Port City Highland Games Clinic

(Postponed from April 8) We are hosting true Highland Games clinics where men and women will have the opportunity to learn the rules and fundamentals of the heavy athletics. These events will be conducted by two world record-holding professional athletes. Weights will vary between women’s and men’s classes.

Instruction will be given in the following events:

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Clachneart (Open Stone)

“Putting the stone” is most comparable to the shot put you’ve seen in track and field events. The stone weighs 16 pounds for men, 9 pounds for women, and must be thrown with one hand only from in front of the shoulder. Traditionally the same stone is used from year to year on the same grounds.

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Braemar Stone

Like the Clachneart, but thrown from a stationary position. The Braemar stones weigh 22 pounds for the men and 13 pounds for the women.

Weight for Distance (Light & Heavy)

A spherical or box-shaped weight weighing 28 or 56 pounds is fixed to a chain and handle. It is thrown with one hand for furthest distance, measured to the first break in the ground made by the weight.

Hammer Throw

The hammer is about 42” long with a spherical head and a total weight of 16 or 22 pounds. The athlete turns their back to the direction of the throw and does not spin, usually digging into the ground with blades attached to their boots. They swing the hammer around their head several times and release it, aiming for maximum distance.

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Sheaf Toss

That’s an "f" –we’re not tossing sheep! The sheaf is a 20-pound burlap bag of hay or straw thrown over a crossbar for the greatest height. It can be thrown in any manner desired using a pitchfork.

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Turning of the Caber

If you know only one Highland event, it’s probably the caber toss! This log around 20’ long is balanced on one end in the athlete’s intertwined fingers. Once they have balanced it upright, the goal is to launch it, flipping the caber end over end. Success is measured on an imaginary clock, with a perfect thrown being “12 o’clock,” as the caber lands directly away from the athlete standing at the imaginary 6 o’clock.