Feats of strength

PALMER — With one backward heave of the heavy stone left to go, Spencer Tyler reached back for a little extra and cleared 18 feet to set a new Weight for Height record at the Alaska Scottish Highland Games at the State Fairgrounds in Palmer on Saturday.

In so doing he contested his second overall title in as many appearances, even before the final event, the Caber Toss — which is essentially carrying and then throwing a telephone pole end-over-end was even contested.

“It feels great, especially throwing on an apparatus where the bar knocks off,” Tyler said. “It’s a lot harder with knockoff bars.”

All in all, eight events are vied for by professionals and amateurs alike. Other events include Scottish Hammers, Stone Throw, Challenge Stone, Challenge Caber, Farmers Walk, and finally, and in uniquely Alaskan spirit, the salmon toss, where the contestants, in a mostly playful spirit by the day’s end, heave a big, rubber fish as far as they can.

It’s a sport that takes up 10 to 20 weeks a year of the handful of professionals who competed Saturday in Palmer. Tyler has been a professional Scottish Games athlete for five years.

“One of my track and field coaches in college had competed in these in Odessa and far west Texas. I tried the pro track thing for a year, but wasn’t good enough so I tried the Highland Games,” said spencer, a shot put and discus thrower at the University of Texas and Angelo State. “Honestly, at first, I thought I could drink beer and compete — awesome.”

But over time Tyler learned to appreciate the sport and the camaraderie of the events, which sees pros like himself giving advice to aspiring novices.

“If you go to Scotland and you throw a lot, you can make a poor man’s living,” Tyler said. “After paying for myself, I made an extra $20,000 last year. Scotland is great. It’s where all this stuff originated and the culture is super deep there. Even the small competitions have crowds like this.”

Adam Sizemore, from Tennessee, is a another pro on the circuit, doing about 10 to 12 events a year. This was his first venture to Alaska.

“This is unlike anywhere else you throw anywhere in the entire country,” he said. “Nothing looks like this anywhere we throw. I’m from Appalachia, and we’ve got a lot shorter mountains. The here crowd is fired up and they cheer for you. It’s different, probably without question the best games I’ve been to.”

Each year the games are put on by the Alaskan Scottish Club, and the state fairgrounds played host for the fifth straight year after previously being held at the Eagle River Lions Club.

“People like to study their Celtic heritage,” said club president Joan Massart-Paden. “They like the athletics — how many people get to see a telephone pole dumped around like that?”

At the club’s information booth, Massart-Paden and staff help visitors discover which Scottish clan they belong to, with the help of intricate maps, and, of course, the Internet.

“A lot of it is you don’t have to be Scottish to like the athletics and the music and the entertainment,” she said. “There’s really good camaraderie and it’s really fun to be part of.”