HEAVYWEIGHTS
TOSSING THE CABER:
This event has changed little since its inception. Cabers are tapered and can vary
in length and weight but usually around 150lbs and up to 17 feet. (We keep ours in
the burn prior to the Games to let them soak up the water, thereby increasing the weight
and making them less likely to split). The object of tossing the caber is to throw
the pole directly ahead, landing on the heavy end so that the light end makes a perfect
turn over and lands pointing directly in line, away from the thrower. Points are
then awarded on how straight the caber falls with any deviation attracting penalty points.
THROWING THE 56lb WEIGHT OVER THE
BAR:
The origins of this event will be fairly clear. In early games, large stones were
thrown over a pole or rope and the height increased until a winner remained. These
days agricultural weights are used.
It is not practical to let spectators test the weight but you will be able to see from the strain that builds as the bar gets higher that this is no child's play.
PUTTING THE SHOT:
This was one of the simplest competitions, in that competitors were required to
throw large boulders as far as possible. Needless to say, no two boulders are alike,
so some of the success boasted did not quite match up to others.
These days the weight is standardised at 16lbs and a regulation steel ball replaces the rather less predictable stones. With the very high standard of entry we get at Bridge of Allan, a good number of records have been set and broken here.
THROWING THE HAMMER:
Since a Blacksmith's forge was to be found in almost every glen, it is not surprising that another Highland pastime was Throwing the Hammer. These days throwing style is strictly controlled. No turning is allowed and the thrower grasps the handle and swings the hammer three or four times round his head before releasing it behind him. Whilst the spectators are quite safe, the occasional straying hammer can be a hazard for Judges and stray Games officials.
THROWING THE WEIGHT FOR DISTANCE:
Throwing the weight for Distance is done with a ball and chain, no more than 18" long with a handle attached. Although there are two standard weights - 28lbs and 56lbs - the former is used in Bridge of Allan.
The thrower must use only one hand and has 9 feet behind the marker to make 3 full turns before releasing the handle and hurling the weight forward.
Competitors are disqualified if they unbalance themselves when throwing and step or fall over the marker. When properly executed, it is decidedly the most graceful and eye-catching of the heavyweight events but it has its risks. This is why you see the ":cage" behind the thrower which is there to protect the audience from the Hammer and (not as some have suggested) from the heavy weights themselves!)