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Frasure Again Wins Heavyweight Athletics Title; Outen and Smith Named Track and Field Athletes of the Games

Frasure Once Again Wins Heavyweight Athletics Title

Athlete Eric Frasure hurls the 56-pound weight for height on Saturday during the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. Skip Sickler | Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.
Athlete Eric Frasure hurls the 56-pound weight for height on
Saturday during the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. Skip Sickler |
Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.

Defending champion and longtime Scottish athletics competitor Eric Frasure, 29, of Denver, took home the first place title in heavyweight athletics at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games again on Saturday.

Frasure first competed in traditional Scottish athletics in Clover, South Carolina in 1999 and hasn’t missed a Grandfather Mountain Highland Games since he was 12 years old. He tried out for the amateur heavyweight competition at age 14, qualified at age 15 and turned professional in 2007.

Frasure won four out of seven events Saturday but says he doesn’t favor one more than the others.

“I love them all. Every event has its own challenge, and you can always get better,” Frasure said. “You get really good athletes here. There’s no lack of effort; you have to fight to win.”

Frasure trains at CrossFit Allgiance in Denver to stay competition-ready.

The Grandfather Mountain Highland Games occurred this year without the presence of Ross M. Morrison Jr., who was a judge and mentor to the athletes for nearly 60 years until his death in 2013. He served as president of the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games from 1997-2013.

“He was a big part of a lot of the games for us,” Fraser said. “It was always a good feeling to see Ross.”

For more information on the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games please visit www.GMHG.org or call 828-733-1333.

Scottish Athletic Event Results:

56-Pound Weight Throw (For Distance)

  1. Eric Frasure – 38’6″
  2. Chris Chafin – 37’7″

56-Pound Weight Throw (For Height)

  1. Eric Frasure – 16′
  2. Kerry Overfelt – 15′

Clachneart (16-pound stone toss)

  1. Wes Kiser – 47’3.5″
  2. Eric Frasure – 45′ 8.5″

Sheaf Toss (tossing a 20-pound sack of hay with a pitchfork for height)

  1. Eric Frasure – 32′ (first try)
  2. Wes Kiser – 32′

Caber Toss (flipping a 20-foot, 120-pound telephone poll end over end)

  1. Wes Kiser – 12:00
  2. Eric Frasure – 11:45

22-Pound Hammer Throw (for distance)

  1. Eric Frasure – 110′ 4.5″
  2. Adam Sizemore – 94′ 8.5″

28-Pound Weight Throw (for distance)

  1. Wes Kiser – 79′ 5″
  2. Eric Frasure – 77′ 7.5″

Outen and Smith Named Track and Field Athletes of the Games

Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Newcomer Zach Outen and longtime competitor Shannon Smith were named Track and Field Athletes of the games on Saturday.

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Outen, 17, of West Jefferson and a student at Ashe County High School said he didn’t know about the Highland Games until a friend invited him on Friday. He showed up Saturday intending to compete in just two races, but ended up winning four track and field events: long jump, triple jump, 100-yard dash and 220-yard dash.

“Running on a gravel track was new to me,” he said. “It was really cool. I’m wanting to come back next year and bring some friends.”

Outen said he received coaching before he participated in the triple jump from Smith, the female Track and Field Athlete of the Games.

Smith, 18, a recent graduate of Avery County High School who plans to attend Furman University, has attended every Grandfather Mountain Highland Games since age 6, she said. She was also the Athlete of the Games in 2012 and said she enjoys the camaraderie among the competitors.

“We’re kind of just all here to have fun,” Smith said. “It’s not too intense; we’re just here to have a good time.”

Track and Field Results

100-Yard Dash – Men

  1. Zach Outen – 10.72 seconds
  2. Ryan Towler – 11.0 seconds

100-Yard Dash – Women

  1. Shannon Smith – 12.44 seconds
  2. Kati Nihart – 13.1 seconds

100 Yard Dash – Masters

  1. Russell Paige – 12.44 seconds
  2. Alan Cox – 13.60 seconds

220 Yard Dash -Men

  1. Zach Outen – 25.18 seconds
  2. Scott Hale – 29.4 seconds

220 Yard Dash Women

  1. Shannon Smith – 30.0 seconds
  2. Grace Leis – 31.2 seconds

22 Yard Dash – Masters

  1. Russell Paige – 31.93 seconds
  2. Derek Hale – 38.44 seconds

440 Yard Dash – Men

  1. Scott Hale – 1:03.42
  2. Aaron Hale – 1:07:00

440-Yard Dash – Women

  1. Shannon Smith – 1:14:15
  2. Bonnie Smith – 1:25:00

880-Yard Dash – Men

  1. Aaron Hale – 2:23
  2. Richard Burke – 2:40

Mile Run – Men

  1. Aaron Hale – 5:36
  2. Richard Burke – 6:15

Mile Run – Women

  1. Ellen Spencer – 6:05
  2. Liesl Schleusener – 6:35

2 Mile Run – Women

  1. Ellen Spencer – 13.49
  2. Liesl Schleusener – 14:27

Long Jump – Men

  1. Zach Outen – 15′ 7″
  2. Richard Burke – 14′ 11″

Long Jump – Women

  1. Shannon Smith – 14′ 8″
  2. Gras Leis – 13′ 4″

High Jump – Women

  1. Kati Nihart – 3’10”
  2. Natalie Jordan – 3′ 8″

Triple Jump – Men

  1. Zach Outen – 32′ 9.5″
  2. Jake Laughlin – 31′ 9.5″

Triple Jump – Women

  1. Shannon Smith – 30′ 0.75″
  2. Natalie Jordan – 28′ 8.25″

Pole Vault – Men

  1. Salter Blowers – 11′ 6″
  2. Reid Bushmore-Maki – 8′ 6″

Pole Vault – Masters

  1. Alan Cox – 10′
  2. Johnnie Dye – 9.5″