WINDSOR — Ethan Edmondson grew up in and around Scottish festivals. His mother, Rebecca Edmondson, was a longtime music educator and bagpiper.
But the Bar Harbor resident wanted to try a new way of celebrating his heritage, and it involved getting his hands dirty. On Saturday, Edmondson was one of several athletes competing at the 46th Maine Highland Games & Scottish Festival at the Windsor Fairgrounds. The games feature a multitude of events, mostly as a showcase of strength.
And, of course, the events are performed in a traditional Scottish kilt. Highland games take place at Scottish festivals throughout the country.
“This is only my second event, so I’m still pretty new,” said Edmondson, 37. “My mother used to be a world champion bagpiper. I used to go to these games a lot as a kid. As she got out of bagpiping, I thought it would be fun to get into this. A couple of years ago, there was a training session in New Hampshire, I had never done it before. I signed up and had a blast.
“I really like the environment of the Scottish festival, too. Bagpipes are playing. A couple of the bands are fun to listen to while we’re throwing. It’s a fun way to celebrate the heritage of our ancestors.”
Behind a pair of red sunglasses, Edmondson tried his hand at the sheaf toss, throwing a 16-pound bag of hay over a bar with a pitchfork. With his mother cheering nearby, grinning from ear to ear, Edmondson successfully completed his task.
Across the field from Edmondson stood Katie Vaudrain, a fifth-grade teacher from Maynard, Massachusetts. An eight-year veteran of Highland Games events, Vaudrain took part in the weight throw — tossing a 14-pound weighted ball, connected to a chain and handle for distance — and heaved an impressive throw of 67 feet, 3 inches. Vaudrain travels to multiple competitions each summer.
“It was exactly a festival like this (that got me started),” Vaudrain said. “I just went, ‘I think I can do that.’ It ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made.”
“We pick things up and put them down (to train),” Vaudrain added with a laugh. “Honestly, at the beginning, it was a lot of strength training. You won’t be surprised to know that a lot of people involved in this are in the fitness (industry)… Getting the implements is a little bit tricky because it’s a specialty item, you don’t find them laying around at Walmart. But the community is great and really active online. There’s a lot of people who make and sell the implements. Once you get those, you just have to find a big field and hope no one has their dog off leash.”
Multiple events are comparable to those in traditional track and field. The Scottish hammer throw, for example, is similar to the modern hammer throw. The only difference are the materials, as the Scottish hammer involves a long piece of wood connected to a 16-pound metal ball. The stone put is comparable in mechanics to the shot put, the only difference being athletes are tossing a stone as opposed to a steel ball.
But there are also events that are very uniquely attached to the Highland Games. Aside from the sheaf toss, there’s the caber toss, where competitors throw a 16- to 20-foot long wooden pole end over end.
The festival also hosted the David Webster Heavy Athletics Men’s World Championships, where professionals from around North America competed in Highland throws for the honor of going home with a large silver cup trophy that has the names of previous champions engraved at its base.
Kyle Lillie is a former Division I thrower for Arizona State University, among the best in program history. He’s currently an assistant coach at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. On Saturday, the broad-shouldered and barrel-chested Lillie was in his realm, competing with some of the world’s best. He’s a two-time Amateur World Highland Games champion (2017-18).
Lillie’s Highland career started in Maine, when he was an assistant coach at Husson University in 2015.
“I love it, this is my ninth year,” Lillie said. “Throwers and strongmen typical gravitate to this sport. (Training) is just a lot of weight lifting and a lot of throwing. You’re just constantly doing stuff. (Going pro) is a lot of fun. When I was really good at the amateur level, I could have a bad day and still win. Now, I have to be on my A game if I want to win.”
