Along with the rousing activities, family-friendly games, delightful entertainment and delectable blueberries, the Lexington Blueberry Festival on Saturday offered a challenge that some daring men and women decided to partake in—the Scottish Highland Games.
The Scottish Highland Games are events held in Scotland and other countries throughout the year as a way of celebrating Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage.
Appropriately, the competitors Saturday at Lexington Community Park sported kilts and competed in a number of traditional Scottish athletic events—stone throws, heavy and light weight for distance, hammer throw, caber toss, weight over bar, and sheaf toss. The games also featured a “strong man event,” in which participants attempted to throw a 120-pound stone.
The Great Lakes Scottish Athletes Association governed the competition.
Scott Williams, athletic director of the Highland Games, said that many people who have competed in high school and/or college field events, such as shot put, discus and hammer throw like to participate in the games. Others are interested in participating because of their Scottish roots.
“They like to tap into family history and heritage,” he said. He noted that the camaraderie and friendships that are sparked at the games serve as another reason why people compete.
“I love the friendships that I’ve built because of it,” said Williams, who has competed in the Highland Games for the past four years. He added, “I think it’s just really cool to throw heavy stuff—it’s an awesome experience.”
For some people, the games have served as an opportunity to minister to others.
Before taking to the field to compete, Chris “Crush” Rusher and Don “Mammoth” Myers discussed an organization that they formed called the G-Force Strength Unit, based in Cutler, Ohio.
G-Force Strength Unit, they explained, is an organization which aims to communicate a positive and motivating message by incorporating “feats of strength” into presentations and discussions they share with others.
“To me, that’s a lot more important than throwing,” said Rusher of the organization’s mission. And given his decorated history in the Highland Games, it’s clear he has a passion to help carry out the organization’s purpose.
Rusher maintained a professional career with the games from 1994-2000 and has achieved several records and awards, he said.
Despite shoulder surgery that he had in May, he said he was going to “try and make a run at a few world records” at Saturday’s competition in the 42-pound weight for distance and the 28-pound weight for distance events. He said that fellow thrower, Doug Steiger, who also competed Saturday, has been pushing him along to help him reach his goals, “which is one of the great things about the games—the camaraderie that we have here,” Rusher said.
While Rusher has been receiving some help and motivation from Steiger, Rusher has been able to mentor another thrower who competed Saturday—Whitney McAtee. McAtee, who is just 17 years old, is ranked No. 1 in both shot put and discus in Class AAA in the state of West Virginia, Rusher said.
McAtee has competed in three Highland Games this year, she said. So far, her experience with the games have been positive. She said, “It’s a lot of fun and there’s just a great atmosphere [at the games].”
While some people understand what they’re getting themselves into by competing in the games, others underestimate how challenging the events truly are. “It’s funny because sometimes people will watch and say, ‘That doesn’t look so bad,’ and then we’ll tell them to come and pick up a weight and then they do and will say, ‘Oh…That’s really heavy,’” said Williams.
Many of the competitors have a background in powerlifting and CrossFit training, Williams said.
Williams began competing after attending the first Highland Games offered at the Blueberry Festival. In his view, he believes the weight for distance and weight over bar events are the most challenging, “because 56 pounds is a lot to throw with only one hand,” he said.
Others consider the caber toss to be the most difficult event, he said. The caber is a tree that varies in length from 16 to 22 feet and is between 100 and 180 pounds. “The idea of picking up a 20-foot tree—there’s something primal about it,” Williams said. He noted that the caber toss is also the most “iconic” event of the Highland Games. “Everyone knows about that,” he said.
While sharing some of the history of the Highland Games, Williams said, “There’s a lot of legend and lure about how the games started.” He said that many believe the origin stems from when weapons were outlawed in Scotland, so soldiers therefore had to supplement military training with other tactics, such as throwing heavy stones and sticks.
Many Scottish Highland Games feature bag pipe bands, Scottish dancing and food items, as well as various modern and traditional Celtic arts. According to the Official Scottish Tourist Board website, the Cowal Highland Gathering held in Dunoon, Argyll is the largest Highland Games in the world.
