Homer celebrates its 15th annual Highland Games  

By Dayten Van Ostrand

Special to the Homer Independent Press

Cheldyn Walsh throws the 12-pound weight over the bar. Photo courtesy of Maggie Doan

The Kachemak Bay Highland Festival kicked off last weekend at Karen Hornaday Park with music, food and friendly competition. A total of 33 athletes of all ages participated, including the world pro Danny Autrey from Kenai. 

The Homer games feature nine events. They range from tossing logs in the caber toss to throwing sheafs over a bar with a pitch fork in the sheaf toss. Many of the events include throwing weights for distance and height. True to the spirt of Scotland, athletes must wear kilts to compete.

Danny Autrey has competed all across the United States. He broke the meet record for the weight-over-bar event with 17 feet 2.5 inches.

“Throwing is the best individual sport, in my opinion. It’s fun and explosive. When you’re doing it well, it is like poetry in motion,” said Autrey.

The caber toss is a sight to see. Athletes balance a log upright against their shoulder, while trying to cup their hands underneath it. They then walk forward at least three steps to create a line to be judged by. Once those three steps have been taken, the athletes let the log fall forward before throwing their end up. The goal is to make the log go end-over-end in a straight line, with a high score landing in the 12 o’clock position.

Mariah Moon setting up to throw caber. Photo courtesy of Maggie Doan

The sheaf toss includes tossing a sheaf as high as possible over a bar using a pitchfork. This event came with a disadvantage, though. The ropes had previously been broken on one side. This meant that the bar was hung on the opposite side from which the athletes were throwing. When a sheaf hit the bar, it would swing out and make it nearly impossible for the sheaf to go over.

Morgan Ashcraft didn’t let this stop her though. She threw 22 feet, defeating her opponents by 8 feet or more. She also got the second highest overall height of the day in all divisions, male and female. Danny Autrey managed 30 feet in the men’s masters division.