Uncle Greg at the Highland Games
This August Uncle Greg competed in the 2005 Whidbey Island Highland Games. Highland Games are a set of ancient contests testing the competitors' strength and balance. Swiftness afoot is not featured--apparently the ancient Scotts were not impressed with speedy men. If you take the Highland Games as a reflection of the physical traits valued by ancient Scotts, you must conclude that those rugged folk had a soft spot for red, large, hairy men who can throw heavy objects a long way. From what I witnessed, I'm pretty sure grunting was a desired skill as well.
Best of all, competitors must wear a kilt! I pretty sure they would wear one even if it weren't required. If you wear a Utilikilt, or want to wear one, go to a Highland Games. No one will judge you there. I nearly bought one myself.
Contests include the hammer throw, the light stone, the heavy stone, and the mother of all Highland tests, the caber toss, in which contestents grasp a log by its base, hoist it to their chest, and flip it so that the end they were holding lands furthest from them. I'm not kidding when I say "log". The thing is basically a tree with the branches removed. Most contestents can't even flip the darn thing. I respect anyone who can manage to lift it at all.
The gaming community is very close and supportive. Athletes routinely offer tips and encouragement to their opponents during play. The games are competitive, but the gamers seem to be more interested in growing the sport and making friendships than in beating each other. Also, a newbie could seriously injure themselves if they use bad technique, so these events are an opportunity to build up some serious karma.
Uncle Greg did very well, placing first in several events for an overall fourth place finish in a field of a couple of dozen. Greg is neither hairy nor red, but he is taller than most American men, and he plans to train hard for next year's season.
The Manisfam had loads of fun and snapped enough photos to cover a heavy stone.