Throwing Stones

As this journey continues, I thought it would be good to give readers a bit of an education on the events that take place in a typical highland games competition. Through my reading and looking at different games on the web I have discovered that not all games offer each event. So when I say "typical" that's what I mean. There are a total of 9 different events that can take place in the heavy weights of the Highland Games.
They are:
Braemar Stone put (20
-26 lbs)
Open Stone put (16-22 lbs)
Weights for Distance (both 28 lbs & 56 lbs)
Hammer Throw (for distance--16 & 22 lbs)
Caber Toss (100-180 lbs, 15-22 feet tall)
Tossing the Sheaf (16-22 lbs for height)
Weight for Height (56 lbs)

Of course, the highlight event for many on-lookers is the Caber Toss, there is much more involved throughout the games. Typically the competitor competes in each event. The winner is the person with the top accumulative scores. (So it is possible to win one event and not win the entire thing, although as I've seen if you can get a top score on the Caber Toss, you're pretty golden).

The origin from each of these events harkens back to the days of the Scottish Warriors fighting the English with anything and everything they had. Stones? Check. Big @$$ weights? Check. Trees? Check. Long hammers? Check. check. check. The dudes who could chuck the weights the furthest and the highest were rewarded the opportunity to kick some English butt first. So today we throw tough weights around not just for fun, but also for history. And who doesn't like history if you get to wear a kilt and drink a pint after?

So the first events we look at are the Stone throws. Not unlike the shot put in the track and field events, the lighter stone (truly a stone folks--like go out in your backyard--if its thawed out--and pick up a freakin' rock and toss it) typically weighs around 16-22 lbs. There is a board in the front of the throwing space (called a Trig) which you aren't supposed to cross over. The movements can be varied, but with the lighter stone (called the Open Stone) you are allowed to spin or glide your way up to the trig for extra momentum. With the larger stone (called the Braemar stone-20-26 lbs) you simply keep your feet still (until release) and chuck it as far as you can.

The motions and movements required for these particular events are much different than the others in that you are staying mostly stationary. It's all about explosion, moving your hips, and some serious muscle to throw those babies a LONG way. I'm excited about these two events because in junior high I learned how to throw the shot put and liked it. So I can't wait until the 50 inches of snow we've had this winter finally melts and I can find a couple stones to start chucking around. I may even go somewhere to pick a couple up...just to have something to practice with.

Well, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed the reading and until next time,

See ya on the field...