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greynolds177 
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 Topic: The Elephant Speaks...Posted: 8/03/14 at 4:54pm |
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Today I was standing in front of the future - our future.
A class of students in International Event Management. The folk who know that everything you think about Highland Games is based upon information that is well beyond its sell by date. They asked me why Highland Games are a minority sport. So I told them. They quoted my research back at me. I liked that. Long story short they knew how our Heavies can make a fortune and why they were not going to. A most interesting day Edited by greynolds177 - 8/04/14 at 2:20am |
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A.D.Inverness 1999-present; MWC2006, World Championships 2007, MWC2009 and MWC2014. Organiser of Guinness World Record for Caber Tossing. Scottish Masters International Hall of Fame Inductee 2014.
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Duncan McCallum
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Posted: 8/03/14 at 5:12pm |
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Why is Highland Games a minority Sport?
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The man in the arena.
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BRUTUS
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Posted: 8/03/14 at 5:38pm |
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Wtf are you talking about, how have they survived for hundreds of years? and heavies making a fortune!? What's a fortune? take off fuel, accommodation, equipment supps, gym membership, hours and hours of training. Stop speaking pish man
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C. Smith
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Posted: 8/03/14 at 6:16pm |
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lol, standard Gerry thread.
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Sammy68123
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Posted: 8/03/14 at 6:55pm |
I'm not trying to get in the middle of any issues anyone has with Gerry. If he is disposed to provide more info, I'm interested to read. However, I tend to agree with the idea that throwing sports in general, specifically Heavy Athletics, just don't get the visibility, promotion, and "love" that other sports receive. When I participated in a master's track/field state games last year (discus/shot put), the track events got a whole lot more attention than the field events. The judge at the discus was very specific to praise the track "AND FIELD" athletes participating. 1) We in USA/Canada consider Highland Games = Heavy Athletics. But in Scotland, Heavy Athletics is only one part of Highland Games: a HG will usually include events of running, some jumping field events, and perhaps some cycling. 2) Here in the USA/Canada, a Highland Games competition is usually part of an ethnic festival within in a community. In Scotland, a Highland Games is almost totally a community festival--something nearly the entire town has a hand in. For example, I just returned from the Iowa Irish Fest in Waterloo, IA. Well attended, the crowd loved the Heavy Athletics competition yesterday, despite the constraints of the park we're in. But for working folks at the hotels, restaurants, and stores, the festival was just some other event going on in town during the weekend and they had to work. 3) What is the path to entice and encourage anyone to take up Highland Games, even for collegiate throwers after they've graduated? How did everyone here learn about it and get started? I think there was a forum thread on this sometime in the past, but I just don't feel like looking it up. I feel sure that the motivations might differ in Scotland vs here. 4) Lastly, what has motivated our ADs to start and keep organizing the HGs? What long-term plans do they have to keep their games alive should they decide to step down? How to recruit and develop ADs and judges? I'm sure these same issues exist in Scotland as the community leaders who founded their various games have to step down: who will carry on the tradition or will it wither and die? |
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Teresa Merrick
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greynolds177
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 5:04am |
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Great post Teresa -in future I will bear in mind that I may have readers over the pond who think that I am talking about Heavy Events when I am actually writing about Highland Games.
The FIELD events certainly do not get the "love" or attention from the media that they deserve. The BBC, who were covering the Commonwealth Games which ended last night restricted itself to showing the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal Winning Throws which really drove me up the wall as I knew 3 folk I had met at the Inverness Highland Games taking part. Now I appreciate that if English, Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish competitors were going for gold that the coverage may have been different - but how are we ever going to inspire kids to take up throwing events if we do not promote them when our major championships are being staged? Out of sight - out of mind and all that. There is an excellent article in the Scotsman newspaper today by Lesley Riddoch called "Call foul on football (soccer)'s dominance".She makes the point that in other countries the TV coverage of sport is much more varied than here in Scotland and is depressed that we are now going back to the BBC showing very little else apart from football (soccer) She also cites some alarming statistics. The whole of the UK recently scored "F" in the European League Table of Physical fitness - which is hardly surprising when our children are getting 40 mins of scheduled physical activity at school per week. She says that compared with the folk living in Scandanavia; Scots are "almost inert." So to summarise - which is one of the points which the students I was working with arrived at; we should not be surprised when folk who are not being taught to exercise, are not taking up throwing events, which they are not not seeing on TV and not reading about in the newspapers or in social media. And taking that observation to its logical conclusion - those of us who love Heavy events in Scotland - should not be surprised if we cannot find a new generation of Heavies (in our Athletics Clubs) if our Athletics Clubs are struggling to attract throwers. The Elephant in the Scottish Room is brilliantly summarised in your questions 3) and 4). With regard to question 4 - My research indicated that the loss of 20% of Scotland's Highland Games since the Millennium was mainly due to the pressure on the Games Committees. Our volunteer Committee folk are rapidly aging, retiring or expiring and not being replaced. Over here in Scotland - the solution requires Government intervention. Currently they are not even looking at the developing problem. Nobody is responsible for Highland Games - lots of folk are responsible for parts of Highland Games but nobody is connecting up the dots and seeing the big picture. Just because Highland Games* have been around for almost 200 years (* Games not Heavy events) is no guarantee that they will continue to be here in Scotland. With regard to our top Heavies being paid a fortune - or even breaking even  - the number of changes that need to be made by the Scottish Government, EventScotland, VisitScotland, The Scottish Media and our major Highland Games Committees in the next decade is truly frightening. Currently nobody knows and nobody really cares about the health of Highland Games. I wish things were different but they are not. In Event Management - academically - events only have 3 stages of development They are rising They are stagnating They are declining Guess where we are. Edited by greynolds177 - 8/04/14 at 6:48am |
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A.D.Inverness 1999-present; MWC2006, World Championships 2007, MWC2009 and MWC2014. Organiser of Guinness World Record for Caber Tossing. Scottish Masters International Hall of Fame Inductee 2014.
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greynolds177
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 5:25am |
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http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/04/indigenoussports/Q/pno/1
Link to the only research commissioned by Scottish Government |
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A.D.Inverness 1999-present; MWC2006, World Championships 2007, MWC2009 and MWC2014. Organiser of Guinness World Record for Caber Tossing. Scottish Masters International Hall of Fame Inductee 2014.
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greynolds177
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 5:27am |
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https://dspace.stir.ac.uk/bitstream/1893/1361/1/Highland%20Games%202009.pdf
Brewster of Stirling University's research |
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A.D.Inverness 1999-present; MWC2006, World Championships 2007, MWC2009 and MWC2014. Organiser of Guinness World Record for Caber Tossing. Scottish Masters International Hall of Fame Inductee 2014.
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Duncan McCallum
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 6:22am |
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We need a reality show.
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The man in the arena.
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greynolds177
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 6:43am |
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That is a brilliant idea.
+1
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A.D.Inverness 1999-present; MWC2006, World Championships 2007, MWC2009 and MWC2014. Organiser of Guinness World Record for Caber Tossing. Scottish Masters International Hall of Fame Inductee 2014.
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Duncan McCallum
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 8:17am |
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Fakking arm wrestling has one, and we have AT LEAST as many characters as they do.
Certainly better stories.
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The man in the arena.
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Jeff Ingram
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 10:47am |
I was watching that the other day and thought exactly the same thing. I do know that people have tried to make such a thing happen; I'd say given the current television climate there's never been a better time than now. |
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Duncan McCallum
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 10:50am |
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Follow the Pros, anyone with the last name Miller, the top Ladies...
Training, travel, events...why not?
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The man in the arena.
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getyoukilt
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 11:42am |
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If they are going to follow me maybe I can hitch a ride...........
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" " - Harpo Marx
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Duncan McCallum
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 12:05pm |
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I did that on purpose Weird Beard! |
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The man in the arena.
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getyoukilt
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 12:10pm |
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Like many throwers I spend more on travel than the production costs on most reality shows. Seems like the market would bear a Highland Games reality show. We just have to convince the american networks that the british thought of it first and they will immediatly copy it.
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" " - Harpo Marx
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C. Smith
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 12:27pm |
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They did think of it first.
In 1981. |
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getyoukilt
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 12:46pm |
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The same year America launched the shuttle..................and MTv. Guess we had our ups and downs.
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" " - Harpo Marx
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jsully
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 1:45pm |
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Wasn't Vierra's Clash of the Celtic Giants a reality show of sorts? There was a crew that followed him around watching him train and eat 7lb burritos.
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C. Smith
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 1:54pm |
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Eh, kinda, I guess. It was really just a short spot on that broadcast in 2005.
The Heavies in 1981 was documentary style. |
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TheJeff696
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 4:16pm |
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A&E or TLC would easily pick it up.
Now all we need is someone with a tv personality. Who would answer the call...  |
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Jeff Kaste
"I think there's a Squatch in these woods..." |
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McSanta
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 7:59pm |
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so a fake "reality" TV show is not exploitative..... Getting something on tv will be good for the games/ heavy athletics ....
yet, when a legitimate TV show asks for help, what did they get???? I guess "Science of Stupid" is beneath a fringe sport where people in skirts throw sticks and stones? Are we a bit myopic? do we see trees or a forest? From my point of view of trying to get people to come to a festival, any PR is good PR. I have seen that TV show --- it is not as snarky like Tosh.o An opportunity slips away .... I guess I could sigh but I rather shake my head and go back to my regularly scheduled evening
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Mark McVey
"The work of science is to substitute facts for appearances and demonstrations for impressions." -John Ruskin |
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dWood
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 8:48pm |
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Actually we need press but anytime I see Gerry Reynolds post think what does this little fidget of a man have as an ulterior motive..don't trust him..think he's the Scottish version of a lying leprhecaun...maybe Ill get a chance to talk to him at MWC??
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JUST BRING IT /
SPEED KILLS..BUT STRENGTH PUNISHES |
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phatmiked
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Posted: 8/04/14 at 10:08pm |
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Thanks for the validation, Jeff. haha
I think a reality show following the top pros should sell. We have a hipster, a squeaky clean behemoth, couple OCD freaks, a squatch, a couple of douchey types, etc. Surely Bravo, or one of the others would buy |
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greynolds177
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Posted: 8/05/14 at 11:33am |
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Yellow Card to dWood for calling me Scottish
I am a Geordie. |
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A.D.Inverness 1999-present; MWC2006, World Championships 2007, MWC2009 and MWC2014. Organiser of Guinness World Record for Caber Tossing. Scottish Masters International Hall of Fame Inductee 2014.
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17/20
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Posted: 8/05/14 at 1:42pm |
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A ham and eggah Danny
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I MAY BE BIG , BUT I'M FAST
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greynolds177
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Posted: 8/06/14 at 8:34am |
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"Which contrary to popular belief, was not invented by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. It was applied to pro wrestling by him. The term Ham n egger means a jobber who was so easily dispensable, that the money he made wrestling was barely enough to buy a ham and egg breakfast." I have been called worse. Quotes added later - see below
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A.D.Inverness 1999-present; MWC2006, World Championships 2007, MWC2009 and MWC2014. Organiser of Guinness World Record for Caber Tossing. Scottish Masters International Hall of Fame Inductee 2014.
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C. Smith
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Posted: 8/06/14 at 8:48am |
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Sean Betz
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Posted: 8/06/14 at 9:24am |
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If the games are declining in Scotland then why does games like Halkirk, Braemar, Balloch, and Inverary have 20+ throwers showing up to compete. They are only giving guys 2 throws in some of these games because of the amount of athletes showing up. Are you researching the games in the SHGA or just the games outside of this organization for your numbers? Currently you have Craig Sinclair, Sinclair Patience, Lorne Colthart, Kyle Randalls(I think that is his name), all younger throwers that are getting better. Mix in wiley vets like Bruce Robb, Scott Rider, the Wenta brothers and a host of international guys from Holland, USA, and Canada and you have a solid group of throwers and there are many more I'm forgetting.
I don't think the heavy events help or hurt the physical fitness of the younger generation. When you eat fries(chips) with every meal and have almost no resistance training gyms in the cities what do you expect. Other than walking everywhere there is almost no physical fitness or sound nutrition going on. It's definitely a worthy cause, Gerry. I just don't see it really relate to throwing heavy objects for money. The reason we have less younger kids playing sports is that they think they have to be good at something to do it. The work ethic has vanished. We want to be the best instantly without the process of getting there. This is very true with the heavy events. They are complicated events that take time to master.
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greynolds177
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Posted: 8/06/14 at 11:02am |
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I agree with you to a point Sean - but the reason that we are seeing a contraction in the number of Games being staged in Scotland is due to a collapse of Committees and the lack of replacement volunteers ready to step forward and take their place.
My research was the first national survey of Highland Games ever undertaken and I was looking at the men and women who stage both types of Highland Games - those inside and those outside the SHGA. They reported that only Highland Dancing was in a healthy place nationally. Yes there are pockets doing well scattered around but overall... it is not looking great. I have no doubt that we are about to see an acceleration in closures but there will always be Games that are not allowed to close so I am confident that there will always be something here. I just don't know how many. The replacement of volunteers is not restricted to Highland Games nor is it just a problem in Scotland. The Clan organisations over here are reporting the same things and when I have spoken to groups overseas - they have without exception - recognised the same challenges await them. The Scottish Government has recognised that Scotland has over 48,000 voluntary organisations being run by aging Baby Boomers and are struggling to answer the question as to what happens when these folk retire or expire. The reasons why we have less kids playing sport over here in Scotland is quite complicated with having less kids being born than ever before not helping. (We have had a wee bump in numbers in recent years due to the open door immigration policy but I do not see those kids tossing cabers anytime soon - or their parents stepping forward to manage Games). Scotland is aging rapidly as a society and I wish I had the time to list all the challenges being identified. Specifically with Scottish schools sport; it goes beyond a love of chips (fries). Lack of finance, the lack of indoor facilities, the selling off of school facilities, the removal of competitive sports from the curriculum, the concentration upon funding sports with Olympic medal potential, the legislation to make volunteering or staging events a legal nightmare, the kids being taught to want instant graftification by the commercial sector and the whole range of home based none-sporting alternatives (computers etc) now on ...we could go on forever. I am in the camp which says that giving kids 40 mins a week at school to learn ALL sports is never going to help generate a love for sport. We now have a generation of Scottish parents who never had much sport at school failing to pass on anything like a love of sports to their kids. Difficult times. |
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A.D.Inverness 1999-present; MWC2006, World Championships 2007, MWC2009 and MWC2014. Organiser of Guinness World Record for Caber Tossing. Scottish Masters International Hall of Fame Inductee 2014.
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Duncan McCallum wrote: