The
5th annual Scottish Highland Games and Festival was held last
weekend in Mt. Dora, Florida. My husband is part Scottish so we went to have
some fun. (I didn’t tell him I was going mostly to ogle the guys in kilts,
LOL.)
And
I wasn’t disappointed! Almost as soon as we arrived, we saw a field where
brawny guys in short skirts were getting ready to toss an empty beer
keg over a high-vault wire. Oh my. Such muscles!!
The Scottish clans were well represented:
One
warrior in intimidating face paint looked ready for battle...
Others
just wanted to chat (or have a “chin wag” as my Scottish friend Alice says)...
Or simply to look the part of a Scottish lass...
Bagpipe
music serenaded all the festivities...
And my hubby (clan
MacLeod) even stopped to inquire about getting a custom kilt... (Yellow and black is his clan tartan...)
It
was a fun day, and as we left, we wished everyone shlàinte!
The hero of my latest release, Kilted Lover, tosses cabers at the Scottish Games. I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the history of the caber toss and see why it was invented.
But first, what is the caber toss? It is a heavy athletic event at Highland/Scottish Games. A caber is a 15 - 23 feet long log, usually peeled, weighing between 70 and 200 pounds (depending on who you ask, and the type of tree). The athlete squats with his feet flat on the ground and wedges the caber between his shoulder and neck, pushes upward with his hands, and lifts it slightly, just enough to slide his interlocked hands beneath the smaller end. (During the event, no one can assist him in lifting it.) Then, with the caber resting against his shoulder, he lifts and stands upright. He must balance the log in the air. Remember, the heavier, larger end of the log is up, so he may stagger around a bit until it is balanced. He takes a short run forward and flips the log in the air. He must make the large end hit the ground and the small end flip over and land straight ahead, away from him. This is an event of accuracy rather than distance, so it doesn't matter how far he throws it. For the best score, the small end of the caber needs to land at the 12 o'clock position, straight out from the thrower.
Caber tossing, also called turning the caber, or the "tossing (or casting) of ye barr" was first recorded as an athletic event in Scotland at a 1574 "wappinschawes" (weapon-showings) which were sporting contests of strength, agility and speed which related to military prowess.
As for the history of caber tossing... Round Hill Highland Games website says: "The history of the caber is elusive. The term 'caber' derives from the Gaelic word "cabar" or "kaber" which refers to a rafter or beam. The most prominent legend surrounding the origin of the caber toss is that of breaching barriers or crossing streams during wartime. In the Scottish highlands, you often have freezing-cold streams that you need to cross. During battle, the caber was tossed from one side of the stream to the other to quickly make a bridge, allowing fellow Scotsmen to cross and continue on to chase rival clans. This is why the caber is tossed for accuracy, rather than distance."
This makes perfect sense. Scotland is a very wet place, with many lochs, bogs and streams. It would take lots of practice and great skill to put the caber exactly where it needed to be, across the stream, and not in the stream where it might float away.
Now, to change the subject slightly, I'm thrilled that the book video for Kilted Lover placed first in the You Gotta Read Video contest! Thanks again to everyone who voted!
Check it out! Chapter 1 excerpt where the hero, Scott, tosses the caber. Thanks! Nicole
I'm thrilled to say I've sold my third erotic romance novella to Red Sage! This is a fun contemporary with a touch of paranormal called Kilted Lover. This story was inspired by the Highland Games (or Scottish Games) and begins at such an event. The hero has an interesting hobby--he tosses the caber.
Here's a blurb of Kilted Lover: When kilted caber-tosser Scott MacPherson tosses Leslie Livingston over his shoulder to rescue her from two armed thieves trying to steal her priceless amulet, they are thrust into a deadly but sexy adventure. Though Leslie already has a lukewarm, uninterested boyfriend, her attraction to Scott is white-hot and undeniable. She wants to lick this tall, muscular alpha male all over and explore the depths of eroticism with him. But will he want anything more than one night once the danger is behind them?
If you haven't been to Highland Games you may not know what 'tossing the caber' means, so I have some video clips below.
How not to toss a caber!
In other news, I've just finished making corrections to the galley of Devil in a Kilt which will be part of the Red Sage anthology Secrets Volume 27, out July 09. Woohoo! Yes, I enjoyed it. How twisted is that? :-)
Nicole North www.nicolenorth.com
A special Thanks to all the US Veterans out there!!! I so appreciate your service and all you've done for our country.
Last weekend I went with a friend to a nearby Highland Games in NC. Here we see all the important flags, those of the US and Scotland. One reason I love Highland Games is they inspire story ideas for me and... I love all the kilts of course. Caber tossing is one of my favorite events. I don't see how these guys pick up and throw the equivalent of a small telephone pole.
How is the caber toss done? "A long tapered pine pole or log is stood upright and hoisted by the competitor who balances it vertically holding the smaller end in his hands (see photo). Then the competitor runs forward attempting to toss it in such a way that it turns end over end with the upper (larger) end striking the ground first. The smaller end that was originally held by the athlete then hits the ground in the 12 o'clock position measured relative to the direction of the run. If successful, the athlete is said to have turned the caber. Cabers vary greatly in length, weight, taper, and balance, all of which affect the degree of difficulty in making a successful toss. Competitors are judged on how closely their throws approximate the ideal 12 o'clock toss on an imaginary clock. " ~Info from Wikipedia.com
This is another event, the Weight over the Bar. "Also known as weight for height. The athletes attempt to toss a 56 pound (4 stone) weight with an attached handle over a horizontal bar using only one hand. Each athlete is allowed three attempts at each height. Successful clearance of the height allows the athlete to advance into the next round at a greater height. The competition is determined by the highest successful toss with fewest misses being used to break tie scores. " Info from Wikipedia.com
Sheep herding or Herding Dog Trials. This shows the trainer's and dog's skills.
Two live bands, dressed in kilts, played a blend of modern rock and traditional Scottish or Celtic music. Coyote Run (pictured) and The Hooligans.
Kilt Competition
You know how I love men in kilts, right? So here I was at the Games snapping pics of all kinds of unsuspecting men in kilts. I keep their faces and identities hidden. But I think they're used to being stared at and, at times, lusted after. :-) They even have a competition at the Highland Games called Bonny Knees, where men enter and judges decide who has the most attractive knees. Wish I could be a judge! We won't call ours Bonny Knees because I see very few knees here.
There are always lots of great pipes and drums bands.
Caber tossing! I must watch for research purposes. The hero of my latest release, 
