Heavy Athletics

Is there anything more delicious than a man in a kilt?

Not in my book :grin:

Kilt, n. - a costume sometimes worn by Scotsmen in America and Americans in Scotland. ~ Ambrose Bierce

The Portland Stone -- okay this event is unique to the Portland Highland Games. These guys are "tossing" a 96 pound stone over 9 feet. Now, that would be like me, well maybe Mark, tossing Cam!

This was actually the judge of the competition proving he still has it!

Caber Toss -- the tossing of a telephone pole, LOL. The Caber is 19-20 feet long and weighs about 150 pounds. The goal is to toss it so the Caber pivots on its top and to fall in a straight line from the athlete in the 12 o'clock position.

I remember the time I took a friend to the games, we were at one end of a football field and the Caber finalists were at the other end -- she was worried that we'd get hit, LOL. It's a telephone pole, it won't go far!

Weight for Height -- this is like the high jump but with a 56 pound weight. The athlete gets three chances to clear the bar. If successful her can move on to the next height.

Highland Dancing

There's a wee part of me that wishes my parents had encouraged Debbie and I to take up dancing -- not the bit of ballet I have vague memories of but the highland stuff -- but in their defense there may not have been anything in the Bay Area where we grew up. One of my cousins took the highland dance and demonstrated at one or more of our reunions. Sigh.

And Coquitlam, BC must have one hell of a dance studio because the majority of the winners were out of Coquitlam. Wonder if that's where my cousin went?

During one of the competitions we saw...

THIS!

Is this little sweetheart not the cutest thing you've ever seen? She was mimicking the dancers...doing a pretty good job of it too!

I just wish I could have gotten in behind her so I could take a picture with her in the foreground and the competitive dancers on the stage in the background. It would have been the coolest picture.

Pipes, Drums, and Bands Oh My!

I think the music is one of the things I miss most about not going to the Portland Highland Games for so many years. My CD's from previous years only take me so far.

Mark thinks I'm crazy. Maybe it's just my Scottish blood. But whatever it is, there is nothing like the sound of bagpipes to me. I get chills, in a good way, my blood starts pumping, and sitting still is impossible. I want to dance a Highland Fling -- of course, I'd need to learn how first -- or at the very least tap my foot.

I love the music. Not just the pipes and marching bands people associate with the Highland Games but the traditional Celtic sound.

One of the specialized music acts was Men of Worth. Below is a sample of their sound. I'm kinda kicking myself now that I didn't pick up one of their CDs at the Games.

Opening Ceremonies

I used to be a card carrying member of the PHGA and volunteered at many games. I've yet to make it to the Vegas version. You can imagine my joy that our vacation coincided with the Portland Highland Games. On the statistically warmest/driest day of the year Oregon gave us rain, LOL

Regimental Drum Major Inspection & Decorum

The Prince Charles Pipe Band

Color Guard: 2nd Battalion 162nd Infantry IBCT

NW Scots Guard

Parade of the Clans

Alma Lynn McDowell singing the
UK, Canadian, and US national anthems.
Behind her are:
Chieftains of the Day Colin & Bonnie MacKenzie,
and PHGA president Marianna MacKenzie Day.



Jori Chisholm preforming the lament.

Rev. Christopher Grewe giving the invocation.

The Kilted Mile Race

The fastest time: 5'40.08
However, 73 year old Patrick Feser broke a record with 7'06.11!