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Log inHighland games are a strong person's ticket to little cash
Highland games are a strong person's ticket to little cash
by Outspoken on Sun Aug 17, 2008 5:35 am
Highland games are a strong person's ticket to very little cash
BY EDWARD D. MURPHY
Blethen Maine Newspapers
BRUNSWICK -- Here's a line not normally seen on a resume: professional Highland games athlete.
They may be few, but there is a small band of men and women who pick up a few extra dollars on the weekends tossing rocks, flipping over long poles and even seeing how high they can toss bags of hay with pitchforks.
Such games are among the highlights of annual gatherings of Scots and Scottish-Americans who pull out their kilts and get together to celebrate all things Scottish, like the event that drew several thousand to Thomas Point Beach on Saturday.
The feats of strength are big crowd pleasers with roots that go back centuries. One of the games, the open stone throw, grew out of the habit of clan chiefs keeping a heavy stone nearby and challenging visitors to see who could throw it farthest, said Nigel Light of Dumbarton, Scotland, and Connecticut, who served as announcer Saturday.
The modern version of the game leaves out the chief, but still involves a rock weighing about 16 pounds that is hurled across the grass.
Harrison Bailey of Easton, Pa., may be the best athlete among the professionals these days. He also has the distinction of being "the first and only African-American on the professional (Highland games) circuit." Bailey said he's not Scottish but has some Irish blood.
He was drawn to the games by a college discus coach who competed in Highland games. "I like the history and the links to Scotland and the brotherhood of it," Bailey said. "We're all good friends and we help each other out, even though we want to win."
Bailey, an assistant high school principal Mondays through Fridays, said the games keep him on the move. "I've been in five different states the last five weeks," he said.
Winnings are not exactly the kind that most professional athletes see. Most events offer a top prize of $300 or $400.
"It pays for your travel and at the end of the year you might make a couple of thousand," Bailey said. "You do it because you love it."
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/5323806.html
Photos By Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
BY EDWARD D. MURPHY
Blethen Maine Newspapers
BRUNSWICK -- Here's a line not normally seen on a resume: professional Highland games athlete.
They may be few, but there is a small band of men and women who pick up a few extra dollars on the weekends tossing rocks, flipping over long poles and even seeing how high they can toss bags of hay with pitchforks.
Such games are among the highlights of annual gatherings of Scots and Scottish-Americans who pull out their kilts and get together to celebrate all things Scottish, like the event that drew several thousand to Thomas Point Beach on Saturday.
The feats of strength are big crowd pleasers with roots that go back centuries. One of the games, the open stone throw, grew out of the habit of clan chiefs keeping a heavy stone nearby and challenging visitors to see who could throw it farthest, said Nigel Light of Dumbarton, Scotland, and Connecticut, who served as announcer Saturday.
The modern version of the game leaves out the chief, but still involves a rock weighing about 16 pounds that is hurled across the grass.
Harrison Bailey of Easton, Pa., may be the best athlete among the professionals these days. He also has the distinction of being "the first and only African-American on the professional (Highland games) circuit." Bailey said he's not Scottish but has some Irish blood.
He was drawn to the games by a college discus coach who competed in Highland games. "I like the history and the links to Scotland and the brotherhood of it," Bailey said. "We're all good friends and we help each other out, even though we want to win."
Bailey, an assistant high school principal Mondays through Fridays, said the games keep him on the move. "I've been in five different states the last five weeks," he said.
Winnings are not exactly the kind that most professional athletes see. Most events offer a top prize of $300 or $400.
"It pays for your travel and at the end of the year you might make a couple of thousand," Bailey said. "You do it because you love it."
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/5323806.html
Photos By Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
