Track Throwers as HG Throwers

 

Plus, some of them get askeered of the caber ;)

I've tried to get many track and field people involved in the games, but only one person has actually competed (and still does to this day).  I suggested the games to my teammates and throwers from surrounding schools (when I was still in college), throwers that I coached, and other throwers that I've met in other ways over the last several years.  All of them seemed fairly interested, but only one actually put on the kilt and threw.  Several times I have actually given people all the information needed, from describing/showing them some or all of the events to telling them when and where a games was.  Also, I encouraged them by telling them that the events are so similar to track and field that they'd likely do well and have fun.  However, when it came time, they didn't show up to give it a go.

Personally, I think what it comes down to is that you have to be a little bit crazy to want to even try to compete in the Highland Games.  I once ran into a guy that I competed with in college at a Highland Games, which was just weeks after we both finished our collegiate throwing careers.  This guy was a good collegiate hammer and discus thrower.  He said he was just in town visiting his parents and they decided to go to the festival.  I asked him if he saw any of the throwing events during the day.  He said he had.  I told him that if he was interested in trying then he could sign-up for the Novice Class the next day and if he didn't have a kilt he could get a loaner that morning.  He told me he liked watching, but didn't think he could do some of the events and didn't want to get hurt trying anything like that.  I explained that he would be taught how to do everything before each event and he had a strong background in lifting and throwing, so he probably would not get hurt.  He still did not want to come back the next day.

This guy had the exposure to the games, all the right throwing tools for the events, yet he still did not want to compete.  He was perhaps afraid of embarrassing himself a little trying some new things without practice.  He was too cautious about getting hurt, when, I think it's pretty safe to say, he would probably be the least likely to get hurt in the Novice Class because he'd probably be the most experienced thrower of the group.  It sounded to me that he was just basically scared of trying something new.  I have a feeling that the fear of trying something new has been something that's held others back too.  

On the matter of trying to get track and field people involved in the games, I've realized not everyone thinks like me.  Not everyone I'm going to talk to thinks that throwing ANYTHING is fun.  Not everyone wants to do something "silly" like put on a kilt and throw all these ORIGINAL throwing events.  Not everyone can deal with something that is more individual than the individual sport of track and field, meaning some can't deal with the fact that they won't have a coach, teammates, or might have to likely train on their own to get better.  Going back to the original question posed by Dan, perhaps some of the above reasons could also partially explain the lack of elite track and field athletes involved in Highland Games.