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Celtic Athletics
at the
This year, the Celtic Nations Heritage Festival is proud to bring you
demonstrations of the exciting and colorful athletic events that are seen
at games and festivals across the country. Mike Guillory, the man
responsible for the Scottish athletic competition held at the
Swamp Celts Festival and Games in
Gonzales, LA in the spring, has arranged for a fantastic lineup of
Scottish Athletes to demonstrate all of the events shown below.
Come out and watch the fun!!
SCOTTISH
Scottish men have tested
their strength against each other at Highland gatherings for centuries.
King Malcolm Ceanmore, who began his reign in 1057, is credited with
initiating crude forms of today's Scottish Highland Games athletic
competition as a means of improving the abilities of his military. While
the games had become festive occasions by the sixteenth century, they were
still seen as a way for kings and chiefs to choose the best men for their
retinues.
The equipment currently used for the
Highland Games has evolved from items locally available to the early
Scotsman. A blacksmith's hammer or a mall for driving fenceposts has
become the 22# hammer. Woodsmen produced the "caber” (gaelic for
"tree") for their own event. Thrown for height and distance were 56# and
28# steelyard weights. Tossing a sheaf with a pitchfork likely emerged
from the agricultural regions. A rounded riverbed stone made the ideal
"c1achneart”, and still does today.
Today's Scottish Highland Games athlete
combines strength, skill and endurance to compete in these time-honored
events. In the spirit of the affable Scot, the competitors combine the
attributes of the athlete with the fellowship of clansmen to promote and
perpetuate the heart of the Scottish festival, The Highland Games.
T he
Sheaf Toss
Using a three-tined pitchfork, the
athletes hurl a 16# burlap bag stuffed with straw over a horizontal bar
raised between two standards. Each competitor is given three
opportunities to clear the bar. After all attempts, the bar is raised in
one to two foot increments. The continually rising bar reduces the field
as competition continues until all but one athlete are eliminated.
The Caber
 The
centerpiece of the modern Highland Games, the caber requires strength,
balance and timing. The caber is a tapered log approximately 19 feet long
and weighing 100# to 130# (These weights and measures vary at different
games depending on the field of athletes and the terrain). The athlete
hoists the caber and folds his hands under the end while cradling it
against his shoulder. Gaining the balance of the upright caber, he will
run briefly with it to gain momentum for the toss. Followed by field
judges, the competitor heaves the caber up and over to ground its heavy
end and let it fall forward. The field judge will ascribe a "score" to
the toss. If the caber is "turned" it will be scored with its final
position relative to the face of a giant clock, 12:00 being a perfect
score. If the caber is grounded but doesn't turn, it is scored by the
degree it rose from the ground.
The Clachneart or "Stone"
This ancient event is similar to the
modern day shot put, using a stone approximately 16 to 28 pounds instead
of a steel ball. The stone must be put from the front of the shoulder
using one hand only. Each competitor is allowed a seven-and-a-half foot
run-up to the toe-board or trig. The contestants are judged on the
longest of the three tosses. If the athlete touches the top of the trig
or the ground in front of it during his attempt, the toss not counted.
The 23 and 56 Pound Throw
Using metal weights with a chain or
handle attached, the athletes are throwing for distance. The weight is
thrown one-banded from behind the trig with a nine-foot run up allowed.
Any style may be used but the most popular and efficient is to spin like
a discus thrower. The contestants are judged on the longest of three
tosses. The athlete must remain standing after throwing the weight. If
the athlete touches the top of the trig or the ground in front of it
during his attempt, the throw is not counted.
The 56 Pound Weight Toss
 The
objective of this strength event is to toss the 56# weight with attached
handle over a horizontal bar of variable height. The starting height of
competition is the lowest agreed upon by the competitors. Once a
competitor starts to throw, he must compete each time the bar is raised.
Using only one hand, each athlete is allowed three attempts to clear the
bar at each height. If the weight touches the bar on its way over but
doesn't dislodge it, it remains a successful toss. All measurements are
made from the ground to the top of the bar midway between the uprights. As
the bar is raised, the field of athletes is reduced. This event continues
until all competitors but one are eliminated.
The Hammer
 The
Scottish hammer, a round metal hammerhead weighing 16# or 22# with a cane
shaft, is thrown for distance. The athlete throws the hammer with his back
to the trig and the throwing area. The competitor's feet may not move
until after he releases the hammer. Each athlete gets three throws with
the hammer and is judged by his best distance. Touching the top of the
trig or the ground in front of it renders the throw foul.
(The above text was shamelessly
purloined, with permission, from the
Lousiana Highland Games
website.)
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