Rules to play Caber Toss

1. The caber is similar to a wooden utility pole. They can range from 16 to 22 feet and weigh between 100 and 180 pounds, though the average caber checks in at 18 feet and 150 pounds. Cabers are tapered with one end usually around 9 inches and the other 5 inches in diameter. The smaller end is rounded off, which makes it easier for the thrower to grasp. .....

Technique

2. Two or three men stand the caber up with the larger end on top and bring it to the thrower. The thrower slowly hoists the caber off the ground, cradles the tapered end in both hands, and balances it against his shoulder. The thrower then runs forward a short distance to build up momentum. Just before the toss, he allows the caber to leave his shoulder, which causes the top end to fall forward. When tossed correctly, the tapered end lands away fro .....

Judging

3. One judge stands behind the thrower and one to the side. The back judge follows the thrower and reads the toss as it relates to an imaginary clock face on the ground. The thrower starts off at the imaginary 6 oclock position. The judge checks the direction of the run and then where the caber lands in the clock. The side judge determines if the caber turns correctly. He also judges the degrees of the angle the caber makes with the ground in relati .....

Scoring

4. Each thrower is allowed three attempts, but only the best score counts in the competition. The cabers larger end must land first, the tapered end must fall forward through a 90-degree vertical position and land between 9 oclock and 3 oclock, according to NASGA rules. The best scores go to the cabers closest to the 12 oclock position. If no thrower turns the caber, the thrower who tossed closest to 90 degrees vertical wins. .....

Miscellaneous Rules

5. If the thrower picks up the caber and has to set it back on the ground, this counts as one of his three tries. In official games, competitors must wear a kilt, hose and flashes. Flashes are worn around the top of the hose, inside the cuff, and help keep the hose in place. Scottish clothing can be waived by a games official for novice and first-time throwers. .....

How to win

6. There are two things that will make you successful tossing a caber; one is form, since the judging is done by direction, and the other is energy.Tossing a caber, like tossing anything, takes kinetic energy. The Scottish think they invented kinetic energy. Like the Greeks they find a way to have invented everything.But energy is sort of abstract for most people to understand so we instead think in terms of work, like how much weight can be move .....

Caber Specifications

7. Although there is no set length or girth for a caber, the caber should be at a weight where at least 2/3 of all competitors can cause the caber to rotate over the top at 90 degrees to the ground. If an entire round commences with no competitors tossing a 90 degree throw the head judge has the right to shorten the caber from the thick end until it is a weight that can be properly thrown. .....

Tossing

8. The caber is placed on end before the competitor picks it up, with the thicker end on top. As soon as the caber is lifted a turn has begun, and if the bottom touches the ground before the caber is thrown the turn is forfeited. Before throwing the caber a competitor is allowed to take as long a run as needed, within the judges established parameters, to perform his throw. .....

Legal Tosses

9. For a toss to be a legal caber toss the caber must travel completely vertical in its path, 90 degrees relative to the ground. A throw that does not travel 90 degrees over the top cannot beat a throw that travels at a 90 degree angle, regardless of finishing positions. .....

Hand Weapon

10. Once youve thrown the Caber, the Caber Thrower gets the normal weapons for a Kriel Warrior and the rules recommend replacing him with a standard Kriel Warrior model to avoid confusion. .....

Scottish Bagpipe Music

11. Most people are familiar with Amazing Grace, the bagpipe melody that bands often play at military funerals. However, this tune is not Scottish; it came to the bagpipe by way of England. The author and lyricist wrote this song aboard a slave ship bound for home. Although this popular song soon gained a strong following in Protestant churches, this haunting melody has lyrics that speak neither of Scotland nor of the lives of people who created the .....

Auld Lang Syne

12. Is a familiar tune that we often hear at New Years celebrations. It plaintively asks, should auld old acquaintance be forgot? The Scottish author, Robert Burns tells us no, in a poem he wrote in the 18th century. Burns tells the Scots and all of those throughout the world who have adopted this tune, that friends and memories must be held dear, no matter how far from home. .....

Scotland the Brave

13. Is one of the most famous folk tunes in Scotland. When it is played on the bagpipe, by either a band or single piper, it moves the stalwart clansman to public displays of emotion. The bagpipe melody has been played since the beginning of the 20th century. Cliff Hanley added lyrics to this tune in the mid-1950s, recalling the history of Scotland, its beauty and the fierce spirit of its people. .....

Flower of Scotland

14. Is a strong contender to be Scotlands official national anthem. It also details the history of Scotland and its troubled relationship with England. Scotland is officially part of the United Kingdom, after centuries of struggle against British rule. However, the Scottish Football Association and the national rugby team adopted Flower of Scotland for their opening ceremonies before each game. It is especially significant when Scottish teams play ag .....

Getting it Up

15. Let me tell you what the novice does with a caber if no one tells him or her what the technique is.and of course no one is going to tell us when were too proud to ask! I went into my back yard, walked the caber up and picked it up. It was a big moment. I grabbed and grasped and finally found myself embracing the rough and ugly chunk of wood which was stained with some sort of green preservative - carcinogenic - I was sure! Above me was a mys .....

A Better Route

16. The caber is always put in an upright position by the previous thrower or Games staffers. You stand with your heels together and toes out with the narrow end of the caber on the ground between your feet while the other athlete walks it up. I.e.: he grabs the heavy end, raises it over his head and walks toward you until the caber is upright and right in your face. Then he or she says, You got it? And you say, Yup. But then, what else can you .....

The Pick

17. Most people with no instruction try to get their fingers under the rounded end of the caber. It seems to me that I once placed the end on a clump of grass just so I had some purchase. You can also imagine praying for a gopher hole. Well, how the hell do you get it up off the ground? First of all, we cheat! We have this goopy brown paste we call stickem or some such spelling which is pitch and some other stuff to keep it from drying - probabl .....

The Run

18. Why run? Another Local Hero / Judge / Athlete Mike Qutermous, would pick up my caber and turn it without taking a step. Or picked the caber with one hand, took a few steps at a fast walk and turned it single-handed. Obviously the need to run is related to the athlete and the physical parameters of the caber.I think cabers should be thought of as wheels with two spokes: there has to be a center of rotation. The run gives the forward motion to .....

The Plant

19. But you dont just stop, you plant. Feet spread a bit, you squat quickly, then use those powerful quads to shoot you and the caber up off the ground and give the long spoke of wheel the push it needs to make a revolution or turn. If it falls back toward you it is a 6 oclock and it makes a funny, hollow whomping, or even a doinnnkk! sound which is somehow different from what you hear when it falls in the other direction - a full 270 degree turn .....

Tossing the Caber

20. There is no standard size or weight of a caber but the caber should be of a length and weight such that at least half the competitors can turn it. The caber is to be made only of wood. The caber shall be placed upright for the competitor, with the heavy end on top. The attempt begins when the competitor lifts the caber from the ground. If the competitor drops the small end of the caber back to the ground after having picked it up, this shall coun .....

Tossing the Weight for Height

21. Standard Weight: Men Women Master 56 lbs. 28 lbs. 42 lbs. or 56 lbs. The weight will be thrown with one hand only. The weight shall be made of metal but can be of various shapes and sizes including spherical, bullet or box shaped. The handle can either be attached directly to the weight or attached with a length chain. The handle may also be of various shapes and thickness such as a ring, triangle or a D shape. The total weight of each implement .....

Events

22. A Scottish Heavy Events competition is defined by at least five of the events listed above. If only five events are used, then no two events will be similar such as two stones, two weight throws for distance, or two hammers. If an implement breaks during a competition and cannot be repaired quickly, the round in which it broke should be started over with a new implement being used. If the judge determines that time does not allow for this, then a .....