Tour Scotland Video Scottish Dancing Highland Games Newburgh Fife

Tour Scotland video of traditional Scottish dancing at the Highland Games at Robbie's Park, Scotland Terrace, Newburgh, on ancestry visit to Fife, Scotland. Highland dance or Highland dancing is a style of competitive solo dancing developed in the Scottish Highlands in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the context of competitions at public events such as the Highland games, where it is often performed to the accompaniment of Highland bagpipe music. It is now seen at nearly every modern-day Highland games event.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Tour Scotland Video Throwing The Hammer Highland Games Newburgh Fife

Tour Scotland video of throwing the hammer at the Highland Games at Robbie's Park, Scotland Terrace, Newburgh, on ancestry visit to Fife, Scotland. The hammer evolved from its early informal origins to become part of the Scottish Highland games in the late 18th century, where the original version of the event is still contested today. It is believed that, like many Highland games events, the origin of the hammer throw is tied to a prohibition by King Edward I of England against Scotsmen possessing weapons during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Tour Scotland Video Throwing The Weight Highland Games Newburgh Fife

Tour Scotland video of throwing the weight at the Highland Games at Robbie's Park, Scotland Terrace, Newburgh, on ancestry visit to Fife, Scotland. In the Highland Games, the weight throw consists of two separate events, the light weight and the heavy weight. In both cases, the implement consists of a steel or lead weight, often spherical or cylindrical, attached by a short chain to a metal handle. The handle may be a d-ring, a triangle or a ring. The size of the weight depends on the class of the competition. For advanced male athletes, the light weight is 28 lb, or two stones. The heavy weight is 56 lb. For all female athletes, the weights are 14 and 28 lbs. The weight is thrown one-handed from a rectangular area behind a toe board or trig. The athlete must stay behind the trig at all times during the throw. The techniques vary, but usually involve a turning or spinning motion to increase momentum before the release. Each athlete gets three attempts, with places determined by the best throw.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Tour Scotland Video Sprint Races Highland Games Newburgh Fife

Tour Scotland video of 90 metres Sprint races at the Highland Games at Robbie's Park, Scotland Terrace, Newburgh, on ancestry visit to Fife, Scotland. It is reported in numerous Highland games programs, that King Malcolm III of Scotland, in the 11th century, summoned contestants to a foot race to the summit of Craig Choinnich, overlooking Braemar. King Malcolm created this foot race in order to find the fastest runner in the land to be his royal messenger. Some have seen this apocryphal event to be the origin of today's modern Highland games. There is a document from 1703 summoning the clan of the Laird of Grant, Clan Grant. They were to arrive wearing Highland coats and " also with gun, sword, pistol and dirk ". From this letter, it is believed that the competitions would have included feats of arms. However, the modern Highland games are largely a Victorian invention, developed after the Highland Clearances.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Tour Scotland Video Cycle Race Highland Games Newburgh Fife

Tour Scotland video of a cycle race at the Highland Games at Robbie's Park, Scotland Terrace, Newburgh, on ancestry visit to Fife, Scotland. One of the lesser known cycling disciplines is grass track racing which happens regularly throughout the summer at various Highland Games events around Scotland. The first Highland Games of the year that features grass track racing is Blackford, but Tayside and Fife have an abundance of games throughout the summer which include bike races. Races are often run on a 400 metre lap and several different races take place, usually culminating in a Deil tak the hindmost” showdown. This a frantic multi lap sprint where the last rider across the line each lap is withdrawn from the race until the final three fight it out for the top places.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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