Sheaf toss

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The sheaf toss event at the 2005 Skagit Valley Highland Games, in the state of Washington, United States. Sheaf toss 001.jpg
The sheaf toss event at the 2005 Skagit Valley Highland Games, in the state of Washington, United States.

The sheaf toss (Scottish Gaelic : sguab) is a traditional Irish and Scottish agricultural sport event originally contested at country fairs. A pitchfork is used to hurl a hessian bag stuffed with straw over a horizontal bar above the competitor's head. [1] Typical weight for the bag is 16 or 20 pounds (7.3 or 9.1 kg). [2] Three chances are given to each competitor to cleanly go over the bar. After all challengers have made their attempts, the bar is raised and all successful competitors move on to the new height. This continues until all but one athlete is eliminated.

Contents

The Sheaf toss has been incorporated as an event at many of the Scottish highland games although technically it is not itself a heavy athletics event. The sheaf toss is also a traditional sport in the Basque Country. It is a feature of the annual Sykehouse Show in South Yorkshire, England.

Sheaf tossing is also contested in Ireland and Australia particularly at agricultural shows and at fairs; Irish sheaf tossing differs from sheaf tossing in Scotland and France in that the sheaf is made of rushes which are bound tightly with baling twine and are not placed in a bag. The rules are the same as the Scottish version and a pitchfork is used. The same pitchfork is usually used for all competitors so as not to give anybody an unfair advantage by allowing them use their own customised pitchfork. A variation of this rule is that if one brings a custom pitchfork to the competition, they must allow any other competitor to use that fork.

World records

Progression of the world record

20 lb sheaf [4]

DistanceHolderYearLocation
9.50 metres (31 ft 2 in) Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Harry MacDonald1997 Alexandria, Virginia, USA
9.61 metres (31 ft 6 in) Flag of the United States.svg Robert Troupe1997 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
9.69 metres (31 ft 9 in) Flag of the United States.svg Karl Dodge1998 Huntersville, North Carolina, USA
9.71 metres (31 ft 10 in) Flag of the United States.svg Art McDermott1998 Lincoln, New Hampshire, USA
10.06 metres (33 ft 0 in) Flag of the United States.svg Karl Dodge1998 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA
10.21 metres (33 ft 6 in) Flag of the United States.svg Karl Dodge1999 McAlester, Oklahoma, USA
10.34 metres (33 ft 11 in) Flag of the United States.svg Karl Dodge1999 Highlands Ranch, Colorado, USA
10.36 metres (34 ft 0 in) Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Vierra 2000 Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA
10.67 metres (35 ft 0 in) Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Vierra 2001 Huntersville, North Carolina, USA
10.75 metres (35 ft 3 in) Flag of the United States.svg Mike Smith2004 Huntersville, North Carolina, USA
10.92 metres (35 ft 10 in) Flag of the United States.svg Eric Frasure2007 Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA
10.97 metres (36 ft 0 in) Flag of the United States.svg Eric Frasure2008 Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA
11.00 metres (36 ft 1 in) Flag of the United States.svg Eric Frasure2010 Huntersville, North Carolina, USA
11.03 metres (36 ft 2 in) Flag of the United States.svg Eric Frasure2010 Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA
11.12 metres (36 ft 6 in) Flag of the United States.svg Spencer Tyler 2018(To be confirmed)
11.15 metres (36 ft 7 in) Flag of the United States.svg Spencer Tyler 2019 Long Beach, California, USA
11.30 metres (37 ft 1 in) Flag of the United States.svg Spencer Tyler 2019 Chicago, Illinois, USA

See also

References

  1. Williams, Doug (14 September 2018). "Terri Ventress can throw just about anything – and has 14 world records to prove it". ESPN. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  2. Nauright, John (2012). Sports around the World: History, Culture, and Practice [4 volumes]: History, Culture, and Practice. ABC-CLIO. ISBN   9781598843019 . Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  3. 1 2 "STRENGTH RECORD, Section 06 - Throwing". www.strengthrecord.com. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  4. Francis Brebner and the team (31 January 2001). "Highland Games Record Progressions". www.highlandgames.net. Retrieved 14 May 2025.