Scottish martial arts introduced at annual Highland Gathering and Celtic Festival in Regina

Bagpipes, dancing and Scottish athletics filled Regina’s Victoria Park at the Highland Gathering Saturday.

The annual Highland Gathering and Celtic Festival took place at Victoria Park on Saturday with a new event, Scottish martial arts.

Historically in the Queen City, the Highland Games go back to the 1930’s. The modern version of the Highland Games started in 1996 and are celebrating the last ten years at Victoria Park.

“It’s been a great event, what it is really is a celebration of Highland culture and wider Celtic culture,” said board member Iain MacDonald.

Common competitions include highland dancing, piping, drumming, heavy athletics, and martial arts.

The new category, Scottish martial arts, was divided into three different categories, Pile ‘O Bones Historical European Martial Arts coach Eric Elloway brought forward the competition.

“Within the Highland Games, there’s always been this concept of trying to showcase that you’re an adult and that you have martial prowess, or that you have strength, so it’s why we have the heavy games, it’s why we have music,” he said. “One of the other things that has been missing, at least in the last 100 years or so, is that actual martial aspect.”

During Saturday’s competition, categories were divided into long sword, broadsword, and small sword. The long sword, which derives from the 1400’s, is a two-handed knight sword. The Highland basket-hilted broadsword became popular in the English civil war, and the small sword was often used in the 16th and 17th century during gentlemanly duels, according to Elloway.

Elloway moved to Regina from Winnipeg last year, starting up Pile ‘O Bones. The Scottish martial arts competition saw between 30-40 participants, ranging from those who are in their early 20’s to late 40’s. Though the club mostly teaches adults, Elloway is looking to teach the next generation of Scottish martial arts competitors with this event.

“Life is always better when you’re holding onto a sword, and the best way to try and get somebody into the program is to have them demystify the violence of it, or at least the potential for injury,” he said.

“I’ll teach them how to use control. In their very first lesson, they actually touch somebody with a sword. When we do that, it’s kind of one of those ways where you can really build some appreciation for what a sword can do, and how fun it can be by having them actually hit somebody with a sword.”

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He said that participants have travelled from western Canada, Quebec, Ontario, and the east coast.

MacDonald said the gathering on Saturday had around 130 highland dancers from western Canada, nine pipe bands, about 75 pipe band soloists, and 20 Scottish heavy athletes.

He said that children start piping and drumming around seven years old, highland dancing around three, and heavy athletics around high school.

“Part of the challenge is always keeping the youth involved,” said MacDonald. “Playing bagpipes and drums and Highland dancing is kind of a long-term thing, an investment in learning an instrument. These days, it’s harder for kids to do it in a way, because the gratification is so instant on video games and apps. One of the things we’re trying to do with the games is encourage young people to get into it, to really explore it.”

MacDonald said piping competitors as far as Texas travelled to Regina to participate.