THE HIGHLAND GAMES
EXPERIENCE
By Alex Garman, PhD
Photographs by K.R. Garman
I have had people ask me
why I competed in the Highland
games. I usually have a couple of
quick responses ready. One is that
I did it for the women. Another is
that it was for the glory, but the real
reason is a bit more complicated. I
have always been a big person and
I have always had to watch out for
hurting others during contact sports.
I was a wrestler, baseball player,
and football player who had a
number of encounters wherein I
injured my competition. I also was
a bit of a nerd and loved learning,
so when my grades in high school
were being affected by my playing
football, I quit. My father was very
disappointed because he was not
much of a scholar; he was an avid
athletic booster. When I heard
about the Scottish Highland games,
it seemed like a great way for me to
compete without hurting anyone
and make my Dad proud.
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