Going for glory at the Moncton Highland Games
Published Thursday June 18th, 2009
Athletes will vie for Canadian National Scottish Heavy Events Championships.
A sporting event, based on ancient "war games" in which Scottish clan chieftains chose their warriors, and which dates officially to the 11th Century as a contest to find the swiftest and strongest man to carry King Malcolm III's messages across Scotland, is coming to Moncton this weekend, June 20th and 21st, at Bernice MacNaughton High School.
The Moncton Highland Games can trace their history back three years to 2007, when the local chapter of the New Brunswick Scottish Cultural Association inaugurated them as a one day event at Victoria Park. At that time between 800 and 1,000 spectators gathered to watch 125 highland dancers and listen to the skirl of pipe and drum bands competing alongside heavy events athletes. They returned to Victoria Park in full force in 2008, despite the rain which didn't dampen their enthusiasm. How could it, when they were privy to some exciting news?
"After the Old Scotia Heavy Events team had competed here in 2007, they were so impressed with what Moncton had to offer, that they went to the Nationals and talked up Moncton. This resulted in our city receiving the nod from the Canadian National Scottish Heavy Events to host the 2009 Canadian Championships," says Don Sage, Highland Games Chair.
If you're one of 200,000 New Brunswickers who listed Scottish roots on the most recent census, you'll know what heavy events are, but for the rest of us, here's a quick primer. Top-ranked athletes from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia, as well as our own Dirk Bishop, Past World Champion from Florenceville, will converge on the new venue, to compete in five main events.
There's the Stone for Distance in which two smooth beach stones, one weighing 14 pounds and the other weighing 26 pounds are thrown and measured for distance. It's similar to a Shot-put event in Track & Field. Then there's Stone for Height, in which a stone attached to a ring and chain is thrown up over a bar, 16 feet high, while the athlete stands backwards. There's the Hammer Throw, also for distance and weighing the same as the Stone for Distance, the Sheaf Toss, in which a sheaf of wheat is thrown up into a wagon and the Caber Toss. The caber is a 19 foot cedar log, which has to be carried and flipped, end to end. In King Malcolm's day it would have been used as a climbing tool to scale a castle wall.
"The new Canadian Champions will proceed to the World Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 24th and 25th. These games will be part of the 2009 Homecoming Event, the largest gathering of the clans ever, which also coincides with the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scottish bard, Robbie Burns," explains Stephen Tweedie, Chairman of the Moncton Chapter, NB Scottish Cultural Association.
But the Highland Games are about much more than the Canadian Championships, important as they are. Sage and his team of 40 volunteers have been working on a jam-packed program since last summer. He says, "We hope to see people from Moncton take an active part in the games, as there is something for everyone, Scottish or not."
Sage is enthusiastic as he lists some of the diverse activities. "There'll be a fly casting competition, with demonstrations and a fly-tying workshop. We have a sheep dog demonstration with a small herd of six sheep; there's some Highland Cattle, which look a bit like longhorn Texas cattle, but shaggier. They're docile and give bareback rides to children. There'll be spinning and weaving workshops, and a chance to learn a word or two of Gaelic." While seldom heard now, in the 1800's it was the third most common language in Canada, after English and French.
And of course, there'll be pipers, drummers and dancers of all age ranges from across the Maritimes. Breannah Tweedie, a four-time provincial representative at the Canadian Highland Dance Championships, sidelined this year due to a knee injury, explains the different kinds of dances.
"There are National Dances, which are more 'feminine' and Highland Dances, originally performed by men," she says. "One of the National Dances is the 'Flora MacDonald'. On the night before her scheduled execution, she so impressed the king with her dancing, that her life was spared.
"Everyone knows the 'Highland Fling'. The story behind it is of a little boy who saw a deer dancing in the woods. As he tried to show his grandmother what he had seen, he danced and raised his arms to represent antlers.
"Other Highland Dances include three different Reels, the 'Seann Trubhas' and the 'Sword Dance', in which the victorious Scottish knight lays his sword over that of his defeated opponent, and then dances between the X that they form on the ground."
If it rains this year, the dancers will be able to take shelter inside the school, as wet, slippery surfaces are treacherous, especially when stepping between swords.
Fun at the games doesn't stop when the sun sets. At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, there'll be lots of activity at the Ceilidh tent with Celtic entertainers. There's the high energy Ross Family from PEI, five sisters and brothers who play the fiddle and step dance; Frank Taylor, the Flying Scotsman of Mactequac; Miramichi singer, Jesse Ferguson, and our own Hal 'n' Tow.
Throughout the weekend there'll be vendors offering traditional Scottish food. If you're not up for trying haggis, there'll be scones and shortbread cookies. You'll be able to purchase souvenirs, do genealogical research, learn about all things Scottish and have most of your questions answered. "Most" is the operant word, as no one's promising to answer the most intriguing question of all, "What do Scotsmen wear under their kilts?"
For more information, visit www.nbscots.com/monctonhighlandgames/
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