Highland Athletic Events

The Saline Celtic Festival will be adding athletic events in 2008 with the addition of The Masters Championship of the Highland Heavy Athletic Games (website: scottishmasters.org) has previously been held in various cities in the U.S. and Scotland. Saline competed with Sarnia Ontario and the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois for the honors. It is anticipated that between 70 and 100 athletes from North America and Europe will participate. The Masters events are open to athletes over 40 years of age.

The MWC has three combined trophies: hammers, stones, and weights. Each of these is awarded to the one athlete among all competitors who has the best combined marks in each of the three categories relative to the world records for the athlete's competition class.

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At the 40-44 age class a returning athlete is Geir Standal (above) from Ragnarrud, Norway. In 2007 Geir won the Masters World Strongman contest in McPherson, Kansas.

45-49 Age Class

Alistair Gunn (right) from Halkirk, Scotland. Alistair is a former open world record holder in the 16# hammer toss and is the current master's world record holder in the 40-44 age class in both the 16# and 22# hammer toss. He was the Professional World Heavy Events Champion in 1995. This is Ali's first time to compete in the Masters World Championship.

Don Stewart, an outstanding performer from Massachusetts, is a two-time former Masters World Champion at 40-44 (2003) and 45-49 (2004) age classes. He holds the master's world record in the 40-44 age and 45-49 age classes for the 42# weight for distance at 55'1" and 52'1", respectively. He also holds the 45-49 age world record in the 42# weight for height at 20'6". Don won the Bill Anderson Combined Hammer Trophy at the Masters World Championship in Winston, OR, in 2004.

Mark McDonald (below)from Dumfries, Scotland. Mark is also a two-time former Masters World Champion at 40-44 (2004) and 45-49 (2006) age classes. He was third in 2007. In 2003 Mark won the Bill Anderson Combined Hammer Trophy at the Masters World Championships in Springfield, IL.

Mike Baab from Austin, Texas. Mike is a fromer player for the Cleveland Browns football team. He was the Masters World Champion in the 45-49 class in 2005.

Myles Wetzel (below) from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is the current Masters World Champion at 45-49.

While only Stewart and Gunn are current masters world record holders, all of these athletes own marks in several events which rank in the top five ever made in their age group

In the 55-59 age class, Bill Leffler from Gibbs, Missouri, is a two-time former Masters World Champion. Bill won in the 50-54 age class in 2004 and was the runner-up in 2006. In 2007 Bill was the champion in the 55-59 age class and won the over all Bill Anderson Combined Hammer and a'Ghaidhealtachd Combined Stone Trophies.

There are two former champions in the 65-69 age class.

Dean Ross from Tulsa, Oklahoma, won the championship in 2003 in the 60-64 class. Dean has competed in every MWC to date.

Vern Alexander from Fallbrook, California, is the most prolific champion to compete in the MWC.
Vern has won Masters championships in 2002 and 2005 at the 60-64 age class and in 2006 and 2007 at the 65-69 age class. In 2006 at the MWC in Inverness, Scotland, Vern won both the Bill Anderson Combined Hammer trophy and the John Ross Combined Distance trophy. Vern also holds the master's world records for 28 and 42 pound weights for distance, 16 and 22 pound hammer toss, and 42 pound weight for height in the 65-69 age class.