The world isn’t really lacking in terms of unorthodox sports. Many people have gotten used to seeing the classics like football, basketball, soccer, handball, and a handful of others. But if you look deeper, you will see that there are many other sports that are not quite mainstream yet. And many of them have somewhat bizarre rules. Below you will get to learn more about the Baltic Highland Games.

Watching the Baltic Highland Games

First of all, we can’t neglect the importance of culture when it comes to the Baltic Highland Games. These games have originated in the country of Scotland. They are made to commemorate and celebrate the Celtic and Scottish cultures. So, these games do look Scottish.

Toss the caber

There are many events that take place in the Baltic Highland Games. Arguably the most iconic one is the tossing the caber event. A big log made from Scots Pine is being held upright by the competitor. His goal is then to use his strength and skills to throw the caber and hope that it will end in line with the original running line of the competitor. The best position that can be reached in this way is called the 12 o’clock position. This means that the caber is in perfect position for the competitor. The competitors all compete to reach this level. The competitor that has gotten the closest to this level will be the victor of the event.

Hammer Throw

Then there’s the hammer throw. The participants in this event grab the handle, spin as hard as they can, and throw the hammer as far as possible. The hammer weighs around 22 lbs. for men and 16 lbs. for women. The person that can throw the hammer the furthest will be the sole victor.\

Shot Put

You can also enjoy playing the shot put event. The competitors have a heavy stone weighing 20-26 lbs. near one of their ears, depending on their stronger arm. Then they either gather momentum by moving forward or they throw the stone from the same spot – depending on the rules. The further the stone is being tossed – the better ranked will the competitor be.

Tug O’War

The tug o’war may seem like a child’s game to many of you. But this is anything but a child’s game when it comes to the Baltic Highland Games. Here, two teams of 8 people gather up to compete. There is one rope. Both the teams will start pulling the rope from opposite sides. The team that manages to pull the rope from their opponents will win the event. A nice addition here is the fact that there is another teammate that doesn’t directly do the tugging. He or she is standing near the competitors of his or her own team and instructs them on what to do. Apparently, there is a lot of technique and fine movement in this event that necessitates the person that gives advice from the side. This is truly one of the most interesting events of the Baltic Highland Games.

In conclusion

So, there you have it – these were some of the most popular sporting events in the Baltic Highland Games. You can see what they are about in some YouTube videos. Or you could, one day, enjoy competing in the Baltic Highland Games yourself.

Many of you won’t really know what the Baltic Highland Games actually are. Truth be told, this is not one of the most popular sports of this day and age. It’s popular but only in a niche part of the market. A big portion of the rest of the world doesn’t have a clue what the Baltic Highland Games are. But don’t let this detract from the fact that these games are a lot of fun to play and watch. To that end, below you will find some more information about the most surprising competition in the Baltic Highland Games.

The Tug O’War

If we had to handpick one of the competitions in the Baltic Highland Games based on how surprising it is – then it would have to be the Tug O’War. Where do we start… how about we start by mentioning the fact that, for a lot of people, this is a children’s game? Most of us have had the experience of playing Tug O’War with improvised ropes and whatever materials we could find. It was a lot of fun, sure.

But now, the Tug O’War is an official event and competition in the Baltic Highland Games. And when you think about it, the Tug O’War is not really a children’s game. Well, to be fair, in a sense – it is – it can be played by children. But it can also be played by devilishly strong men that are willing to die rather than let go of the rope they hold firmly in their hands. So, as you can see, the Tug O’War can be a serious form of competition.

Now, in this game, there are two teams with 8 people each. It could be men or women. The objective of the game is plain and simple. There is a rope and both the teams pull on the rope from opposite ends. The goal is to tug the rope away from the opponents. It really is as simple as that – but it’s also very fun to see. The matches end relatively quickly. The tugging of the rope requires a vast level of isometric strength to be expended by the competitors. And the human body is simply not made to withstand such a big effort for prolonged periods of time. So, the matches are quick and explosive.

There is another teammate standing beside his other teammates. His mission is to guide his teammates to do whatever they need to do in order to win the match. You see, there are strategies and tactics involved in this competition form. It’s not all about blindly tugging until you faint. The way people move and use their strength can have a dramatic influence in how the match goes. And this is true even considering the fact that the matches don’t last very long. You should never underestimate the importance of the person standing next to his teammates – his advice is invaluable.

In conclusion

The Tug O’War is a competition form that should definitely not be underestimated. It can really be fun to see despite the surprising fact that this is, in many people’s eyes, a children’s game. You can see a bunch of YouTube clips to see what it’s about. And you can even try it out for yourself, one day.

All over the world, there are people that enjoy seeing and participating in the Baltic Highland Games. They are very fun and very unique sets of games where different individuals with various talents and skills get to excel in competition. And this is what makes these games so exciting and fun to watch or experience. But many people fail to appreciate the historic context in which these games were developed. So, below you will get to read more about the origins of the Baltic Highland Games.

The history

These games were originally held in the country of Scotland. It’s said that the official beginning of the event was set in the time of King Malcolm III of Scotland, during the eleventh century. King Malcolm’s first event that took place was that of determining who was fastest in a race. The fastest in this race would eventually become the royal messenger – then a highly coveted and important position in the rankings. Things caught on and these events became a proving and testing ground for some of Scotland’s finest soldiers. There were games that would determine who’s the strongest, the fastest, the most intelligent.

The continuation of this is the Ceres Games in Fife. They were held in order to commemorate one of the biggest victories of Scotland against England in the Scottish war of independence. This event was held annually – and it really looked like the Highland Games that we see today.

Of course, there were troublesome times for the Baltic Highland Games. For one, the Scottish people weren’t always the winners against the English aggressors. There were times when the Scottish people were devastatingly defeated by their English nemesis. And the English enacted laws that would suppress Scottish culture and prosperity – effectively banning the event of the Baltic Highland Games, among other things. Eventually, these laws were repealed and the Highland Games were able to take place once again.

The Highland Games persevered as an important element of Scottish culture through both through times of turmoil and prosperity. Eventually, the rest of the world caught on to this. So, nowadays, there are hundreds of remote places all over the world where people do enjoy watching and participating in their own versions of the Highlands Games. It’s easy to see why this is the case. Even though some of the competitions and games may seem outdated – they still offer people the opportunity to get in touch with the Gaelic-Scottish roots. Anyone that’s interested in getting in touch with the rich Scottish history can freely do so by participating in the Baltic Highland Games.

And we can only speculate that the Highland Games will become even more popular in the future. More and more people are getting interested in this very fun event that takes place annually all over the world. There are many fun games that practically anyone could play and be good at them. Moreover, they offer a great challenge. There are games for individuals and games for teams of people. In this sense, the Baltic Highland Games cover it all.

In conclusion

So, by learning more about the history of the Scottish people and the Highland Games – we hope that you will be better able to appreciate the depth of these games. And we hope that you will get to enjoy participating in them, yourself.