I recently realized that starting next year, I will no longer be throwing the 21# weight for distance and WOB in the Scottish Highland Games. You see, when you get old in Heavy Events, the weights get lighter. Aren’t I the lucky one? At 60 years old, yes 60, my heavy weight goes down to 14#. I have no idea how to throw a 14# WOB, it will be interesting. My light weight goes from 14# down to 9#. 9 pounds, practically a wiffle ball. It’s already hard enough to feel the 14# weight, I can only imagine the amount of time it will take me to learn how to throw a 9 pounds weight. Uffda.

Since I won’t be throwing this year due to the new knees, my time with “heavy” in the sport of Heavy Events has come to a close. I’m not too happy about that but I know the day will come when I am. It took me a while to love the 21# from the 28#. I loved the 28 pound heavy weight. I loved being able to consistently throw it over 40 feet for years. I loved being in my 50’s and still throw the 28# further than real throwers (I wasn’t a real thrower. I started throwing in my forties with zero experience and a hard hate for the word, “orbit”, when other stupid throwers kept telling me I had to put an implement in the right ‘orbit’ without telling me how the fuk to do it) who were, at times, nearly 20 years younger than me. I liked that. I know, we’re supposed to be humble and wave away accomplishments that come from hard work and great coaching from the sport’s best. But I like the truth and the truth is, I fucked shit up with the 28 pound weight. Score one for the old lady.

My first full season of throwing the Highland Games was in 2013. The year before that, I dabbled a bit with a Games here and a Games there and decided that I liked it. But I was green. Brand new. Didn’t know many people and knew even less what I was doing. I had the advantage in that the first time I threw a full Games was down the road at the Wisconsin Highland Games. I received coaching from some of the greatest to throw the Games. Kerry Overfelt, Mark Valenti (his now wife, Erin, at one point was annoyed enough with him that she took a running start and tackled him out of his chair. It was one of the first hints that the people in Highland Games are a bit nuts, in a good way.) Jeremy Gillingham, Craig Smith, Coach Mac. I walked away with an understanding of the events and an even bigger understanding that I didn’t know what I was doing and had a lot to learn. I realized that I loved the work and had the world’s greatest supporter in the (now) HHH.

At this time, I had no knowledge of the Masters World Championships. I had no knowledge that there was a storm brewing with Masters women throwing the 28 pound heavy weight and some throwing a lighter 21 pound heavy weight. All I knew was the 28 and I was throwing in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota where the Masters women were also throwing the 28. There was nothing on my radar about some infighting on which Masters women classes should be throwing the 21 vs the 28. I was blissfully unaware that I was about to step into it by supporting the organization that throws the Masters World Championships (by the way, the boss gets to make the decisions. You may not like it, it may piss you off, and if it does I highly recommend you start another organization where YOU get to make the decisions that piss other people off. Have fun.)

When Matt and I saw that the 2014 Masters World Championships were scheduled for Inverness, Scotland in 2014, we looked at each other and said, “hot dog!” Or something like that. Matt was still traveling internationally for work and we could put a trip together where I met him across the pond for a week of throwing and visiting strong friends from Matt’s time competing in Strongman Champions League. HOT DIGGITY DOG! It was my first championship, in Scotland, with my new husband. What could be better?! Around the time that we started fishing around for plane tickets, I noticed online that there was a brouhaha about master’s women throwing the 21# weight for the first time at a world championship. However, since it was brand new, the athletic director chose to have the women in the 45-49 age group and above throw the 21 pound weight and the 40-44 throw the 28.

SIDEBAR: The Highland Games does not have a governing body. There are many fantastic regional associations and such who run the Games; have their own judging clinics; and do all of the work for the rest of the world to come and play. Some are highly organized, some have minimal communication, so when you throw in their Games, you have to be comfortable with winging it. Many are not comfortable with winging it but we got used to it in our region so learned to just go with the flow and if it were annoying enough, we just didn’t sign up for those Games. See how easy that is? I believe, more so each year, that because there is no governing body with a specific set of rules that each and every Games must follow across the nation, throwers tend to get their panties twisted fairly easily when a decision seems off the beaten path by those who disagree. There is very little bend for a sport where very heavy weights and telephone poles are involved by people who also may be having some bevvies while competing. Also, it is a sport where many “athletes” join in the fun later in life with very little experience of how athletes actually behave. Anyone can buy a kilt and step on the field, that is a good thing. However, a small percentage of people actually invest their time and personal finances to make these Games happen so maybe slow your roll about decisions you find repugnant and see how things shake out. Thank you for attending my Ted Talk.

Anyways. back to the hullabaloo of the 21/28. When the A.D. decided to split the weights among the women’s classes, the Hiroshima sized shit hit the fan. Ooooooo, chicks were pissed. How DARE he! The audacity! My opinion was that he kinda got to do what he wanted; if you can’t throw the 28# very far or very high at the spry age of 40-44 you, should probably get a bit stronger and STFU about it. I commented a nicer version of that on a thread on the topic, or at least I thought it was nicer (take note, I can always be more direct or as others say, “bitchy”) until I gave the A.D. a break from being the target of “hate” (we can say that when people disagree with us it is “hate” which is stupid and moronic but it works both ways so I get to use it too;) and suddenly I was the bad guy. Which is fine, it’s a role I’m familiar with. This social media shitstorm got big enough among the masses that the word, “lawsuit” entered the conversation which set off the A.D. enough that he posted if there is any hint of a lawsuit for his decision for HIS Games, he’ll shut down the entire meet.

Now, I know where that comment came from. It was posted by a husband of one of the throwers, not by a thrower. Kevin’s (Kevin is the A.D. He is also a competitive weightlifter and he and his wife are two of my favorite people. I didn’t know them at this time, hadn’t even met him, but have been fortunate enough to spend some time together and I try to be nice enough to him to receive some of his world famous homemade Mead. It’s amazing) post received even more backlash and claims that the word “lawsuit” was never uttered. Those posts were wrong. The word was uttered on a private Facebook chain, by a Bro whose wife wasn’t even going to Scotland and was old enough to throw the 21# weight so why are you even involved dude?

Kevin kept to the plan, everyone in Scotland had a blast and no one died from the women throwing different weights in Scotland. Well, actually, one of the women almost died but that was from a car wreck heading to the field and Erica Hay made it and kicked ass in spite of her broken nose. Ouchie. Other than that, we survived, had an amazing time, and outdrank our local pub of their Scotch of the month in one weekend. Yeah us.

I continued to love to throw the 28# weight for years afterwards. I didn’t mind throwing the 21# at times, it went further than the 28 and that’s always fun. Eventually, the 21# became the norm and I practiced with the 28# less and less. In 2019, when I wanted to a World Championship in two different strength sports a few months apart, I was happy as could be to throw the 21# because I only had a few weeks to get my throwing together and even the 14# light weight felt heavy. Now the 14# IS my heavy weight. Life is funny.

I had a good run with the 21 pound weight. I hit some good numbers, set some world records with it and I was recently pleasantly surprised to see that I actually still have a record! It will fall, records always fall. But it has stood far longer than I thought it would and for today, I’ll enjoy it.

I don’t know what my future as a thrower is. I think I need more time to build myself back after getting the new knees. I’m getting more involved in being one of those pain in the ass Athletic Directors where now people can bitch about me throwing Games instead of my beating them at throwing. How fun for me. I do know that I’ll still throw the 21# for a little while on the practice field. I have committed to donating a 21# weight to our throwers group equipment inventory for distance and WOB but I may walk back my offer of donating MY weight. I’m not ready to say goodbye to being strong enough to throw it. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be ready but not today. Perhaps my body will be ready by next year in spite of my brain agreeing to it (more likely because I just cramped up my spine erectors from a stretch. We’re at that point.) Dunno.

Looking back, I could say that I did well with the 21# but I’m not quite ready to see it in the rearview mirror. So I’ll take advantage of this beautiful weather and throw it around as I can. I’ll buy a 9# lightweight to play with and as I write this, I’ve just realized that in my head, I’m just not ready to NEED to throw those lighter weights. I’m only 59, I’m way too young. Heehee. Today, I’ll tip my Stetson to the 21. So long friend, you were grand.

Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind. Jackie Joyner-Kersee