Welcome to Clan MacFarlane Worldwide!
If you're like the rest of us you have no doubt found yourself pondering your heritage. Maybe your interest was nurtured as a child or maybe it was just discovered. Either way, we're glad your interest has led you here and we invite you to become part of our worldwide, yet tight, community. Our goals are to educate, share, and take pride in our heritage.
We are MacFarlanes of all spelling variations, McGaws, Spruells, Robbs, Millers, Websters, Weavers, Blacks and many others. Together we form a organization that's kept by the strongest of bonds... family. We answer to the call Loch Sloy, we carry the arms of our forefathers, we preserve the heritage that is so uniquely yours and ours.
It is with your support that the heritage of Clan MacFarlane will continue to thrive for another 800 years. Please join today.
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Diaspora - 18 May 2019
Men and Women in Kilts Throwing Heavy Objects
That is usually how I describe a Highland Game to someone when they ask where Steve and I are going. We are going to a Highland Game. Of course it is much more than that, but most folks think about the men in kilts throwing things about.
To be honest, when Steve decided he wanted to "throw" for the first time, I said that would be great and I would fully support that idea. We were heading to Joplin, Missouri to add our support to our friends Joey Grieshaber and Jamie Channel. It was the first Game for Joplin. We were full in to help.
Steve put on his nice, made-in-Scotland, modern hunting green kilt, and we showed up at the local park. It took a couple of hours to put up the weight over bar, the bar for the sheaf, place the various stones, and then sort out the clipboards and trophies. But after a couple of hours, the games started.
I expected Steve to compete in the sheaf, and the caber. After all, he's a farm kid/cowboy. He knows one end of a pitchfork from another, and I've even helped him put up hay. The motions of tossing bales of hay are not too different from tossing a sheaf. Right? However, I was not prepared for the entire day. I truly thought athletes picked an event or two. Surely this is not the dicathalon.
Wrong.
Each athlete competes in all of the events. They work towards a personal best and they work to have the highest score among all the athletes competing in their category.
So I watched as Steve learned from the Masters, athletes in their 70's who had earned the repect of so many other younger athletes. They patiently gave Steve tips and instructions for each event. I was particularly proud of him when he picked up the caber and threw it for a perfect score. My Steve is 71 years young this year, and he has thrown at least 4 times in the past 8 years. I'm so proud.
Of course, at the end of that day, he was dragging. As Joey would explain to Steve, a former long-distance runner, Steve has muscles for endurance, but not the springy muscles for the Games. The springy muscles are with those guys and gals who lift weights and can have a sudden surge of power to throw those heavy objects. The endurance muscles are the ones that will carry your body across fields or across the swimming pool for long periods of time. Steve held a state record for many years, so yes, we understand the endurance muscles.
Again, Steve did participate at least 4 times at various games. He started and finished each time. What events did he complete at each game?
The Caber - that telephone pole looking thing that must be picked up and thrown in front of the athlete with the hopes that it lands perfectly at 12:00 o'clock to achieve a perfect score. You get a point just for picking the thing up.
The Hammer - a heavy ball on the end of a long handle that is thrown just like you see it in the olympics. It weighs about 22 pounds for men and the women throw one that is 16 pounds. One of my favorites to watch because the athlete will pick up the end, whirl it around his/her head and then let it fly. It isn't the throwing but the beautiful whirling of all the pleats from the kilt that I love to watch.
Open Stone and Braemar Stone - this is like the shot put. The athlete places the stone on their collar bone below their chin and attempt to launch the stone as far as possible. The open stone is 2 different weights. The athletes start with the heavier stone and then move to the lighter one. The Braemar stone is a set weight.
Weight for Distance - Same motion as the hammer. The athlete holds onto the end of a chain attached to a weighted ball. There is a spin and a throw for distance.
Weight over Bar - You might see some athlete approach this as they would the Weight for Distance with a spin and a release. The object is to get the heavy weight at the end of a chain over a high bar. Most athletes will lean over, pick up the weight and then rock it outside their legs and then between their legs to get momentum to throw it up and over a high bar located above the athlete. The toss is normally up and over the athlete's head going backwards. I once heard Joey say it is all with the hips.
The Sheaf Toss - This is where Steve's "putting up hay" days helps. Using a pitch fork (of sorts), the athlete pierces a sheaf of hay and tosses it up and over a high bar. This event is where I learned it isn't about your size, but rather your technique. There is an entire family from Manhattan, Kansas where all of them compete. One of the family members is Emily. She is this little tiny gal, but even with her diminutive size, I have seen her toss the sheaf higher than many male athletes. So don't let your size keep you from participating.
I found a great website for the BC Highland Games with a photo and description of each event. The descriptions there will likely be much better stated than mine. Enjoy that page here: https://bchighlandgames.com/competitions/heavy-events/
At some games, we have seen a tug 'o war. But we rarely see that event as that would be a team event. As Christina McFarland Helms, who also competes, points out, the tug 'o war is more common at the games in Canada and Europe. But what a fun event to watch!
To be honest, my descriptions do not give the sport true justice. But next time you wander out to a game, maybe you will have a better idea beyond just the telephone pole toss of what the athletes are doing. Would I ever participate? Nope. I'm a wimp. Bad back, bad shoulder, bad knees and ankles (too many years playing volleyball). If we were allowed to throw broom sticks (I know Steve has a joke with that particular item for me) instead of heavy trees, tennis balls instead of stones, and a bean bag instead of a heavy bale, I might consider it.
For now, my full respect to those who give it a try. You should be very proud. And here's to Jamie Channel (featured below), one of my favorite athletes.
Diaspora - 12 May 2019
Blather
What a great word!
Steve has 3 daughters. When one of them, in particular, calls him, I can always tell it is her. He says "hello" and then he doesn't say another word. But I can hear the constant buzzing of chatter on the other end. In the 23 years I've known him, this has always been the routine. The call is never short. Sometimes he will get up and wander around completing small tasks with the phone attached to his ear. But he rarely says a thing.
In person, it isn't much different. A very cheerful conversation that is driven by one line of thought process after another is the case. I too have a cousin that is fascinating to listen to. She's full of great stories, and somehow she manages to string them all together. The upside of this is I don't really have to participate. I just have to listen and give the obligatory nodding of the head from time to time. The downside of this is that although fascinating and wonderful stories to hear, I don't get to participate.
When Steve and I went to Scotland on our very first trip, and when we were standing in a typical tourist trap store packed with thousands of souvenirs to select from, I spied a tshirt on an upper hanger in the far corner. On it was the word: Blather.
The Blather tshirt was followed with the following definition: "To talk fooilishy at length -- often used with on."
Although I did not purchase gifts for everyone in the family, I convinced Steve to purchase this one tshirt. Now, don't misunderstand me. We love this child. She also has a good sense of humor. So she liked her gift. At least we believe she liked it.
And would I ever change the way she or my cousin chatter away? Never. So, child - Blather on!
Love, Mom and Dad (On this Mother's Day)
Diaspora - 24 April 2019
What's in a Name? CMW and the Annual Members' Meeting
When Clan MacFarlane Worldwide was created, the founding members strived to create an organization for our members and run by our members. This is why you will find that our corporate lingo is a bit different than most Scottish Clan Organizations.
So the Annual General Meeting for most organizations is CMW's Annual Members' Meeting ("AMM"). Why? Because we truly want our members to feel a part of what we all want to do. That means if you are a voting (paying) member, you get to vote every year for 3 new or returning Board Directors. That also means after you have been a paying member of CMW for a year, you too can run for a position on the Board of Directors. And we would LOVE for you to run for a position as a Director. That also means if the Board of Directors determines that a change to the corporate Bylaws should be made, they turn to the voting members to determine if the change is good for CMW.
We are pleased with how our corporation functions. After all these years, we can say "so far, so good!" That means that membership annual dues (which are, in my humble opinion dirt cheap), have always been used to further the goals of Clan MacFarlane Worldwide. We have lofty goals that are meant to continue to connect members with other members for the purpose of answering questions about heritage and family trees. We support archeological endeavors to, forgive me, "dig deeper" into MacFarlane history. We support local archaeologists to explore areas of MacFarlane lands for answers, and in some cases for new questions. And sometimes, our own members dig deep into their own pockets to finance these same endeavors.
We also use membership fees to sponsor athletes. We help defray their costs of competition, and sometimes we help to purchase competition kilts for our athletes. Just another great way to use membership fees. Right?
What else did we think about when we started CMW? We knew we would have many hosts for Highland Games. When you attend a Highland Game and you are greeted by a host, they are not "Conveeners" but instead, "Delegates." We chose that because we feel our tent Delegates represent CMW and its members. We just thought "Delegates" was a better representation for CMW.
We ensure our voting members can view the current budget and finances. We ensure our voting members see the Minutes from the Board of Directors' monthly meetings. We like our members to stay current.
We try to keep you informed of what is going on and what is coming up with CMW via Facebook, our website, the Loch Sloy! and even our new blog, this Diaspora. But the point is, we try to give our voting members, and even just our friends, information about who we are and what we are doing and where we are going.
But what you should always remember about CMW is that we are all volunteers. Nobody gets paid. We do this because we feel so strongly about our MacFarlane heritage.
We do have 501c3 status with the IRS. A group of us worked on the application to ensure we were approved on our very first shot. And that is exactly what happened. Banner moment for us!
So you see, the Annual Members' Meeting is an appropriate name for our corporate meeting. It will happen once again this coming weekend in Woodland, California at the Highland Games. We believe in member participation so strongly, that our corporate members' meeting will be broadcast. So even if you are in Japan, or Scotland, or New Zealand, New York, Florida, or Ontario, you can participate (the Technology wizards are feeling all the pressure). You can listen and learn. And the meeting will be recorded and a link of the recorded meeting will be provided to you.
The Annual Members' Meeting will be held at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, and will be hosted by Delegates, Laurie McFarland Jackson (our current President) and Don Jackson.
So to answer the question "What's in a Name?" I would say, everything. We are Clan MacFarlane Worldwide!
Agenda for the 2019 AMM - Woodland, California
Clan MacFarlane Worldwide, Inc. Annual Membership Meeting
April 27, 2019 2:00 PM in the CMW Tent in Woodland, California
- Welcome and Call to Order/President’s Report – Laurie McFarland Jackson
- Treasurers Report – Treasurer Chuck Poland
- Membership Report – Sandy McFarland Morgan
- Genealogy Report - Genealogist Mary Helen Haines
- Elections Report – Christina McFarland Helms
- Publications Report – Marie Robb
- Merchandise Report – Wil Goldstein
- Internet Committee (website, Facebook) – Preston McFarland
- Heritage – Preston McFarland
- Games and Gatherings - Bill Lennox
- New Business
- AMM locations 2020 and 2021 **
- Scotland 2020 Trip – Laurie
- Flowers of the Forest
- Adjourn
___________________________________________________________________________
** Suggestions from the CMW Board are described, below (Recommendations can also be taken from the floor during the AMM.):
- Stone Mt, Georgia http://www.smhg.org/ Located in the Northeast suburbs of Atlanta GA. It is held mid-October. On Saturday and Sunday, the meadows and meandering tree-lined paths will be transformed into the impressive mix of sights and sounds of a Scottish Highland Games presented in a uniquely southern style. CMW has not been in this location for almost a decade. We have many members in the south.
- Livonia, Michigan https://highlandgames.com/ First weekend of August. Fly into Detroit. Plenty of hotels just a couple of blocks away. Friday ceilidh, Saturday Games with everything. Our Canadian friends can make it, centrally located, oldest continuous game in the U.S. This is a favorite game for Elliott Macfarlane. He has his MacFarlane Co. tent set up there, and he said he would be happy to assist. Elliott also suggested, “The grounds are big and we can put up a tent or maybe use a building.” Our Jenna and Andrew McFarland (with son, Windom) host our tent at these games.
Previous AMM Locations include 2x Estes Park, Colorado, 1x Stone Mountain, Georgia. 2x California (Pleasanton and Woodland), 1x Scotland, 1x Tennessee, 1x Fergus, Canada
March 2019 Loch Sloy!
The March 2019 Loch Sloy! is now digitally available.
Click the attachment to download.
(Available with paid membership)
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Clan Events Calendar
Alma Highland Festival and Games Fri May 24 through Sun May 26 |
Glasgow Highland games Fri May 31 through Sun Jun 2 |
Alleghany County Celtic Festival Sat Jun 1 through Fri May 31 |
Salt Lake City Scottish Festival Fri Jun 7 through Sun Jun 9 |
Georgetown Highland games Sat Jun 8 through Sat Jun 8 |
56th Cobourg Scottish Festival & Highland games Fri Jun 14 through Sat Jun 15 |
Caledonia Celtic Festival Fri Jun 21 through Sat Jun 22 |
Embro Highland games Mon Jul 1 through Mon Jul 1 |
20th Annual Kincardine Scottish Festival Fri Jul 5 through Sun Jul 7 |
Orillia Scottish Festival - July 19-21 Fri Jul 19 through Sat Jul 20 |