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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
Feb 9, 2012 - 5:06:14 PM |
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Blackanthem Military News
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| Maj. Kenneth Knight, Camp Atterbury, Ind., Installation Support Unit safety officer, competes in the Scottish games wearing his family's traditional kilt. Knight started participating in the games last year after his late wife researched her Scottish roots. Knight will be competing during the 2010 Masters World Championships, in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. (U.S. Army photo by John Crosby) |
CAMP ATTERBURY JOINT MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Ind. - Maj. Kenneth Knight is competing in this year's Scottish highland games, the 2010 Masters World Championships, in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
The Camp Atterbury, Ind., Installation Support Unit safety officer has more than one motivation to compete in these traditional, historical games. A born athlete, Soldier and competitor, Knight's main drive is to carry on his late wife's memory and lineage.
His wife passed away last October.
"It gives me a way to keep my wife's heritage alive," said Knight. "It's a way to stay close to her."
In a way, the sport seems almost made for Knight. Always a history buff, he earned his Bachelor of Science in History from the College of the Cumberlands in Ky., where he met his late wife in the late 1980s. The college sweethearts were married in 1991.
Knight's wife began researching her genealogy and discovered that she not only had Scottish blood on both sides of her family, but certain levels of Bruce family royalty. This sparked their interest and they began researching Scottish games, rules and guidelines.
The games started sometime around the 15th Century when Scotland was conquered by Great Britain. The Scots weren't allowed to practice with weapons due to fear of revolt. So, the Scots used everyday items such as rocks, hammers, stakes, logs etc. in competition to see who was the strongest and fastest, and who would take the role of protecting clan chiefs and so on. In modern times it has become sport with participants across the world competing.
Knight and his wife traveled together learning and participating in different Scottish sporting events. They developed their own unique family kilt. He even constructed his own homemade equipment using chains, weights and rocks.
Common events in the competitions include the "hammer throw", "weight throw" and the "sheath throw", which essentially is a 20-pound bundle of straw tossed for distance with a pitchfork. "It's a very inexpensive sport in a sense," said Knight. The traditional sport stays true to it roots, created with whatever the Scottish people had on hand.
Knight would practice his throws in his backyard regularly until one day, "I put a hole in the side of the house," said Knight laughing. "After that the wife was like ‘you're done!' Now I go out to a field at my kid's elementary school and throw out there."
Knight shared his commitment to the sport with his wife.
His wife would film his practices and they would spend hours together studying video of Knight throwing, analyzing his form and contrasting it with video of professionals. "It was a team partnership, said Knight. "She would always go to all of the competitions with me. It was a family affair. She got a chance to talk to the other wives, make new friends and have a good time learning the Scottish culture. We took the kids and they loved it also."
He and his wife stayed at it.
"My first year was spent really getting introduced to the sport and learning techniques from other competitors and some of the pros," said Knight.
Knight is somewhat of a natural, placing 12th world wide in his division. He has created a stir in the Scottish games world and was invited to this year's championships.
"My first games were a lot of fun," said Knight. "I had to compete against a couple of world champions at my first one. I beat them at the first event, which caught their eye. They were like ‘who's this guy'. I ended up in 5th place out of ten guys in that competition. They started showing me some techniques."
Knight competed in eight more games that season. His wife became ill and passed away on October 11, three days before his birthday. This year, Knight carries on and plans on improving his skill in memory of his wife.
Between serving at Camp Atterbury and raising his four children on his own now, Knight studies and travels to compete in his sport several times a year. He even has his children and his brother-in-law involved, practicing with him.
"It's a gentlemen's and a family sport," said Knight. Ages 16 through 70 are welcome to participate.
Knight plans to keep up with the sport until he is an old man and can't throw anymore. He throws in honor of his wife, to keep her memory alive.
"This year is her memorial season. I'm just going to continue celebrating her."
ADDITIONAL PHOTO:
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| Maj. Kenneth Knight, Camp Atterbury, Ind., Installation Support Unit safety officer, competes in the Scottish games. Knight will be competing during the 2010 Masters World Championships, in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in honor of his late wife who took pride in her Scottish roots. (U.S. Army photo by John Crosby) |
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