HEAVY WEIGHT EVENTS

 

 

• NZ HIGHLAND HEAVYWEIGHT COMPETITION FAQ
• Outline of Highland Heavyweight Events
• The Highland Stone or the Braemar Stone
  
• Weight for Distance (56-pound and 28-pound) 
  
• Caledonian Hammer
  
• Sheaf Toss
• Gaelic Dead Weight - 56-pound weight over bar
  
• Caber Toss
  

 

 

Waipu 2009 Heavyweight Results.pdf

 

 

NZ HIGHLAND HEAVYWEIGHT COMPETITION FAQ

 

These competitions are based on the traditional Scottish Field events that have been a feature at many Highland Games throughout the World.

 

World and NZ Records have been set at Waipu on many occasions and the competitions are very popular with our local and International audiences.

 

The annual Highland Games at Waipu are the venue for the NZ Highland Heavyweight competitions each year, however there also "Picnic Events" for visitors to enter and to experience this unique Highland tradition.     

 

In the open Highland events it is often technique rather than brawn that will win the event.

 

Local competitors have begun their competitions at Waipu prior to attending World Championships overseas and a young man named Patrick Hellier from Auckland continues to compete successfully overseas by invitation each year. Patrick is the current New Zealand Champion. Patrick is a very competitive athlete and in every year for the past 13 years he has often beaten the existing NZ records to the delight of his many followers.

 

Waipu has been the venue for the World Highland Heavyweight Championships twice in the past ten years and this has raised the profile of this very demanding sport to a very high level.

 

Drug testing is mandatory at Waipu and with the support and co-operation of the NZ Sports Drug agency our competitors have enjoyed a drug free competition.

 

Further enquiries or registrations of interest may be made to
The Secretary
PO Box 34
WAIPU 0545 
Northland
New Zealand

 

Contact: Brian McLean
Phone: 0-9- 432 7513

Email: bjandmg@hotmail.com

 

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OUTLINE OF HIGHLAND HEAVYWEIGHT 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 2nd and 3rd centuries. However, the most widely accepted tale describes the Games as informal athletic tests by which Kings and Clan Chiefs examined the agility, cunning and physical strength of their clansmen. The Scottish Highland Games or "Heavy Events" are the modem continuation of this ancient Celtic tradition. Each event you watch today may look like a simple matter of brute strength, but each also requires excellent timing, balance and technique (they also look more impressive done in a kilt!).

 

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The Highland Stone or the Braemar Stone

 

In the Highland Stone Putt, athletes throw a 22-pound, 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.

 

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Weight for Distance (56-pound and 28-pound) 

 

The weights used for distance throwing are common box weights, attached to a ring handle by chain; the overall length is 18 inches. Contestants are allowed a nine-foot run up, but must use only one hand to throw, and have to remain behind the trig (toe bar) 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.

 

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Caledonian Hammer

 

Today's Scottish or Caledonian hammer features an iron ball fitted on a long, flexible shaft. The hammer has an overall length of 50 inches, and comes in two 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sheaf Toss

The sheaf toss has roots on the farms of Scotland. Usingpitchforks, 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 20 pounds is thrown over a crossbar with a pitchfork.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Gaelic Dead Weight - 56-pound weight over bar

 

The object here is to toss a 56-pound weight up and over a high crossbar using only one hand.

 

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Caber Toss

 

In the caber toss, the athlete attempts to flip a section of tree - averaging 18 feet and weighing 80 to 120 pounds - 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 twelve o’clock position. 

 

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