Home [] Bill & Gabe's [] Trip to Maxville [] Highland Games [] Pipe Bands [] 2008 Trip
 The games opened at the Maxville fairgrounds with short speeches and skydivers presenting the flags of the United States ("our great neighbors south of the border"), Scotland, and finally to great cheering, Canada. These highland games included piping and dancing competitions, sheep dog demonstrations, and the "heavy events". |
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The Heavy EventsAll afternoon the crowd gradually grew to thousands, shopping at the booths and finally surrounding the field to watch the highland dancing and the heavy events. Giant male and female athletes tossed the sheaf (a burlap bag filled with something) with pitchforks, threw the hammer (two different weights), put the stone (a 22 pound boulder) for distance, and heaved various weights of cannon balls for height (at right) and distance. Kilts are mandatory, as are shorts underneath for modesty. We sensed an amiable comraderie pervade each event, with competitors laughing together, helping and cheering each other on. |
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| Caber throwing is aguably the most showy and "Scottish" of the heavy events. Here's how the log is tossed... | ||||||
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| Balancing the caber against the shoulder... | working hands down to get a grip, then... | a quick lift, a pause to balance, then the first step. | Beginning of the run, straight or weaving, ... | as the judge runs behind, square to the shoulders... | with feet planted, and the cartwheel throw. | Points are scored for accuracy, not distance. |
| Kids got into the act too. Parents and athletes taught the age-old skills using size-appropriate weights and cabers. | |
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The "Tatoo" was held Saturday night with hundreds of highland dancers, stirring massed pipe bands emerging through the fog (right) and satisfying fireworks. Gabe joined the young people in the "gaelic rock" music tent to dance into the night, whilst Bill/Lou retired to the campground.
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