Highland Hammering

AMHERST - Tossing a caber or throwing a hammer is just a good day of fun for Amherst's Highland Games competitor Nathan Robertson.
Robertson will be in Pugwash on Tuesday to participate in the Canada Day highland games during the gathering of the clans.
"It's a great time," Robertson said. "I mostly do it for fun."
These days Robertson is focusing mostly on his powerlifting but whenever he gets the chance he jumps over to the highland games circuit.
"My powerlifting is really improving so I'm focusing more on that this year than I did last year," Robertson said.
Last year Robertson participated in nine highland game events but is cutting back on the heavy schedule.
"I'll go to about four highland games this year. Last summer it was too much. All my spare time was taken up doing the highland games."
Despite the fact the Pugwash highland games are smaller than bigger venues in Moncton, Halifax and Fredericton, Robertson says the Pugwash event is a lot of fun.
"There's usually about eight to 14 competitors," Robertson said,
"So there's a lot of camaraderie. The guys are great."
Robertson's favourite event is the hammer throw.
"It's a ball on the end of a stick," Robertson said.
"You don't spin, you just stand in one spot and let it go."
Robertson has thrown the 16-pound hammer 92 feet and the 22-pound hammer 71.4 feet.
Robertson missed the first two highland games of the season due to a shoulder injury incurred while bench-pressing at the Nova Scotia Powerlifting Championships so he's really itching to get the hammer in his hand and whip it across a field.
"Oh yeah, I'm really looking forward to it," Robertson said.