Brbara Armenteros Barrn

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SHEAF TOSS
Is a traditional Scottish agricultural sport event originally contested at
country fairs. A bundle of straw weighing 20 pounds (9 kg) for men and 10
pounds (4.5 kg) for women and wrapped in a burlap bag is tossed vertically
with a pitchfork over a raised bar like that used in pole vaulting. It has been
incorporated as an event at many of the Scottish highland games although
technically it is not itself a heavy athletics event.
After the hay bales dried in the field, they were brought in to the barn on a
wagon. Farmers would tie a bunch of hay into sheaves (using twine) then
they would toss individual sheaves from the wagon up to the barn loft for
winter storage. This is still done in mid west U.S. Amish country and in some
poor European countries like Poland. This is the pre-mechanized method of
hay/straw storage which preceded the old mechanized rectangular bailer,
and then the modern cylindrical bailer.
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.

Brbara Armenteros Barrn

Mix51

The sheaf toss

Material: A bundle of straw and a
pitchfork.

Organization: Individual.

Part of the session: Main Part.

Length of the game: 20 minutes (It

depends on the number of competitors)

Development:
-

A pitchfork is used to hurl a bag stuffed with straw over a horizontal

bar above the competitor's head.
Three chances are given to each competitor to go over the bar, without
touching it.
After all challengers have made their attempts, the bar is raised and all
successful competitors move on to the new height.
It continues until all but one is eliminated.