Caber Toss
THE GAMES : Caber Toss
Flying logs from Outer Scotland! If you have seen a 6m pole whizzing through the air in a flurry of tartan, you will know all about caber tossing. The caber toss is the iconic event of the Highland Games. The first ever recorded caber toss competion was in 1574, and the World Record for the furthest toss is 15m and 20cm for a 25kg caber at a Highland Games event at Loch Norman, North Carolina, 2005.
So how exactly did it all start? The theory is that the caber toss originated from an attempt to cross a stream - what was on the other side and why the pole throwers were keen to get there remains unclear...
A traditional caber is around 5-6m long and weighs in at 35-60kg. So how do you toss a caber?
- The first step is the 'pick' where the competitor lifts the caber off the ground.
- The 'approach' involves gaining momentum in a certain direction (once you have control of the swaying caber of course).
- After about four meters, it is advisable to attempt the 'plant' when both feet take root to provide a good throwing platform.
- And the grand finale - the 'toss' - where the caber is actually flipped end over end (and people run screaming if it is misdirected!).
A perfect throw ends with the top end of the caber nearest the thrower and the bottom end pointing away. The objective is to have the caber fall directly in front of the thrower. The throw is also scored according to it's position on a theoretical clock - a perfect toss will land at 12h00, a good toss may land at 11h00 or 01h00, while a bad toss would land at 03h00.