The "Heavy Events"
consist of the 28 lbs and 56 lbs weight
for distance, clachneart (stone of
strength), hammer throw, caber, 56 lbs for
height, and the sheaf toss. Below are
brief descriptions of how to perform the
event.
MOORESVILLE WOMAN
SETS WORLD RECORD AT TRIAD SCOTTISH GAMES
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Mindy Pockoski, a former
U.S. Olympic trials athlete, set a world
record in the women's 14-pound weight throw
during the Triad Highland Games on Saturday at
Bryan Park outside Greensboro, N.C.
Pockoski, of Mooresville, N.C., threw the
14-pound weight 88 feet 2 inches, to break the
old world record of 85 feet 10.25 inches, set
in 2003. The throw also broke the old United
States record of 83 feet 5 inches, set in
2000. Pockoski's record was verified by
certified judges Drum Murray, Scott Medlin and
Donna Nichols.
The event is one of half-a-dozen Scottish
Highland Games events whose origin goes back
into the misty history of Scotland. The event
involves throwing a metal weight with a handle
attached. In form, it somewhat resembles
throwing the discus.
Pockoski has been competing in Scottish
Games sports for three-and-one-half years. She
got into the sport, she said, as a way of
training for the 2004 Olympic trials. She
found it to be fun and has continued to
compete.
This is one of two world records held by
women competitors at the Triad Games. Jessica
Dowdy set a record in the 12-pound sheaf toss
for height in 2006, her toss clearing a bar
set at 28 feet high.
Using
metal weights with a chain or handle attached, the
athletes are throwing for distance. The weight is thrown
one-handed from behind the trig with a nine-foot run up
allowed. Any style may be used, but the most popular and
efficient is to spin like a discus thrower. The
contestants are judged on the longest of the three
tosses. The athlete must remain standing after throwing
the weight. If the athlete touches the top of the trig
or the ground in front of it during his attempt, the
throw is not counted.
This ancient event is similar to
the modern day shot-put, using a stone
approximately 16 to 28 pounds instead of a steel
ball. The stone must be 'put' from the front of
the shoulder using one hand only. Each competitor
is allowed a seven-and-a-half foot run-up to the
toe-board or trig. The contestants are judged on
the longest of the three tosses. If the athlete
touches the top of the trig or the ground in front
of it during his attempt, the toss is not
counted.
The objective of this strength event
is to toss the 56# weight with an attached handle over a
horizontal bar of variable height. The starting height
of competition is the lowest agreed upon by the
competitors. Once a competitor starts to throw, he must
compete each time the bar is raised. Using only one
hand, each athlete is allowed three attempts to clear
the bar at each height. If the weight touches the bar on
its way over but doesn't dislodge it, it remains a
successful toss. All measurements are made from the
ground to the top of the bar midway between the the
uprights. As the bar is raised, the field of athletes is
reduced. This event continues until all competitors but
one are eliminated.
The centerpiece of the modern
Highland Games, the caber requires strength,
balance, and timing. The caber is a tapered log
approximately 19 feet long and weighing 100 to 130
pounds (These weights and measurements vary at
different games depending on the field of athletes
and the terrain). The athlete hoists the caber and
folds his hands under the end while cradling it
against his shoulder. Gaining the balance of the
upright caber, he will run briefly with it to gain
momentum for the toss. Followed by field judges,
the competitor heaves the caber up and over to
ground its heavy end and let it fall forward. The
field judge will ascribe a 'score' to the toss. If
the caber is 'turned' it will be scored with its
final position relative to the face of a giant
clock, 12:00 being a perfect score. If the caber
is grounded but doesn't turn, it is scored by the
degree it rose from the
ground.
Using a three-tined pitchfork, the
athletes hurl a 16 pound burlap bag stuffed with straw
over a horizontal bar raised between two standards. Each
competitor is given three opportunities to clear the
bar. After all attempts, the bar is raised in one to two
foot increments. The continually rising bar reduces the
field as competition continues until all but one athlete
are eliminated.
The Scottish hammer, a round
metal hammer head weighing 16 or 22 pounds with a
cane shaft, is thrown for distance. The athlete
throws the hammer with his back to the trig and
the throwing area. The competitor's feet may not
move until after he releases the hammer. Each
athlete gets three throws with the hammer and is
judged by his best distance. Touching the top of
the trig or the ground in front of it renders the
throw a foul.
