Out of war came Highland games leading to modern competitions.
In ancient Scotland, England was the ruling authority, competitor Kaelyne Mowell of Clan McClean and Portland said. England had banned, among other cultural icons, weapons.
“They wanted to practice battle skills,” Mowell said. “They wanted to stay prepared.”
They began making things that could be used as tools, such as weights that could be used to balance wagons, and practicing war with those items. The games evolved from that practice.
A 56-pound metal weight is now thrown for distance and height, Mowell said. In Scotland, it was known as the “widowmaker” because if it hit a man it created a widow. The hammer was developed because Scottish clansmen were on foot while the English were often mounted. The hammer, a metal ball at the end of a pole thrown for distance, would be used to knock a horse’s front legs out from under it and put the English soldier on even ground with the Scottish fighter.
A number of stories surround the caber toss, Mowell said. Among them, the story is that the largest man would throw a log end over end to cross a stream. Other stories relate how they were used to scale castle walls.
When Scottish immigrants began arriving in America, they would throw festivals and compete in the same athletic events, Mowell said. They are gaining popularity now, and athletes can do it professionally. The U.S. Professional Championships for this year were recently held in Portland.
Individuals compete in specific events but also accumulate an aggregate score to show their endurance after heaving and carrying heavy objects.
“Usually what happens when we’re done is we head to the beer tent and have a Guiness,” Mowell said.
“It’s fun,” Doug Adams of Sweet Home said. “Some of it you’ve got to have technique.”
This weekend’s events were the first time he ever tried Highland games.
“I might do it next year too, probably,” Adams said. “It’s just fun to get out here with all the people. It’s something different you don’t do every day.”
Among the events were the 100-plus pound Sweet Home. Adams was able to throw it 8 feet four inches.
He didn’t have much luck with the caber toss in competition Saturday after practicing it Friday. The practice sessions left a bruise on his right shoulder.
In the caber toss, athletes must carry a log forward then flip it end over end so it lands as close to straight ahead as possible.
When one competitor failed to flip the caber landing it on one end and splitting it lengthwise and in the middle, a Scottish brogue carried across the field, “Ye, brrroke it.”