Scottish Athletic Competitions

The Events Class
There will be four classes competing: Men's A, Men's B, Men's Masters and Women's. The men's classes are defined as follows: Men's A class competitors have won in the Men's B class, the Men's Masters are men over 45 years or older. The following chart shows the events and weights of each class:

Men A and B	Man Masters (+45)	Women
Open Stone 20 lb	Open Stone 20 lb	Open Stone 14 lb
Light Weight for Distance 28 lb	Light Weight for Distance 28 lb	Light Weight for Distance 14 lb
Heavy Weight for Distance 56 lb	Heavy Weight for Distance 42 lb	Heavy Weight for Distance 28 lb
Hammer 22 lb	Hammer 16 lb	Hammer 12 lb
Sheaf 16 lb	Sheaf 16 lb	Sheaf 12 lb
56 lb Weight Over Bar	42 lb Weight Over Bar	28 lb Weight Over Bar
Caber Toss	Caber Toss	Caber Toss

Origin of the Events
There are many legends about the origins of the Scottish Games. The oldest traces the games tradition back to the period of Roman invasions in the second and third centuries, where Scottish warriors reputedly displayed their bravery and strength by performing feats of skill and power in front of the opposing army. The most widely accepted take describes the games as informal athletic test by which Kings and Clan Chiefs examined the agility, cunning and physical strength of their clansmen. The victors of these trials were then awarded positions of leadership both on the battlefield and with the clan. The Scottish highland games or Heavy Events are the modern continuation of this ancient Celtic tradition. Each event you watch today may look like a simple matter of brute strength, but each also require excellent timing., balance and technique.

Braemar Stone (not included in the Aiken Games)
In the Braemar stone putt, athletes throw a 22 lb round stone from a stationary position (no running approach allowed). The competitor cannot touch the top of the trig (toe bar) nor the ground beyond it before or after the throw. Historically the Braemar stone stems from a common practice by early Highland Chieftains who kept a large stone outside their gatepost and challenged the throwing arms of every visiting clan's warriors.

Open Stone
This event will remind the viewer of the Olympic shot putt. Contestants ran up a 7'6'' approach path and using only one hand, throw a river stone from behind a trig. Historical records suggest that this skill came in handy for men under siege. The successful stone putter would be posted on the battlements, where he could hurl boulders down onto the attackers.

Heavy and Light Weight for Distance
The weights used for distance-throwing are common box weights, attached to a ring handle by a chain. The overall length is 18 inches. Contestants are allowed a 9 foot run-up, but must be behind the trig during and after the throw. The athlete spins before releasing the weight (similar to a discus-thrower) and is scored on the distance it flies. Each competitor is given 3 tries with each weight and is scored on the best of the three.

Hammer
The original hammer used in Scotland was that used by the men working in the granite quarries. In America, it was the heavy, long handled blacksmith's hammer. Today's Scottish hammer features an iron ball fitted on a long, flexible shaft. The hammer has an overall length of 50 inches and comes in 2 weights: "Light" (16 lb) and "Heavy" (22 lb). For the throw, the shaft is gripped by the athlete and swung around in two or three complete turns, then hurled through the air. Three throws are allowed, but only the longest throw is scored.

Sheaf
The sheaf toss has roots on the farms of Scotland. Using pitch forks, young men would attempt to pitch wheat to the storage loft on the barn's second floor. In competition, a sheaf (burlap bag filled with hay) weighing 16 pounds is thrown over a crossbar with a pitchfork. Contestants are allowed three attempts to clear the bar.

Weight Over Bar
The object here is to toss a 56 lb weight up and over a high crossbar using only one hand. The event is believed to have begun as a training method for tossing the grappling hooks used for scaling tall fortifications. An athlete is not required to compete until the bar is at a height where he or she wishes to enter the competition. Once the athletes starts to throw, he or she must compete each time the bar is raised. Each competitor gets three tosses at each height.

Caber Toss
The tossing of the caber (a felled tree) is probably the most famous of the Scottish events. It dates from the 16th century, where it my have begun as a military tactic used to breach barriers or bridge rivers. In the caber toss, the athlete attempts to flip a section of a tree, averaging 18 feet and weighing 80 to 120 lb, end over end by holding it upright against the shoulder, running a short distance and thrusting it up and over. The goal is to make the narrow end (the one the athlete holds) flip over the wider end. In a perfect turn, the wide end of the caber crashes to the ground and the pole falls directly away from the athlete in a 12 O'clock position. Points are deducted according to the number of degrees the lay of the caber varies from the perfect 12 O'clock mark. All athletes are allowed 3 tosses and all successful attempts are scored to determine the winner.