Musicians dressed in green and red-colored skirts march down a grassy field playing Scottish bagpipes, marking the beginning of the annual Highland Games in Woodland, California. Highland Games, a series of eight events occurring between May and August, celebrate Scottish and Celtic culture through athletic competitions, music and dancing.
Among the regular participants is anatomy and physiology teacher Kristofer Orre, who competes in events that test athletes’ strength by measuring how far they can throw heavy objects.
One of the most difficult and well-known events is the Caber toss. The challenge consists of holding the bottom of a 17-foot pole straight up, letting the top end fall to the ground and attempting to flip it 180 degrees so it lands horizontally. The event requires competitors to have glute and back strength, as they must pick up a pole — typically an 85-pound log — and flip it.
Contestants are also required to wear a kilt, a garment similar to a skirt around knee-length that is made of wool and heavy pleats with a traditional tartan pattern. Aside from the garment rule, competitors are free to dress whatever they want for T-shirts to enjoy the day of celebrating Scottish culture, including dancing, food stalls, music and Celtic arts.
Orre said his interest in fitness began 15 years ago, when he was challenged by his uncle to do a half marathon in Santa Cruz. Although Orre hated running, his uncle’s persuasion led him to begin training for it. He eventually completed the half marathon without stopping.
“That really opened my eyes to the fact that I could do more than what I thought I could do,” Orre said.
Soon after, his friend introduced him to CrossFit, a form of exercise involving varied functional movement at high intensities, and Orre began to enjoy the challenges of exercising, eventually branching out to other kinds of competitions. While Orre is mainly Norwegian, he is also part Irish, Scottish and English, so he considers himself to be part of the Scottish culture, along with a running joke that Scottish and Norwegian are all Viking descendants.
To prepare for the Highland Games, Orre trains at least three times a week at his CrossFit gym, school and sometimes at his house. In order to keep a consistent schedule, he alternates between a week of CrossFit and training specifically for Highland Games events.
“A fundamental part of any sport is the idea of generating power from your core to your extremities, usually getting the power from your legs and hips and exploding it outwards,” Orre said.
Orre enjoys preparing for the Highland Games because of the functional movements included in the events.
Exercises that help to translate the movement of power include squats, deadlifts, power cleans and other explosive movements. When repeated on a consistent basis, they help develop strength in the legs, glutes, quads, abdominal and biceps, all vital to competing in the Highland Games.
The games are separated by weight class and age, but contestants are expected to compete in all eight events, including the Hammer Throw, Stone Put, Tug of War and Hill Race. The events start in the morning and run until late afternoon.
At the end of each event, participants are awarded points: first place receives one point, second place receives two and so on. The points from each event are added up at the end of the day and the class with the fewest wins.
One of Orre’s most memorable experiences occurred during his second competition at the 2019 Woodland Celtic Games, where he got first place in one of the events called Weight Over the Bar. It involves a kettlebell that has a chain and a ring, weighing around 46 pounds, which is then tossed over a bar with only one hand.
“It was this fun thing that was like wow, with minimal training I was able to perform really well in this event by just relying on my CrossFit and exercise,” Orre said.
For the Weight Over the Bar, Orre practices one arm swings to build his arm strength over time. He typically goes to a local park and practices throwing a kettlebell overhead.
Orre also said he began to feel healthier and stronger after training for the games, finding everyday activities that require strength easier to do.
In regards to injuries, Orre said having a general good level of fitness helps to prevent them, but there is an occasional wear and tear that occurs. When Orre gets an occasional muscle sprain, he does a lot of mobility and stretching work, such as lunges or arm stretches, depending on where his injury is. Lacrosse balls, foam rollers or anything that works out sore muscles allow a light, quick recovery.
Orre enjoys cycling between different forms of exercise to keep him interested and challenged.
CrossFit exercises, including gymnastic movements, weightlifting and cardio, provide various different ways to maintain physical fitness. The creative mix of high intensity workouts that target multiple muscles allows Orre to develop strength faster than traditional workouts, further preparing him for the Highland Games.
In the future, Orre plans to continue attending these yearly games and looks forward to improving his fitness over time by seeing how his accomplishments pay off.
“It started boosting my confidence in more ways. I liked the challenge, and it ended up becoming a big part of my life,” Orre said.
