Highland Heavy Games comes to Hanover Ag

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This article was published 16/08/2019 (1714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Legend has it, Scotland’s Highland Heavy Games started as a way to kill time during a running competition in the early 11th century.

The racers, competing to earn the spot as the king’s messenger, would run up a steep hill and haul weights back with them. Since this took some time, the audience found ways to keep themselves busy.

The way Matt Reling and Cory McLeod, competitors for the Manitoba Association of Celtic Sports tell it, the original Highland Heavy Games were basically just an opportunity for a group of Scottish men to flex their muscles by throwing around whatever objects just happened to be lying around.

“A couple drinks in and they’re just trying to throw rocks for the next guy,” said Reling, Heavy Games Competition Coordinator. “It started as almost like a pub thing.”

Now, the Highland Heavy Games is much more sophisticated. In Canada, competitors travel from festival to festival, throwing everything from hammers and cabers to bales of twine.

The Manitoba Association of Celtic Sports is also making its first ever appearance in the Southeast, first at the Hanover Ag Fair and later at the Kleefeld Honey Festival.

There are nine categories for the contestants to compete in. Every time a registered competitor throws at a festival or competition and makes a personal best, their distance gets counted to their overall ranking.

“If you compete more, you have a better chance to improve your score,” said Reling.

For McLeod and Reling, the summer has been pretty slow for events, which can hurt their rankings.

So they were thankful to get Hanover Ag on board to add the Highland Heavy Games, even if it is a little unorthodox for a rodeo.

“Usually you don’t put kilts and cowboys together,” said McLeod.

But he said this is a good chance for people to see more of Scottish culture beyond what’s shown in the movies.

McLeod and Reling, who both have Scottish roots, explained that the Highland Games is more than just a pastime—it’s part of their culture.

Even the kilts they wear, McLeod’s a bright yellow with thick black cross-stitching, and Reling’s a more prudent blue-gray, signifies which clan they come from.

“Someone who’s into Scottish history can just look at a tartan and know exactly who you are,” McLeod said.

Like one elderly lady that came up to McLeod out of the blue and said to him, “I haven’t seen that kilt in many years, but you being a McLeod, I knew right away.”

That’s not to say the Highland Heavy Games are just for the Scottish. Reling estimates about a quarter of the competitors don’t have any Scottish blood.

Reling said the atmosphere at the games is very laid-back. Although the games are competitive, he said competitors are quick to offer each other tips.

“Everyone’s kinda moving in the same direction,” he said.

Though that doesn’t mean everyone gets there with the same strategy.

Take the caber toss, for example. The goal of this event is to pick up a long wooden pole, ranging from 16 to 22 feet tall, and flip it in a perfect arc.

Reling, a veteran Highland Heavy Games competitor of six years, prefers to walk with the caber as little as possible before throwing.

But McLeod, who only joined the games last year, likes to gain momentum; something Reling is quick to tease him about.

“There’s some guys that like to take it for a walk, or a run, or a jog down the block,” Reling quipped at him.

One aspect that also varies from person-to-person is the extent of their injuries.

“I wouldn’t say you get injuries a lot, but when you do get an injury, it doesn’t go away,” said McLeod.

McLeod said he hasn’t had anything major happen to him yet, but after six years of competing, Reling’s got enough injuries to teach an anatomy course.

A dislocated hip, from moving faster than his joints would allow during a hammer toss. A swollen leg, after getting slammed by a 22-pound braemar stone. Two dislocated fingers, from a turpentine and rock rosin mix that helped his fingers stick a little too well to the hammer.

McLeod said he and Reling make sure to keep each other in check to make sure they don’t overdo it.

“I’ll never admit it though, and I’ll fight him to the bitter end,” said Reling.

If you want to see the games in action, or possibly even try it yourself, the Highland Heavy Games will take place on Sunday, as part of the Hanover Ag fair. For more on the rest of the fair’s weekend schedule, visit HanoverAg.com.