HEAVY EVENTS

PUTTING THE SHOT OR STONE
By tradition a smooth, round stone from the riverbed is used, weighting approx. 16lbs. Such a stone is still often found outside many farmhouses in readiness for an impromptu competition. The stone, and now also a cast round ball or shot, is putted from behind a straight stick 4’6” long and 6” high called a trig. The throw is measured from the centre of the trig to the first mark made by the stone.

Field Record – Nant Stone           
Field Record – Putting the Shot    
Local Record – Putting the Shot

Bruce Aitken 36’ 6 1/2”
Bruce Aitken 51’ 3”
Stephen Aitken 47’ 0 1/2”

WEIGHT FOR DISTANCE
The weight is a ball and chain with a handle on the end, weighing 28lbs. One hand only may be used. Nine feet is allowed for stepping back and this is marked with a peg. The thrower stands beside the peg facing the trig and swings the weight to the side and then round behind him. Letting the weight drag as far behind him as he can he then pivots round once, twice and on the third turn he heaves the weight round and throws it as far as he can.

Field Record – Weight for Distance     
Local Record – Weight for Distance

Murray Gunn 77’ 10”
Stephen Aitken 73’ 3”

HAMMER THROWING
The Scots hammer has a wooden shaft and developed from throwing the blacksmith’s hammer or farm male hammers. Today’s hammer with its round head and whippy shaft was developed because the standard hammer broke so easily. No turning of the body is allowed. The thrower stands with his back to the trig and digs in with the aid of two 6” spikes with protrude from the front of his boots. The shaft is grasped firmly with hands made sticky with resin. He then swings the hammer round his head 3- 5 times and lets go.

Field Record – Light Hammer
Local Record – Light Hammer
Field Record – Heavy Hammer

Stephen King 140’ 9”
Stephen Aitken 129’ 4”
Stephen King 121’ 4”

WEIGHT OVER THE BAR
The weight weighs 56lbs and is thrown over a bar. Three attempts are allowed at each height and failure to clear leads to elimination. The competitor stands underneath the bar, picks up the weight with one hand, swings it between his legs and then up and over the bar. If thrown correctly the weight narrowly misses the athlete on the way down.

TOSSING THE CABER
Caber tossing started as a strength competition among woodmen to see who could turn the biggest tree over. Thus they started with a large tree and shortened it until someone tossed it successfully. A typical caber is a tree trunk weighing about 150lbs, 18 feet long and tapering from about 9” thick at one end to 5” thick at the other. The Caber is not tossed for distance but for style. The competition is judged on an imaginary clock face which the tosser creates as he completes the toss. The tosser runs up balancing the caber as best he can. When ready he stops and tosses. This point is taken as 6 o’clock. The caber describes an arc, lands end first and completes its fall to the ground. A perfect throw is one which goes straight over and lands at 12 o’clock. The judge usually runs behind the competitor as close as is safely possible, to judge the position of the caber on the ground relative to the run up. Here at Taynuilt we have a caber which has never been tossed successfully and there is a large money prize for the first person to do so.

TUG O’WAR
Teams of eight with a coach pull against each other. The rope is marked 6 feet on either side of the centre. When the Judge commands “take the strain” and the rope is taut, he marks the middle of the rope by placing a stick in the ground. The contest is decided when one or other of the markers on the rope passes the maker on the ground.