Rod MacLeod showed he hasn’t lost his touch with the caber at last weekend Glengarry Highland Games, tossing a 12 o’clock three times. Photo: Glengarry Highland Games
There was a special event at the Glengarry Highland Games on Saturday afternoon, July 30, on the infield before the Challenge Caber when a surprised Rod MacLeod, past Director of Heavy Events at the games, was inducted into the Canadian Scottish Athletic Federation’s Hall of Fame.
Rod has been an integral part of the Games and the heavy events community for more than 50 years and according to him, it all started as a lark. At the end of the caber toss in the early games, local fellows were invited to come onto the field and try their hand at tossing the caber. Rod and a friend took up the challenge and as Rod says, “the rest is history.”
Rod soon became a strong competitor, including a world championship in the caber toss in1973. In the 1980s, MacLeod, along with other keen heavy event competitors, joined up to form the famous club, the Cabers of Glengarry, who trained together and competed very successfully in heavy events across North America. The club’s success led to a reputation for winning by the athletes from Glengarry. The Cabers of Glengarry club was inducted into the Glengarry Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
MacLeod has now retired as Director of Heavy Events but he is still very much involved as a co-chair of the events and can be found at every Glengarry Highland Games right in the thick of things. He also hasn’t lost his touch with the caber. Last Thursday when CTV was taping segments for their morning show, Rod demonstrated that he could still toss a 12 o’clock with the caber, not once, but three times.
Organizers of the Glengarry Highland Games are proud and thrilled that Rod has received this prestigious award and say it couldn’t happen to a more deserving person, addding MacLeod is synonymous with heavy events at the games and obviously with his induction into the Hall of Fame this feeling is widely shared.
