A day in the lives of Scottish Games professional athletes

By Jeremy Branham on May 26, 2011 with Comments 50

Scottish Games professional athletes at the 135th Sacramento Scottish Highlands Games

I have to admit – I am fascinated by Scottish culture. I’m not part of a Scottish clan nor have I visited Scotland. However, the people, culture, and geography have put it as one of the top destinations on my list.

I’ve heard of the Scottish Highlands games and knew about a couple of the events like the caber toss and the stone throw. I also knew that men wore kilts when they compete. Beyond that, I didn’t know much about this interesting Scottish sporting event. So as I arrived at the 135th Sacramento Scottish Highlands Games and Festival I was eager to see what they were all about.

Upon arriving I was met by the Chief of the Caledonian Club in Sacramento, Randy Russell. After talking for a few minutes, I checked out the bagpipes, kilts, Scottish armor, and food. I had only been there for a few minutes but I already knew that this wouldn’t be my last last Scottish Highlands Festival.

After checking out the grounds, I made my way towards the fields. The gates had just opened but the athletes were already on the field competing. While I didn’t have a plan for the day, the jock in me had to check out this cultural sporting event. So I headed over to see what the Scottish games were all about.

The Scottish Highlands games events and athletes

As I arrived, there were different groups of athletes competing in various events all over the field. As any eager amateur attending a sporting event for the first time, I began taking all sorts of photos without even understanding what I was taking pictures of. After giving my photo happy trigger finger a rest, I settled in to watch and learn a little more about the events.

Part of me was fascinated by watching men in kilts throw heavy, weird objects around as far as they could. After watching various groups compete in events and getting updates from our roaming play-by-play man, I quickly realized which guys were the class of these games.

Luckily, I learned as much from my ears as I did my eyes in those first few minutes. There were different classes of athletes competing – C, B, A, and professional on the men’s side and a separate group just for the women. The C were the novices just starting out and anyone could sign up to compete. From there, athletes could work their way up to different classes until they reached professional. Now how these athletes moved up I wasn’t sure. However, there was definitely a big difference between the professionals and everyone else. My eyes told me that.

Rusy Price braemar stone throw Scottish Games

Rusty Price hurls the Braemar stone - the heavy stone throw

Watching the Scottish Games professional athletes and a chance encounter

After a few minutes, I began to focus more on the professionals who were louder, more interesting, and throwing it further than all the other athletes. The first event I saw was the light stone throw. Men hurled a 16 pound stone through the air in a shot put position to see who could throw it the furthest.

The winner of the event was a guy named Rusty Price whose winning distance was 56 feet 2 inches. The guys competing with him were impressive – big, strong guys that made me look very small. Just watching these guys compete, you knew they had a skill the rest of the guys just didn’t have.

The more I watched these professionals compete, the more questions I had. What made these guys professionals? How do you become a professional? Who are the best professional Scottish games athletes? How much do these guys make? Can they actually make a living doing this?

Unfortunately for me, one of my recent travel confessions is that it’s hard for me to connect with people when I travel. As fascinated as I was, I was scared to ask anybody any questions. What credentials did I have to go asking questions about professional athletes, much less talk to the athletes themselves. After standing there for 15 minutes, I finally got the nerve and found my opportunity.

Rusty Price was hanging out near the fence talking to an older gentleman for a few minutes in between throws. As he headed back to throw again, I found the courage to ask this gentleman if he knew Rusty. He did indeed. His name was Russell and he was Rusty’s dad.

The inside scoop on the life of a Scottish Games professional athlete

Russell Price was kind enough to sit and talk as I pestered him with my many questions. As it turns out, Rusty was a local professional competing in the games. The other professionals had traveled from as far away as North Carolina, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Washington. This was Rusty’s third year competing as a professional and he was already doing well.

Fortunately, I was able to watch some of the best Scottish Games athletes in the world compete this year. One guy was the current Scottish Games world champion while another had been a recent world champ. Another guy was currently the top ranked athlete in North America while various guys held records in events. The current world champ was here competing even though he was recently injured and scheduled for surgery.

Every weekend these guys get on a plane and compete at Scottish Games events all over the country with a chance to earn prize money. If they wanted, these guys could compete nearly every day of the year at an event (including a number of events in Scotland). And every weekend, the points and rankings from these events add up to determine who is the best. There is even a website to get the results of all the events and find out who is the best in North America – the North American Scottish Games Athletics (NASGA).

For these guys to make it to professional, there are standards that have to be met. Guys have to qualify at a certain distance in so many of the events before they can move up in each class. All guys start out in the Amateur C division and then move up to B and then A before making it to professional. And as good as the guys might become in A, it’s a huge leap to becoming a professional.

What sets the professionals apart from the rest? Technique. It’s something these guys work on to throw the stone (caber, hammer, weight, sheath) further than everyone else. While the professionals are extremely big, some aren’t that much bigger than guys in the other classes. However, just watching them throw I could see that they have something that the others don’t. And they work out and practice this throughout the year to make themselves even better.

Chad Gustin 28 lb weight for distance Scottish Highlands Games Sacramento

Scottish Games professional athlete Chad Gustin attempts the 28 lb weight for distance throw

After learning all of this, I was in awe of these guys. They must have it made. Then Russell dropped the big bombshell on me – everyone of these professionals had 40 hour a week jobs and families to support. While they are professionals, this is more like a hobby they they do on the weekends – while getting paid for winning and competing in events.

So what kinds of jobs do these guys have? One is an ER doctor, a couple of them are school teachers and coaches, one guy sells advertising, another is an engineer, and yet another works as a trainer. A couple of years ago, one of the guys – the ER doctor – just had a child who was at the games last year. This year, he was too old to sit in the hot sun all day and drive his mom crazy so they stayed at home while ER doctor dad competed.

As I sat, watched, listened, and asked questions, I noticed the camaraderie these guys had while competing. They were professionals out here with their busy lives competing to earn that paycheck for these events. Yet in between throws, these professional athletes were giving tips to other professional athletes on how to get better! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! These guys were so laid back and were having a lot of fun.

Russell informed me that Rusty was considering a big trip this year to compete in some Scottish Games. After finding out a little bit more about Rusty and the other guys, I also learned that Rusty’s sister was competing in the women’s events.

Russell could see that I was really interested in the stories and lives of these Scottish Games professional athletes. So he encouraged me to go over and talk to them as they moved to the next event. I thanked him for his time and slowly made my way over to their benches as they waited for the next event.

A bold move

So I stood there – too scared to say a word. Again, who was I to be talking to these guys guys about the Scottish Games and their personal and professional lives? While they seemed to be friendly with each other, I wasn’t so sure they would be so friendly towards me – this wannabe athlete and former jock who stood there with a notebook and pen in hand with his ambitions as a budget travel blogger and writer.

So I stood there and watched them interact. I watched them compete. I almost said something to one of them three or four different times. Of course the guy sitting closest to me is the Scottish Games world champion and I have no idea what to say. Finally, I broke the ice, spoke up, and nervously asked Larry, the world champ, a question.

I didn’t realize that my question for this Scottish Games professional athlete and world champion would change how I spent the rest of my day at the 135th Sacramento Scottish Highlands Games and Festival.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story in Part II and Part III of my day with the professional athletes at the Sacramento Scottish Highlands Games and Festival.