Donald Dinnie Day, The Gathering IV

Sunday 2nd August 2020 @ Potarch Café & Restaurant

Running order and lifting schedule

Session 1 – 12 noon – 12.30pm

Welcome and opening remarks by Event Chieftain, David Webster O.B.E. and Malcolm Nicol, Ballogie Estate Manager followed by Event 1 of the Donald Dinnie Games – The Ballogie Stone Challenge (Stone provided by Brett Nicol) – All Donald Dinnie Games events will be held in the Goat Penn.

The athletes competing (in alphabetical order) are:

• Jamie Gorrian (1st Place in the 2019 DD Games)
• Sean Peatfield (2nd Place in the 2019 DD Games)
• Andy Cairney (3rd Place in the 2019 DD Games)
• Chris Beetham
• James Crossley
• Jamie Duncan
• Lance Holland-Keen
• Martin Jancsics
• Fraser Love
• Gary Maddison

This is a strategy event (designed to replicate all the phases of a natural stone lift) where the athlete will have 75 seconds to amass as many points as possible using the 123kg Ballogie Stone. Points will be awarded as follows:

• Breaking the ground with the stone – 1 point
• Lapping the stone – 5 points
• Standing up with the stone – 10 points
• Shouldering the stone – 20 points
• Pressing the stone overhead – 50 points

Points will be recorded and agreed by the judging panel. The lifter must remove his hands from the stone between each attempt. The lifter must set the stone down under control between each lift. No points will be awarded for a dropped stone. The athletes will lift in alphabetical order for Event 1 and in ascending points order for the remaining events. 10 points will be awarded to the winning athlete in each event, 9 points to the second placed athlete and so on down to 1 point for 10th place.

Session 2 – 12.30pm – 1pm

Group 1 of Dinnie Steen attempts. All Dinnie Stone lifting / carrying attempts will take place on the main platform:

1/ Adrian McKinnon
2/ Levi Bunyan
3/ Rick Law
4/ Kristin Rhodes
5/ Henry Mullens

Session 3 – 1pm – 1.30pm

Event 2 of the Donald Dinnie Games – The Nicol Stone Carry – Held in the Goat Penn (Stones provided by Brett Nicol).
This event replicates one of the techniques used in carrying the Dinnie Stones and requires the athlete to pick up two ringed stones similar to the Dinnie Stones and walk with them as far as possible. The stones are the same height as the Dinnie Stones and weigh 138kg & 114kg. Athletes are allowed a maximum of 2 pickups. Once either of the stones touches the ground the first pickup is over and the athlete will be permitted a second pickup from that point. Once either of the stones touches the ground or if the lifter fails the second pickup the attempt is over and the distance will be measured from the starting point to the front of the stone farthest from the starting point.

Session 4 – 1.30pm – 2pm

Group 2 of Dinnie Steen attempts on the main platform
1/ Jeff Bach
2/ James Nippert
3/ Jordan Babcock
4/ Ben Carlin
5/ Lars Besand

Session 5 – 2pm – 2.30pm

Event 3 of the Donald Dinnie Games – The Claymore Boulder Challenge – This event features a 20kg natural stone with an embedded ring. The lifter will hold the stone with both hands by the ring and suspend it horizontally at arm’s length 6” above a Claymore sword which will placed in the ground directly under the stone. This is a timed event and the clock will stop when the stone touches the hilt of the sword. The lifter may not lift the stone above the horizontal position, nor may he bend his arms.

Session 6 – 2.30pm – 3pm

Group 3 of Dinnie Steen attempts on the main platform.
This session will feature three carry attempts. This will be followed by an Inver Stone display by Martin Jancsics & Jamie Gorrian.

1/ Bill Crawford
2/ Billy Crawford (Bill Crawford’s Son)
3/ Chad Ullom
4/ Calvin Heit (Chad’s son)
5/ Mitch Jackson (Carry)

Session 7 – 3pm – 3.30pm

Event 4 of the Donald Dinnie Games – Steen Tossin – Held in the Goat Penn (Rendrag Stone provided by Steve Gardner).

The Rendrag Stone is an ancient Viking Mill Stone acquired over 30 years ago by Head Referee, Steve Gardner from a farm in the Channel Islands. This event requires the athlete to throw an ancient Viking ‘Throwin Steen’ as far as possible from a stop board on the ground. The athlete may adopt any throwing style and may use one or two hands. The stone weighs 16.5kg. It is 11” long, 9” wide & 7” deep. Athletes will have 3 attempts each. The distance will be measured from the stop board to the first point of contact that the stone makes with the ground. The athlete may not cross the stop board during or after the throw.

Session 8 – 3.30pm – 4pm

Group 4 of Dinnie Steen attempts on the main platform.

1/ Cyrus Shunk
2/ Shane Hertzog
3/ Darrin Plank / Clay Edgin
4/ Thom Van Vleck
5/ Ken Hardaker / Kevin Irwin

Session 9 – 4.30pm – 5pm

Event 5 of the Donald Dinnie Games – The Stone Wall Challenge (Stones Provided by Brett Nicol).

This event replicates the original historical challenge of loading a heavy stone onto a wall at waist height. It will feature 5 progressively heavier natural stones which have to be carried and loaded onto a wall of barrels at waist height. The first and lightest stone will be placed 5 feet from the barrel wall, the second stone will be placed 4 feet away and so on until the final heaviest stone which will be placed 1 foot from the barrel wall. This is a timed event and will be the final event of the games.

5pm – 5.30pm prize giving and event close

Organising Body

David Webster OBE – Event Chieftain
Jack Shanks – Guest of honour
Malcolm Nicol – Ballogie Estate Manager
Stevie Shanks – Event Manager
Jim Splaine - Photography
Rosemary Splaine - Photography
James Grahame – Dinnie Games Events Co-ordinator
Gordon Ingram – Dinnie Games Events Co-Ordinator
Brett Nicol – Dinnie Stones Lift Co-Ordinator and Events Co-Ordinator
Steve Gardner – Head Referee
Martin Jancsics / Jamie Gorrian – Inver Stone Display
Helen Knowles – Ballogie Estate Team
Christina Nicol - Ballogie Estate Team
Lydia Nicol - Ballogie Estate Team

Special thanks to:  List sponsors…

Click here to access a map to the location of the Dinnie Stanes at Potarch

Sponsored by The Stark Center for Physical Culture & Sports