearable, I don't blame you. For that reason I will also provide you a link to the official rules of North American Scottish Games Athletics. That way, if you want more information on how it works, you can get it from people that know what the hell they are talking about. There's also Wikipedia.
Highland Games, or Scottish Heavy Athletics is a thousands-of-years-old sport that is the result of Scotsmen daring each other to throw heavy things to see who could fling it the farthest. It has an amazingly rich tradition and was even a precursor and inspiration to the modern Olympics.
Braemar Stone: A stone of 20-26 lb. is "put" from a standing position like a modern shot put for distance; no run up or spinning allowed.
Open Stone: Even more like the modern shot put, a stone of 16-22 lb. is thrown in any style desired so long as the stone is "put" i.e., kept against the neck until release.
Light Weight/Heavy Weight For Distance: A 28 lb. or 56 lb. weight, usually attached to a metal handle with a chance, is thrown using any technique desired.
Weight Over Bar: A 56 lb. weight is thrown over a high-jump style bar that can be raised as the attempts get higher.
Sheaf Toss: An implement meant to approximate a bale of hay is thrown for height using a pitchfork.
Hammer Toss: A 16 lb. or 22 lb. hammer is thrown from a standing position for distance.
Caber: A log or pole that is wider on one end than the other is hoisted by the competitor and tossed; scoring is done by relating the landing position of the turned caber to a clock, with 12 o'clock being perfect. If the caber isn't turned, the angle the caber reached in the attempt is judged (but turning it always outscores not turning it).
Got all that? Great job, everyone. Here's how I did in Salado (the order of the events is just as it was on Saturday):
Weight Over Bar - 10 feet
First time I had thrown the 56 lb. weight for this event. I was just happy to get into double digits to be honest. I had the height on 2 of my 3 attempts at 11 feet, but I just couldn't line them up right.
Sheaf - 22 feet
Incredibly happy with this result. The best throws of the day were 24 and 26 feet, and to come in as a newbie who had never even attempted the sheaf toss before, I was really amazed with how well I did.
Braemar (24#) - 27 feet, 5.5" inches
Another result I was happy with. 2nd best throw of the day. While not technically a PR, the stone was 3 pounds heavier than the stone I threw 28'1" last week.
LWFD - 47 feet, 1 inch (PR)
It's a PR, yeah, but still a lot of work to do on this event.
HWFD - 16 feet, 5 inches
Both weight for distance events are still a glaring weakness, but the heavy weight really gives me problems
Hammer (22#) - 54 feet
First time throwing a real hammer, but I have practiced the movement. I managed 3rd place with this throw somehow, but I was throwing 65 feet in practice consistently right before we started. Damn it.
Caber (16'6", 120 lb.) - 70 degrees
No one turned this caber. It wasn't really the weight or the height that made it hard, but the way the taper was cut at the bottom. I picked it well twice, but it was hard to keep it solidly planted in your hands. I threw it to 70 degrees twice, but honestly I think I had a little more than that on the second one. Bonus phallic imagery (yes that's me):
When it was all said and done, I came in 3rd place in the Open class! I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty excited about that. This isnt like a powerlifting trophy that I got because I was the only one with my weight class, age range, division, veteran status, blood type and eye color - I actually won it against serious competition. Oh, and I got the requisite nerdy, strength sports hardware to prove it too:
Kevin, our 1st place winner, is an awesome guy I met at the Austin Celtic Festival. He is over 40 and was really thrilled to win 1st in an open. The guy that edged me out for 2nd place was a 6'11" monster by the name of Rebel. Here he is tossing the weight over bar:
After the games finished up, I hit the up the refreshment stand...
...and took some pictures with the other winners. Please note the enormousness of the man next to me:
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