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The Zeeland countryside is nothing like the Scottish highlands, and yet the province is home to a successful Highland Games team: the Mac Bulkheads of the Vlissingen-based Damen companies. In varying line-ups, the team competes in tournaments organised in South-West Netherlands. Some colleagues take part in individual national competitions too. Dressed in Scottish kilts, the participants compete in events such as the Caber Toss, Stone, Hammer or Weight Throw and Tug-Of-War.
The Mac Bulkheads during the Highland Games in Oud-Beijerland.
“It started in 2015 when a team took part in a tournament in Driewegen for fun,” says team captain Mark de Jonge (43) of Damen Naval. “I lived in Driewegen and someone who lived in the village organised a Highland Games tournament. I had no idea what it involved, but I am interested in anything to do with sports. The first year was not a great success, but by the second year we had a team of seven. Now we have a pool of about 20 colleagues.”
In the most recent tournament in Oud-Beijerland, two Damen teams competed: in the light and heavyweight classes. The 12 participants earned several second and third places as well as first place in the ‘Holding the Barrel’ and ‘Tyre Flip’ events. Mark: “Competitions are great fun. You are competing against each other, but it’s also friendly. There is a lot of laughing and joking, but you still feel driven to train because you want to keep improving yourself.”
"You can really put your energy into this and there is so much involved. Brute force alone is not enough: technique is very important.” Kornelis Smit
A Highland Games tournament is not only a competition against opponents, but also a fight against yourself, says Jarno Rottier (24), one of the newest members of the team. “During a work meeting, we were talking about hobbies, and I mentioned that I do cross-fit. I was invited to train with them for a day. I wasn’t very good at it, but I found it fun and challenging in a different way. You can compete with the other guys, but also improve your own performance. If you started off throwing seven or eight metres, it’s fun to reach nine metres.”
Kornelis Smit (47) from Damen Yachting has been competing at the highest levels of the individual Highland Games for about seven years. As recently as 2019, he became Dutch B-class champion and has been in the A-class since then, but he also enjoys competing as a team with his Damen colleagues. “I was invited by a colleague to join the team and I fell in love with the sport. You can really put your energy into it and there is so much involved. Brute force alone is not enough; technique is very important.”
Noël de Clippelaar from Damen Naval during the Caber Toss.
During a chance meeting in the corridor of Damen Naval’s Head Office, Noël de Clippelaar (27) got talking to Mark and got excited about the Highland Games. He now even competes in the individual competitions of the Dutch Highland Games Federation. “I am competitive, and I notice that the more I do it, the more I like it. I want to try to reach the highest level possible.”
Due to the corona pandemic, there were only a handful of tournaments in 2022, but hopefully there will be more next year. In any case, the Mac Bulkheads are already busy training.