BRUNSWICK — You’d be hard-pressed to find a moment when Sam Grammer feels more manly.
Sure, the 40-year-old from Califon, New Jersey, loves the sense of machismo that comes with the lifts, throws and carries in Highland sports competition. It’s secondary, though, to what he’s wearing when he competes.
“There’s never a moment in your life you feel more like a man than when you have a kilt on,” said Grammer, a former Division I thrower for Rutgers University, during Saturday’s competition. “It’s freeing. We’re non-traditional here because we have compression shorts so we don’t tear muscles, but for my wedding, I wore a kilt traditional.”
There’s something for everyone to love about the Maine Highland Games & Scottish Festival at Brunswick’s Thomas Point Beach. Day 1 of the two-day event – the 45th edition – brought together traditional Scottish fare with some of the best athletes the world has to offer in Highland sports.
It’s not hard to find this festival upon approaching the entrance to the campground area southwest of Cooks Corner. Even before you see the first sign, the sounds of bagpipes lead you to a field filled with flags, food trucks, competition areas and people in Scottish garb – such as Nick MacPhee of Bristol.
The 36-year-old MacPhee was the only Mainer competing Saturday – his 10th year at the Highland Games. He has a background in powerlifting and strongman competitions, but a decade ago as he was entering another competition, he learned about a new opportunity.
“The woman behind the counter taking registration asked me if I did the Highland Games, and I said, ‘The what?’” MacPhee said. “She said, ‘You have a Scottish last name and don’t know what the Highland Games are?’ and told me when and where to show up. She threw me right in, and away I went.”
Multiple competitors who took part in Saturday’s games are current or former record-holders. MacPhee holds lightweight world records in throw for distance, weight-over-bar toss and the Braemar stone throw. Grammer previously set the under-25 weight-over-bar record, as well as multiple national field records.
For Grammer, the progression into Highland sports was a natural one given his background. As a child, he loved to play the bagpipes and was coming of age when Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” put Scottish symbolism in vogue. Grammer’s track and field background made for a natural fit.
“I remember there was a Scottish games near us in New Jersey, and I was there playing the bagpipes and got completely distracted by these guys throwing,” Grammer said. “You meet some of the best people in the world here because we’re all trying to make each other better. If I get someone to throw farther, that challenges me.”
Grammer was far from the only competitor with a background in track and field. Emy Brown of Atco, New Jersey, starred as a thrower in her middle and high school days before going on to compete at Monmouth University in her home state. She won Saturday’s women’s sheaf toss.
“I was doing a lot of Renaissance fairs and things, so my buddy was like, ‘Hey, you’re a thrower and know a lot of throwers; how about you help me organize a Highland Games?’” Brown said. “I did that, and when the pandemic hit, I got fit and said, ‘OK, I’m going to do this myself now.’”
Some of Saturday’s events would be recognizable even for though unfamiliar with Highland sports – such as the hammer throw, and the tug-of-war competition that concluded the afternoon.
Others, though, were less recognizable. There’s the caber toss, in which competitors run with and tip over giant wooden poles (cabers). In the sheaf toss, Brown and other contestants used a pitchfork to launch a 10-pound bale of hay over a bar that can be raised or lowered via cherrypicker.
“It’s really finicky, and it’s like no other movement you’re ever going to do in the gym, so it’s just a lot of repetitions,” Brown said. “You have to trust your form every time and try to get it the same. I try to remind myself, ‘Cool guys don’t look at explosions’; you can’t turn and watch your throw, or it won’t go the direction you want.”
The Maine Highland Games is organized by the St. Andrews Society of Maine. Eddie Macomber, governor of SASM’s District 4, encompassing Oxford and York counties, said an even bigger event is planned for next year, with actor Graham McTavish of “The Hobbit” set to attend.
“Every year, we get more and more people,” Macomber said. “It’s great to have athletes who do this professionally here and to see the crowds keep growing. I’d like to see it get to where we’re able to fill these entire fields here. That’s the goal.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-17 10:37:00
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