On a cloudy Saturday, the Scottish Highland Games returned to Covenant College for the first time in three years. Students gathered on the intramural field near Scotland Yard and formed teams (or better put, clans) to try their hand in various traditional Scottish sports and compete with their friends. Along with showing a ton of school pride, students worked to revitalize a classic Covenant event that has been on hiatus due to COVID-19.
photo by Hannah Rodehaver
The day before the event, Backyard Rebellion, an organization known for coaching Scottish sports and putting on their own Highland games, came to Covenant and trained students. Students learned how to compete in five sports: Open Stone, Weight for Distance, Weight for Height, the Hammer Throw, and the Caber Toss. Even with only a day’s training, students caught on quickly and competed the next day with an impressive amount of skill.
The Highland Games opened with Drew Lucas marching down from Carter to the intramural field playing the bagpipes. At the field, students were organized into two clans, sporting blue face paint and a whole lot of plaid, argyle, and even kilts, while bagpipe music rang in the background. “The kilts and the bagpipe music added a sense of Scottish ancestry there,” said Jenna Schoon ’25, who came to watch the games.
The two competing clans were Ithafield and MacDougall. Clan Ithafield was composed of a group of students from Andreas whose clan was named after the two men’s halls of their dorm building.
The other clan was MacDougall. “We were Clan MacDougall for Dr. MacDougall. We were trying to honor him, as this is his last semester at Covenant,” said competitor Jackson Ellison ’24. Dr. Dan MacDougall is a beloved professor of biblical and theological studies who has taught at the college for twenty-nine years.
After the opening Bagpipe march and introductions, the games began. Competitors started with the Open Stone, Weight for Distance, and Hammer Throw events. The hammer throwing event was a favorite among competitors.
“I loved the hammer throw. It was a lot of fun. The sport has a unique movement, and it’s kind of difficult to pick up,” Ellison said. Aly Davis ’22 also enjoyed this part of the games. “My favorite part was definitely the hammer throw, especially because I practiced it a lot at the training event. I also threw it the farthest for women—thirty-eight feet and seven inches,” she said.
When the first three events were over, the games took a break. Competitors and students enjoyed a barbeque lunch catered by Covenant Dining. Meanwhile, the crowd was treated to a history lesson on Highland dancing. Two Highland dancers then led a demonstration, and the competitors and guests were invited to try their hand at dancing. Shoes went off, quite a few people lost their balance, and everyone was laughing. The Georgia Falconry Association also attended the games, and they brought an owl and a falcon for guests to look at.
After the break, the competition finished with the last two events: Weight for Height and the Caber Toss. The Caber Toss is a sport which requires a lot of training and skill and was particularly challenging to the competitors. “No one was able to do it,” Davis said.
All the competitors and guests enjoyed watching the Highland Games. For Schoon, the games gave her a feeling of familiarity. Schoon’s mother is from Scotland, and Schoon has visited Scotland multiple times and has family living throughout the United Kingdom. She has even been to the real Highland Games.
“It was fun to see some games I had seen at the real Highland Games about 8 years ago in Scotland…The different games [at Covenant] were interesting, and I loved being able to compare them to ones I had seen back in Scotland,” Schoon said. However, the best part for Schoon was the sense of home she felt when watching the event. “I have been missing my extended family who are scattered throughout Scotland and England, so the Highland Games brought me a sense of peace that I had longed for despite the homesickness that has seemed to settle in.”
Despite the positive feedback from the event, students recognize there is also room for improvement. One is to spread more word about the event for next year to increase the number of competitors and guests. Because of the three-year hiatus, the only people on campus who remembered the Highland Games were seniors, so fewer people competed and attended than hoped for. “I wish there had been a better turnout of people doing it, but it was still really fun to watch,” said Tyneisha Herring ’25.
Ellison thought of an idea that could involve more students. “I think it would be really cool if it was done as a commencement thing. Involve the freshmen. Like, welcome to Covenant—this is what we do. Kick the semester off with a bang,” Ellison said.
Overall, the Highland Games provided a unique way for fellow students to compete, learn new sports, and enjoy a slice of Scottish heritage. It was a fun and promising event, which has the potential to be a Covenant classic once again.