Tossing the Caber
The caber toss is easily the most recognizable trademark of Scottish Highland games and is one of the most spectacular of the heavy events.  The origins of caber tossing are unknown although it has been suggested that it was developed by foresters for throwing tree trunks into the river.  It would be difficult to devise a more physically demanding method of moving felled timber and the more likely explanation is that it was a sport among foresters that be4came part of the traditional Highland Gathering events  A typical caber is a tree trunk weighing about 125-150 pounds and is approximately 18 feet in length.  The athlete rests the caber against his shoulder and clasps his hands around it, interlocking his fingers to get a good grip.  He grips the caber and lifts it off the ground.  Once the caber is balanced against the shoulder, he must run forward, stop and toss the end he holds in his hands so the caber tumbles end over end away from him.  Balance is crucial as more than 80 percent of the caber's weight is above the thrower's shoulder.  The caber is tossed for accuracy, not distance.

Weight for Distance & Height
The weight is a ball and chain with a handle on the end.  There are two standard weights, the 28-pound and the 56-pound.  The overall length of the chain, the ball and the handle must not exceed 18 inches and only one hand may be used in throwing the weight.  A nine foot approach is allowed.  The thrower swings the weight to the side, then around him, letting the weight drag as far behind as possible, then turns around once or twice before heaving the weight.  Weight for distance is often described as the most graceful of the heavy events.  Weight for Height is similar, but the aim is to pitch the 28 pound weight over a raised bar - the higher the better.

The Stone Put
The heavyweight events usually start with putting the stone.  The open stone is much like the shotput, except, by tradition, a stone from a local river is used instead of a put.  The athlete is allowed a distance of seven feet, six inches from the trig (a straight board, 4'6" in length) for an approach on putting the stone.  The braemar stone is thrown directly from behind the trig and the athlete is not allowed to move his feet until after the put is made.  The braemar stone is significantly heavier that the open competition stone.  The open stone used in VSGA competition weighs approximately 18 lb. and the braemar, 22 lb.

Throwing the Hammer
The hammer has a wooden or rattan shaft.  The thrower, with the aid of two to six inch spikes protruding from the front of his shoes, (opt.) digs his feet firmly into the ground.  He then swings the hammer around his head from three to five times and lets go.  Hammer throwing developed from throwing a blacksmith's hammer or farm hammer.  Today's competition hammers have round heads and are made of lead.  They come in two sizes:  16 lb. and 22 lb.  The hammer is 50 inches in length.

Sheaf Toss
The sheaf is a burlap bag containing 16 pounds of fresh hay.  It is lifted and thrown with a three-tines pitchfork.  The sheaf must clear a cross bar without knocking it down.  Three attempts are permitted at each height.  It is much harder than it appears - the heights reached are sometimes in excess of 20 feet.  Originally it was a means of getting a hay bale up on top of a stack.