Kilted women of the heavy events - or is this a "Lasses Wear" thread?

[Matty Ross]

I just love this girl

[grizzbass]

great shots. love the capture of motion

[Jock Scot]

I was so sorry not to meet up with the "AZ wildcat" team at Inverness last year. Although, I did see the world record being broken in the women's hammer throwing. I thought, what a charming and dedicated bunch of ladies attending and competing on the day that I was there.

[tpa]

Great pictures, Alan, keep them coming. Sadly we do not have any female participants in the UK Highland Games yet. It seems that the availability of suitable sized cabers is one of the objections. Since there are so many games in a short time frame and many are struggling to ensure financial viability, it may be some time before any change is forthcoming.

[Alan H]

tpa there are a few lasses who compete in the UK, but it's very spotty. A couple of years ago there were 4-5 lasses at the Inverness Games. You can see a few of them throwing in this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFB2-VecvOg

There's even an X Marks lass, name of Sue who competed for a season. Here she is, modelling the kilt that she bought specifically for the season.



We haven't seen here on XMTS for a long time, sadly.

While a few of the really gutsy lasses will try to throw the mens weights, it's more usual for them to throw weights that are roughly half of the mens. With budgets being what they are around the Games, and with the events being SO traditional, very very few of them have womens implements or a womans caber.

[Alan H]

What has definitely been the case for a long time is that the number of women who actually train really hard to compete, year round, is EXTREMELY small. The number of men who train 3x a week or more and then weight lift 3x a week or more during the offseason numbers in the hundreds. The number of women who do that, now, is probably less than 20. Ten years ago that number was less than ten. I personally know the womens world champions for the last ten years.... all of them. ALL of them come from serious track and field backgrounds, as in Olympic Trials caliber athletes. They trained brutally hard for years for the throwing events and then transitioned to the Scottish stuff.

What's starting to happen now in the USA and Canada is that the.... lacking a better word for it......Crossfit crowd is discovering the Highland Games. Felicia Fisher is a perfect example, though she's not technically a Crossfitter. It's just that Crossfit was in the vanguard of a fitness movement that encouraged women to lift weights.

The last three World Champions have been:

Adriane Wilson - three times US Olympic Trials in Shot Put - 4x Highland Games World Champ
Mindy Pockoski - two times US Olympic Trials in discus - 2 x Highland Games World Champ
Summer Pierson - three times US Olympic Trials in discus, and she's going again this year. She's one of 5 women in the USA who've thrown discus over 200 feet this year. - 3x Highland Games World Champ

Here are this years top 13-ranked women and their backgrounds

Adriane Wilson - track and field Olympic Trials in shotput
Nikita Halteman - I actually don't know Nikita, don't know her background.
Brittany Pryor - nationally ranked powerlifter, past 4 years
Danielle Curry - nationally ranked powerlifter, now doing StrongWoman stuff. Trains with Adriane Wilson
Stephanie Robbins - track and field, Div II discus and hammer champion from Chico State
Kristy Scott - womens world record holder powerlifter. Kristy is UN-BELIEVABLY strong.
Olivia Tyler - she's married to Pro athlete, Spencer Tyler, but I don't actually know her athletic background
Beth Burton - track and field, both athlete and coach. She was Stephanie Robbins throwing coach at Chico
Heather MacDonald - Track and Field, Div II hammer thrower at Cal State Fullerton (I think it was fullerton)
Victoria Bunchek - coaches T&F at her high school, comes from a whole family of throwers. Div III standout in college.
Katie Steingraeber - another one of the little lasses who's a fireplug. I don't actually know her background, but she's currently the holder of the sheaf world record....which you can see here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osVutiVb0B8
Emily Burchett - she throws everything, and all of her brothers throw and her dad threw... Div II League champion in discus and hammer in college

[Alan H]

Kineticat!!! that was her handle! We miss you, Sue!!!

You also make a good point that lasses compete in backhold wrestling. It's a flat out truth that balance, quickness and smarts
are very important in backhold, and so some of the lasses that train hard can beat most of the men in their weight classes.

[cessna152towser]

There's plenty of ladies heavy athletics here in Scotland

Sue, who is on Xmarks as Kinetikat

Gina Douglas, Louise Blades and Rachel Hunter

Laura Falconer puts the weight over the bar at Ardrossan Highland Games.

Louise Blades makes the caber toss look easy at Cumnock Highland Games

Kinetikat in action at Milngavie Highland Games.

Laura Falconer in action in Glasgow at the athletic events which are held at the World Pipe Band Championships.

Louise Blades and Gina Douglas pay a visit to the Clan Cunningham tent at Cumnock Highland Games

Me and Louise Blades at the Hawick Highland Games.
There is also women's wrestling at Bridge of Allan Highland Games:-

[tpa]

There's plenty of ladies heavy athletics here in Scotland

Thanks for that Alex and Alan. I have never seen any and could not find any information regarding Heavy Highland Lassies, if that is the correct expression. Obviously been watching the wrong games. Great pictures.

[kiltedtom]

Never had the pleasure, yet, of seeing ladies (and for that matter, men) compete. Only in the photos do I see how awesome all of them are. Remind me never to make any of them mad at me.

Tom