No, siriusly .... but I am sirius

So what do you do in Scottish Games? "Well it involves what are called heavy athletics, in which weighty objects are thrown about." As you find yourself explaining this do not be troubled by the thought of being labelled eccentric, or weird, especially when you get into the kilt thing. Americans are not use to men going about in kilts, much less doing athletics in them. So if you get the reply "You're not serious!". Just remember The Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black, and firmly reply "Yes, I am Sirius".

Caber quest

Having never attempted a caber toss before 2007, I can say that it is a daunting task. While it is not as technique intensive as the weight for distance throw, which I will stay away from for some time yet; it is nonetheless a profound challenge to pull off. You'll probably beat your collarbone area up pretty bad with bruising as you learn to balance the caber after lifting it off the ground instead of letting it rest too far backwards. Once lifted and balanced you then must run forward to build up speed before you release the caber with an upward pull of the arms.
After your success with that first caber you'll want to test your learned skills out on one that is larger, as in longer and heavier. This is where we find ourselves for the next McCullough Scottish Games, for we are on a quest for this new challenge caber. I am glad to say that the new caber was felled on March 9, 2008 in a location that must remain somewhat of a mystery for now. The raw stock piece is from a red maple and must be weighed and dimensioned before it can be cut to exact specifications of weight and height. I'm hoping for a finished caber of 16 feet and 95 pounds.
So if you compete in our Games of '08 you'll have a choice of two cabers, last year's model and the '08 beastie. Of course your score will be higher for a successful toss of our new stick. I think this all started when Dad and Mom got me that Lincoln Log set.

May I have a piper please!

Pictured here is the gentleman who played the bagpipes at our inaugural McCullough Scottish Games held on 03 Nov 07. Franklin McQuay is a friend of my brother Paul. When we were planning last year's Games, Franklin came immediately to mind. I knew he had been playing for many years and is an accomplished piper. Thankfully he was able to accent our competition with Scottish music and instrument and, as you see, came dressed for the occassion.
Our family had the opportunity to visit Great Britain over the Easter week of 1997. The latter half of that week we spent in Edinburgh starting off with Easter morning service at Carrubbers Christian Centre, a church on the Royal Mile. While in Edinburgh we stayed at the Falcon Crest B&B, which I can highly recommend. Walking through the streets of the "new" town I remember hearing the strains of bagpipes playing and as we followed our ears to find the source we came upon a young man attired in kilt and handsome dress, the originator of the sound so very much associated with Scotland.
We look forward to having Franklin return for the '08 Games on October 25th. Please join us for a taste of Scotland right here in Baldwin, Maryland.

Beware! - have kilt will wear

Never owned a kilt before 2007, but, as is said "There's always a first time!" So having sprung for a kilt I didn't want to tuck it away for next year's Scottish Games. Christmas at my parents' was the next kilt event as my brother called prior to say that he'd wear his if I did the same.
You must know that of the three competitors in the first McCullough Scottish Games, mysef, my brother, Paul, and a long-time friend Chuck Trader, only Chuck did not sport a kilt for the competition, though he gets kudos for that handsome plaid cap he wore all day. Two months ago I had the opportunity for yet another kilt showing when invited to dinner by Chuck and his wife, Miriam. We were to meet them at Bertucci's restaurant at 6:45PM on a usually busy Saturday evening. We were a little late arriving and I didn't see them in the waiting area so I asked the hostess if she'd seated the Traders. At that point they saw us and waved, so we walked over to the aisle that would take us to their table. When I turned the corner and Chuck saw the kilt, he could but bury his face in his hands.
Since then I've had weekly opportunity to don the plaid as I practice the heavy events on Sunday afternoons. Of all the events, the caber has been the occassional traffic-stopper.
My neighbor David tells me that the movie Braveheart has gone to my head, but I must disagree. Unlike the guys in the movie, I always wear gym shorts underneath the kilt. May it ever be so! Alba gu brath.

Please pardon my caber

If someone says that to you, please get out of the way! Perhaps the perennial favorite of highland games is the caber toss. The caber is a section of a tree and so is naturally tapered. Due to its taper, a caber (from the Scotch gaelic 'cabar' for a pole) has its center of gravity closer to the thicker end, thus making it top heavy. This turns out to be an advantage to the thrower. The object of the caber toss is to lift it off the ground to a balanced vertical position, holding it close to the chest, neck and shoulder. The thrower then begins to run forward, maintaining the balance and allowing the caber to begin to lean forward. Coming to an abrupt stop, the held end is pulled up so as to work with the downward velocity of the thicker end, causing the caber to turn in the air. A successful toss occurs when the thicker end hits the ground first with the thinner end falling away from the thrower. Highest score is for a toss resulting in the thinner end pointing away from the thrower; if the thrower is at 6 o'clock on the dial face then the thinner end at 12 o'clock is a perfect toss.
Cabers may be made of any durable wood and the length and weight are geared to the abilities of the competition. Most will fall within a 14 to 21 foot length range and 80 to 150 pounds in weight.
See this video from October 2007 to see words in action.

Old strength events gain new appeal

Scottish Games or Highland Athletics refer to various strength events peculiar to indiginous Scottish festivals. Once banned by the British government, the games, highland dress and other strictly Scottish ways again experienced a revival in the homeland during the 1800s and were also taken by those who left their homes to the new lands where they emigrated. Today these games are one of many features of Highland festivals which include clan gatherings, music, dance, and traditional foods. The Highland Games and Festivals celebrated in North America are not to be confused with the more recent phenomenon of "renaissance festivals" or renfests for short. The latter tend to be an admixture of pagan and "new age" commercialism, authentic music, skilled crafters, play acting, and costuming.