Scottish for a Day

At first, I was hesitant to attend the Scottish Highland Games for fear of being singled out and stared at.

I figured I would stick out because I’m nowhere close to looking like a Scot.

My friend Andre was trying to convince me to join him at the games because he heard I was taking the semester off, and that I should use the time to expand my world views. He even offered to pay for my $20 ticket and Uber ride. At last minute I changed my mind after deciding to write a post about the festival, and I’m glad I did.

But less about me and more about the games.

This year marks the 40th annual Scottish Highland Games honoring traditions, heritage, and family. The Scottish-American Society of Central Florida founded the games in 1977, and for two days they are held at the Central Winds Park in Winter Springs, Florida.​

Deeply rooted in tradition and heritage, the festival’s main events are the athletic competitions that focus on brute strength. Competitors contend for family honor and have the option to enter into the stone put, hammer throw, Caber toss, or sheaf toss. The stone put is basically the Scottish version of the shot put, and the hammer throw is similar to the Olympic version except it has a wooden handle. The Caber toss was a completely new sport for me and a true measure of brute strength. It involves a 16 to 22 foot long log weighing between 100 to 180 pounds and the thrower must successfully run a short distance, then toss the caber so that it flips forward. The closer the caber lands in the twelve o’ clock position the higher the score. Quite the impressive feat to achieve if you lift. The next sport, the sheaf toss, was new to me as well; it’s pretty much just a heavy sack of straw weighing 16 or 20 pounds flung over a crossbar with a pitchfork.

In addition to the festivities, each of the 67 registered clans represented this year have their own booths set up and educate attendees about their clan’s history. For those who ​​come to seek a clan, you can discover family crests and what tartan the clan wears. The only information you need to bring is just a last name.​

The next highlight of my day was watching the knights fight. It’s a visual treat seeing the array of armor and weapons on display, and even more exciting to watch them clash hand to hand. All of their armor and costumes are authentic replicas, no foam shields or faux leather here.​​

I’ve also discovered a new liking for mini Highland cows; they’re so fluffy and adorable and they only grow to be less than 4 feet tall! There were also Border collie sheep-herding demonstrations presented by Craigmalloch Border Collies.

And of course no Scottish festival would be complete without seeing and hearing bands of bagpipers. This was actually my first time hearing bagpipes in person and outside of a funeral setting, and for the longest time I disliked bagpipes because I felt they were rather annoying to listen to, blaring our their flat tunes as if they were trying to drown out your eardrums. They're something akin to a rude awakening, but after hearing the pipers and drummers march I’ve since changed my views. I suppose it’s not the instrument itself but rather how one plays it. I have a greater appreciation for bagpipes now after seeing the dedication and hard work poured into making the performance flawless.

Overall, I’m glad I went to the Scottish Highland Games and I have my friend Andre to thank. There is something for everyone here, like sports, haggis, beer, and such. I definitely recommend all of you to get out there and experience something new. It’s wonderful seeing the local Scottish community keep their culture and traditions alive. My only regret is not being old enough to taste the apricot flavored beer.