The simplest would be a demonstration, or an exhibition of the events. You can arrange with one or more persons who has done some of the events and is willing to show the events at your games. You may have two or more persons do this; however, this is not an official competition, and there are no judges. You can negotiate with the individual athletes for a fee. Amateurs can get paid for demonstrations. Individual persons attending the games might try out some of the events.

Clinics are more than demonstrations. They include the athlete instructing a group of interested individuals in the events. They might or might not also practice or participate in the events.

In a competition, you must have a judge, and a scorekeeper. The competition is scored to determine the top three places in each individual event, as well as the overall winner. There are many categories of competition. In an amateur competition, the athletes do not receive prize money. Medals are awarded for the top three places in each individual event, and a nice award is given to the overall points winner. This award can be a trophy, a cup, a nice knife, or whatever. Additional awards can be given for runner up or special recognition.

Professionals receive prize money. Professionals can receive money according to placing in each individual event, as well as for placing in the overall points. They can get bonus money for breaking games or other records. They can also get appearance fees above and beyond their cost of attendance at the gemes. Pros also get trophies for overall and perhaps runner up, but they do not receive medals for individual events.

Amateurs can be reimbursed for cost of attendance (hotel, per diem, gas money, airplane ticket), but are usually not unless it is a major championship competition. Amateurs usually just get a games t-shirt to wear during the competition, and keep afterwards, and some food and drinks during the games.

You can have an open competition, that is open to both pros and amateurs, but no prize money is awarded. You can have a pro-am, where only pros get prize money. There are also masters competitions, where there is a minimum age requirement (usually 40 or 45). Masters competitions can be professional, open, or amateur. There are women's divisions as well as junior divisions (maximum age usually 18).

You can have any combinations of competitions, exhibitions, and clinics at your games. For most athletic directors for new games, I would recommend starting with one amateur, one-day competition. Then determine interest for possible expansion in the next years.

My recommendation for a new games with a limited budget is to start with a demonstration the first year. If it runs well, and there is sufficient interest in a competition, do an amateur competition the next year.

Terminology and Amateurism

A professional athlete in one sport can participate on a college team (as an amateur) in another sport. For example, an NFL player can run track in college during the spring, but cannot subsequently compete on a college football team.

Scottish heavy athletics counts against track and field because the throwing aspects of highland games are specific skills. First, an athlete currently on the college track team cannot accept prize money (in either track of highland games). However, he can compete with pros in open divisions (There used to be a contamination rule in track, where amateurs and pros could not compete together in the same dvision. This no longer exists.)

Currently, a prospective student athlete (PSA, for example in high school, community college, or not yet entered colege) can accept prize money, but must pay it back when they join a college track team. There is discussion of lessening this rule to only require athletes to pay back that portion of prize money over and above actual and necessary expenses (travel costs, hotel, per diem, etc).

PSAs and college track team members may receive cash provided it does not exceed actual and necessary expenses, and it is not awarded based on performance (placing or breaking records). They may also receive cash payment for expenses related to exhibitions, demonstrations, coaching, and instruction. They may also receive prizes in kind, such as t-shirts, trophies, medals, knives, swords, gift certificates, etc..

It may also be helpful to define some terms:

Competition, exhibition, demonstration: If only one member of a particular competition group is participating, and that person is not being scored with others, even if they are in the same flight, then that person is participating in an exhibition. For example: if one woman shows up and throws in a men's flight, and is scored separately, it is an exhibition; if two women show up, then those two women are competing with each other, and it is a competition. Exhibition performances should still be eligible for records and performance lists since it was measured and recorded by an official judge.

However, persons engaging in Scottish events without the presence of judges, or not following the competition protocol as described in the rulebook, are participating in a demonstration. Any such performances should not be eligible for record or performance lists. Amateurs are can receive payment for a demonstration.

Events There is no standard program of events for a highland games competition. In Scotland, there are usually five or six heavy events, consisting of (in order) the Clachneart (stone put) or an iron shot put, the light weight throw, a hammer throw, the caber, and the heavy weight toss. Sometimes there is also a sheaf toss after the caber.

In Scotland, these events are usually integrated with the light athletics events, which include the 100-yard dash, 1/4-, 1/2-, and mile, the long jumps, and hop-step-and-jump. In Scotland, the highland festivals athletics serves as the basic grassroots, local, participatory track and field program. All ages compete there, from youth to masters. The top youth performers are scouted there and invited to train and compete at more modern track and field clubs.

In contrast, the american youth track and field clubs function for early developmental throwing, then the strong high school and college programs take over. The American highland games are a revival celebration of Scottish culture separate from USA track and field, and most (but not all) participants are of post-collegiate age.

The typical American highland games usually has six or seven events, which includes the above events plus the heavy weight throw before the light weight throw. The #22 hammer is used when there is not adequate field space for a #16 hammer throw. A #20 sheaf is used if the standards are not high enough to accomodate a #16 sheaf. Masters, juniors, novices, and lightweights may use lighter implements, including a #42 heavy weight instead of the #56 weight, a #16 hammer, a #16 sheaf, and sometimes a lighter stone. Women use lighter implements, including a #14 and #28 weight, #12 and #16 hammer, #10 or #12 sheaf, and lighter stones and cabers.

Some games will have a Braemar stone instead of a Clachneart. This is a larger stone which must be thrown from a stand. Some games do not contest the sheaf, and will instead have both stones, both hammers, or a farmer's walk. My recommendation: six events including: 1) Clachneart or Braemar stone, 2) light weight throw, 3) light or heavy hammer, 4) caber, 5) sheaf toss, and 6) heavy weight toss for height. The minimum events in an official competition is five events: all of the above without the sheaf.

Expect a six- or seven-event program to fill a whole day. Usually starting at 9am-10am, taking 45 minutes to an hour per event, with an hour break for lunch after the hammer, and ending with the awards ceremony at 5pm after the last event.

field size: Here are a few strategies to control field size to manageable levels. A good field size is between 6 and 10 athletes in each group. Smaller than six is not so good; maybe you might think of combining two groups. You can combine two groups in one flight but still score both groups separately for the sake of making judging easier. For example, if you have six men and two women, run them together in one flight.

More than 12 is too large and should be split into two groups, or the field should be reduced to 10 (plus ties) at last resort. Ways to control:

1) Mandatory entry by mail ahead of time, first ten applicants received will compete. Helps you determine number early because everybody enters early, but does not always lead to most competitive field.

Multiple groups: for example, amateurs can be split up into a championship group and a novice group. This can be done ahead of time, or can be done during the day of competition.

An invitational group: you contact the athletes and invite them to compete; this is the usual procedure for pros, and when you have two or more groups of amateurs, the procedure is commonly done for the "A" group.

Pre-qualifying based upon past performances: Athletes can be asked to provide information about their past results at other games: what are their performances in the events, and what are their overall placings? The AD can select the best athletes and put them into the A or B group, or create the most competitive field by taking only the top 10 entries based on past performance, or a combination of past performance and promptness in application. The Ad should have a waiting list in the event of no-shows.

Qualifying rounds: if the amateur group is too large (12 or over), you can have the following qualifying rounds: the first two events (Clachneart and #56 weight throw) are qualifying events. The athletes are split randomly into two groups. One group does the stone while the other group does the #56, and then they switch. After the first two events, the top 8 or so scorers are placed in the "A", or championship group. The rest continue in the novice, or "B" competition.

Some games use a qualifying round to eliminate athletes. This should be done at last resort. This should only be done when there is not enough judges or area to run a second group. You should take the top 10 plus ties.

Events, divisions, and participation

First, reduce the number of events to six. For each division, have just one stone event, one (light) weight for distance event, and one hammer. In addition, the caber is a mandatory event for highland games. The other two events are the heavy weight toss over the bar for height, and the sheaf or one other event. When choosing events, consider spectator appeal: why throw two different hammers right after the other? They are essentially the same event. Now, I would like to maintain both the light and heavy hammers as the two regulation hammers; just not at the same games for the same athletes. In general, I would like to see half of the games offer the heavy hammer, and half offer the light hammer.

In terms of the weight, in Scotland, only the light weight is thrown for distance. The heavy weight is only for tossing for height. I think the same should be done in the US. There should be some games that offer the heavy weight for distance instead of the sheaf. Sanctioning and Championships: I would like to see more creativity in the marketing of championships, with appropriate representation. The development of the North-South challenge and possibly an East-West meet are good examples. Each association can have its regional championships. Beyond that, there could be a true national championships. Pleasanton could develop into more of a true national championships if it gave travel expenses to qualifiers. For example, the winners of the regional association championships, last year's national champion, winners or placers at other qualifying mmets, and some at-large places.

You could also have a US Open, open to foreign athletes, a Canadian national championships, a Canadian Open, a North American championships, and a North American Open. Furthermore, you can have individual event championships for every event at every level. For example, one particular games could bid for the US #28 weight championships. There will still be a complete games, but the #28 weight will also be its own sanctioned individual event championships, with an associated award.