Project 2: Draft 3

If you attend the Highland Games of Sarasota, you will most likely hear the Flower of Scotland played loud and proud throughout the entire day, with drums and bagpipes. The Highland Games is the pinnacle of the many Scottish social events held each year in Sarasota. If you are wondering why the Highland Games are hosted in the sunny and tropical Gulf coast of Florida, it is because the first settlers to arrive in Sarasota were the Scots. Sarasota is proud of its Scottish heritage. Sarasota was settled by the Scots back in 1885. John Hamilton Gillespie of Scotland was the first mayor of Sarasota. He is also known for establishing the first golf course in Florida. Sarasota has a strong attraction for the Scots ever since the first settlers arrived in 1885. Many other ethnic groups followed suit and settled in the area. Nevertheless, Sarasota has always preserved and celebrated its Scottish roots. There are three major Scottish cultural societies in Sarasota: The St. Andrew Society of Sarasota, the Scottish Heritage Society, and the Caledonians. These three organizations are independent and host multiple events individually throughout the year, including the Highland Games, the Tartan Ball, Burns Supper, and the new year’s eve Hogmanay celebration. However, they all band together for the annual Highland Games with the Scottish Heritage Society being the host and organizer. According to Bonnie Perkins, the president of the Scottish Heritage Society, the main purpose of the Games is to celebrate Scottish Heritage in Sarasota County.

The first Sarasota Highland Games took place in 1994. The St. Andrew Society was originally founded in 1979, and it is a society that celebrates Scottish heritage. The Highland Games is a big festival that imitates the traditional highland games in Scotland. According to A Dictionary of Sports Studies from Oxford University, "..The Games were institutionalized in 1832 with the formation of the Braemar Royal Highland Society, and their influence was widespread, Scottish-Americans forming early athletics clubs on the east coast of the USA...” The Sarasota Highland Games have unusual traditional events, such as log throwing and rock slinging. British food is sold at the festival, and a Scottish rock band performs every year at the games. At the festival, there is quite a mix of people. There are those who wish they were Scottish and don kilts along with formal Scottish attire, and there are also current Scottish citizens that attend. At the games, it is also common to see people casually carrying axes, knives, and swords. They sell ancient Scottish weapon replicas and kilts at the festival. An example of a classic Scottish weapon would be the Damascus Dirk. It is a sword, but it is not designed to cut or stab. Instead, it has a blunt edge that is used to strike an enemy.

The Highland Games are basically a badass Scottish version of track and field on steroids. The Highland Games originated from when Scotland during the 1700s. Originally, this was not an event that was held for entertainment. Instead, its purpose was “...So that the kings of Scotland and clan chiefs could identify their best men (British Heritage). “ According to Britannica encyclopedia, “The games originated in impromptu competitions at clan assemblies summoned by the chiefs for hunting, military exercises, and the conduct of clan business generally.” However, there are other less intense events. For example, there are dancing competitions. “...Other events, have always been an integral part of the games, such as hill running, dancing, wrestling, bagpipe music, and sometimes Gaelic poetry recitals (Brewster).”One of the most notable events, tossing the caber, is still alive today in the highland games. A caber is basically a log. Participants get a score based on how high they can toss the caber. Many of the highland games events follow a similar pattern. It seems that the majority of them involve throwing unusual objects into the air. For example, there is an event where a bale of hay is thrown over a tall bar. However, the athletes are not supposed to simply pick it up with their hands and toss it over. Instead, they have to use a pitchfork to stab the oddly shaped lump of hay and attempt to haul it over the bar. Some Olympic events were derived from competitions at the Highland Games. Tug of war, hammer throw, and shot put all came from the Highland Games (Visit Scotland). Today, the most well known highland games is “The Braemar Gathering.” The Queen typically comes to this one every year. “The Braemar Gathering, held in September, is the biggest and most prestigious Highland Games event and enjoys the annual attendance of the Royal Family (Scotland). “

All of the highland games events have not strayed far from tradition. Yet, there is one remarkable difference today. Females are allowed to participate in all the events that used to be exclusively for males. The reasoning behind this, besides history’s blatant sexism towards women in ancient times, was that the highland games used to be a method employed by kings to weed out the weakest soldiers in the military. That is why the events were extremely taxing on the body. They were built to mentally and physically wear down the individuals that participated in them. Besides the physically rigorous competitions, there were musical ones as well. Musicians from different clans would see who could play better music, while sword dancers competed with each other as well. No matter which event someone participates in, it is necessary for them to wear a kilt. “Competitors in tossing the weight and tossing the caber must wear the kilt (Britannica).”

For the Sarasota Highland Games, members of different clans will compete against each other. People can identify which clan someone belongs to by looking at their kilt’s pattern. At the Sarasota Highland Games, it is strongly recommended that people wear attire that shows their clan pride. According to the Sarasota Highland Games website, “Each clan has its own tartan pattern, usually dating back to the 19th century. Clans generally identify with geographical areas controlled by the Chiefs, usually with an ancestral castle and clan gatherings form a regular part of the social scene.” The clans compete against each other in track and field style events, known as Scottish Heavy Athletics. The different events at the Sarasota Highland Games are the Open Stone Throw, Heavy Weight for Distance Throw, Light Weight for Distance Throw, Scottish Hammer Throw, Caber Toss, Sheaf Toss, Weight for Height, and The Braemar Stone Throw. The Hammer Throw is similar to discus in track and field. There are some stricter rules used in the Highland Games for this event.

“In the Scottish event, a round metal ball (weighing 16 or 22 lb. for men or 12 and 16 lb. for women) is attached to the end of a shaft about 4 feet in length and made out of wood, bamboo, rattan, or plastic. With the feet in a fixed position, the hammer is whirled about one’s head and thrown for distance over the shoulder. Hammer throwers sometimes employ specially designed footwear with flat blades to dig into the turf to maintain their balance and resist the centrifugal forces of the implement as it is whirled about the head. This substantially increases the distance attainable in the throw (Scottish Heavy Athletics).“

Almost all the events for track and field involve hurling a stone. This is why the Caber Toss and the Sheaf Toss differ, thus are some of the more entertaining events to watch. It takes much more strength and coordination to participate in these two events. “The Sheaf Toss uses a hay fork to toss a 16 to 20 pound sheaf (burlap bag full of twine) for height (What Are Heavy Events?).” The history of how some of the events were introduced is unknown. For the Sheaf Toss, “...An unusual aspect of this event is that any competitor may use any other competitor’s fork. The highest toss wins. It can be easily believed that this event comes from farmer tradition of launching sheafs of grain into the loft of a barn (What Are Heavy Athletics?).” For the Highland Games, they do the Braemar Stone Throw. Shot put originated from this event, and there are two different ways to employ a Braemar stone throw. In order to conduct a Braemar stone throw, there are a few specific rules that are necessary to follow:

“The ‘Braemar Stone’ uses a 20-26 lb. stone for men (13-18 lb. for women) and does not allow any run up to the toeboard or ‘trig’ to deliver the stone, i.e, it is a standing put. In the “Open Stone” using a 15-22 lb. stone for men, the thrower is allowed to use any throwing style so long as the stone is put with one hand with the stone resting cradled in the neck until the moment of release. Most athletes in the open stone event use either the ‘glide’ or ‘spin’ techniques (Scottish Heavy Athletics).”

Friendly competition is vital to the success of the Sarasota Highland Games. However, physical fitness and clan pride are just some of the aspects taken seriously at the Highland Games. Each year there is a shortbread baking contest, and anyone who attends the Games can enter in it. Shortbread is a Scottish dessert that has been made since the 12th century (Sarasota Highland Games). According to the official website of the Sarasota Highland Games, Mary Queen of Scots altered the recipe in the 16th century, naming them Petit Galettes. This traditional dessert was not a treat enjoyed year round. It was expensive to bake, so it was usually made solely for the holidays (Sarasota Highland Games).

I have been attending the Sarasota Highland Games ever since I was a little girl. My family has been members of the St. Andrew Society of Sarasota ever since my parents moved to Sarasota. My parents would dress the entire family in kilts and tartans and attend the Highland Games. One of my favorite experiences as a toddler was admiring the numerous Clan tents and the attire of their members. A man in full Highland dress is quite a sight to see at any age. From the tam o’ shanter hat on his head to the copious shining silver buttons on his formal Prince Charlie jacket, to the wide belt with its purse like sporran, the colorful kilt with all its pleats, the sword at his side with the elaborate engravings, his knee hose with the flash garters and his lace up ghillie brogue shoes. No woman’s dress can compete for attention! However, the Clan members adornments were not the only eye catching aspects. Clan pride and the competitive spirit is provoked by the annual competition for best decorated clan tent. Each clan tent tries to outdo its neighbor with misty castle backgrounds, decorations such as stuffed animal heads and horns, and elaborate costuming.

After walking through the various clan tents, we would watch the pipe bands competition. I used to be upset by the pipe bands because of all the noise, but I was entertained by the pageantry of the pipers in their bright kilts and the ridiculously tall furry hat of the pipe major. The pipers would walk in a neat formation and flawlessly perform traditional Scottish songs. Mercifully, my father would notice me and my sisters getting antsy before too long, and take us on to the next amusement.

This event was a border collie herding sheep, and receiving instructions from a clan member. These instructions were given by whistles that varied in frequency and tone. It was amazing to see how intelligent the border collies were, and how they could translate the varied whistles to determine where they would move to next in order to herd the sheep.

There are always at least two Scottish bands that alternate performing in the music tent. This was a favorite of my parents, but I did not enjoy it nearly as much as they did because it was loud. My favorite was the tea tent. Here you could purchase all sorts of Scottish baked delights, such as scones, strawberry shortcake, shortbread, Wee McGregor’s, and empress cookies, or “biscuits” as they would say. If you were in the mood for something savory, you could buy a beef pastie pie, haggis, or a Scotch egg. The food was always a highlight for me.

My father was always an enthusiastic of fan of the “heavy athletics.” He would check the day’s program first thing to make sure we did not miss the athletic competitions. Usually, you could see the following events: Open Stone Throw, Heavy Weight for Distance Throw, Light Weight for Distance Throw, Scottish Hammer Throw, Caber Toss, Sheaf Toss, Weight for Height, and The Braemar Stone Throw. Without a doubt, my fathers’, and usually the crowd’s favorite event was the Caber Toss. Even I found this interesting, because it was remarkable to see someone throw what looked like a telephone pole end over end. The competitors were always a diverse bunch of big, brawny men in kilts and cleats, and tank tops or t-shirts. This event is by far the most iconic event of the Highland Games. Another interesting athletic event to watch is the sheaf toss. Competitors in the sheaf toss use a pitchfork to stab a bag of hay, and hurl it to its maximum height above a bar. The origin of this event is unknown, but the Scots believe it came from farmers. The Scottish Hammer Throw is another crowd pleaser. This event is similar to discus in track and field, except the competitor is throwing a hammer instead of a disc. However, this is not your typical hammer found in a toolbox. Scottish hammers are much more dense and have the shape of Thor’s hammer. Open Stone Throw and the Braemar Stone Throw only have 1 major difference. For the Braemar Stone Throw, the athlete is required to stay in one place when they throw the stone. However, the Open Stone Throw allows the athlete to use whichever method they see fit to gain the most distance in their trajectory. Both of these throws closely resemble the shotput event in traditional track and field. In the Weight for Height competition, participants hold an object that has the appearance of a kettlebell. There are three rounds in the competition. The objective is to throw the kettlebell above the bar so the contestant is able to move on to the next round. This event is even more challenging, because the athletes are only allowed to use one hand to throw the kettlebell. According to Bonnie Perkins, the president of the Scottish Heritage Society, the Highland Games competitors come from all over, but most of them are from Canada and the United States. Sarasota is not the only city that hosts the Highland Games. Various cities across America compete and celebrate Scottish heritage at their own Highland Games. In fact, “Each year, tens of thousands of people flock to Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina, and to more than two hundred other locations across the country to attend Scottish Highland Games and Gatherings (Ray).” There is a competitive Highland Games circuit and the participants enter the events to earn points so they can qualify to participate in the final Highland Games in Scotland.

The Highland Games interestingly have greater importance and popularity in the United States than it does in Scotland. The highland games in modern day Scotland are not nearly as extravagant or impressive as the Highland Games in America. Here, the Highland games in various states all have Scottish dancers, traditional food, pipe bands, and heavy athletics. All of the different clans take pride in their unique tartans and enjoy competing to see which clans can prove their physical superiority in the numerous track and field events. In Scotland, the only event the Highland Games has are a few competitors in heavy athletics. Basically, comparing our Highland Games entertainment to their Highland Games is like comparing Walt Disney World to a county fair. The Highland Games is special to my family. It helps us to better understand Scottish culture, and the experiences of my great grandparents in Scotland. My family is proud to have Scottish and American roots, because we are able to experience two different and diverse cultures.