The Bitterroot Valley Highland Games will be held this Saturday, March 25, at 9 a.m. at Lewis & Clark Park in Stevensville. This event involves Celtic games and is sanctioned by the Scottish American Athletic Association, a national organization that provides rules, regulations, standards and implements for hosting Scottish Highland Games. Garrett Middleton is the organizer of the games and has been competing for several years around the region. Last year he finished in the top 10 in the national championships and third in the world championships at Mountain Home, Idaho.
The events are: Braemar Stone, Open Stone, Weight For Distance, Scottish Hammer, Weight Over Bar, Sheaf Toss, and the Caber Toss. The more experienced athletes will be in their own division as will first-time athletes (no kilt necessary). Women will have their own division with the same events.
The Braemer Stone is a round stone that weighs 22 pounds. The Open Stone is 16 pounds. For the women, the stones are nine to 14 pounds. The stone is thrown from a standing position, much like a shot put. The longest throw wins.
The Weight for Distance event features a round metal weight that has a handle attached to a chain. The weight is thrown one-handed, much like a discus is thrown. The weights range from 28 to 56 pounds for men and from 14 to 28 pounds for women.
The Weight Over Bar involves throwing a 56-pound weight that is cowbell shaped with a handle on the top over a bar. Each athlete has three attempts to clear the bar. Once a height is cleared, the bar is raised again. The winner is determined by the highest successful toss with the fewest misses.
The Scottish Hammer Throw involves some scary looking shoes. The ‘hammer’ is a round weight attached to a long pipe that is usually made out of PVC pipe. The throw is made from a fixed, standing position with the athlete whirling the hammer around his head. In order to stay fixed in one position, the athlete wears shoes that have long blades coming out of the toes. The blades hold the thrower in place as he makes the throw. The weights for the men are 16-22 pounds while the weights for the women are 12-16 pounds.
One event that is well known is the Sheaf Toss. A bundle is tossed up and over a raised bar using a three-pronged pitchfork. Although traditionally made out of straw that has been compacted down into a burlap sack, Middleton makes his own out of baling twine. No matter what the bundle is made out of, it must weigh 20 pounds.
The final event is the signature event of the Highland Games, the Caber Toss. There is no weight restriction on the caber although they traditionally weigh between 100 and 180 pounds, and can vary in length from 16 to 22 feet long. Some cabers are made out of power poles while most are made out of long, straight trees that have been limbed. The caber must be picked up, and tossed so that it will flip end over end and fall straight away from the thrower. Accuracy is scored, with a perfect score being a toss that goes end over end and lands at the 12 o’clock position straight away from the thrower.
The Highland Games will begin at 10 a.m. with registration at 9 a.m. Kids will be able to practice and compete also. The registration opens for the kids at 12:30. At 1:30, there will be a piping demonstration. The final event of the day is the Caber Toss at 4 p.m. In addition to the competition, there will be a Celtic Information and Educational Tent, a food truck featuring Scottish food and a kettle corn booth. There will also be mead and beer.
Many of the competitors are local athletes who have been coached by Middleton in track.