Skylar Arneson dominated the men's Amateur A class at the Great Plains Renaissance Festival Highland Games (Witchita, Kansas), a qualifier in the IHGF All-American Highland Games Championships series.

2019 Great Plains Renaissance Festival: Skylar’s the Limit
by Francis Brebner
President, International Highland Games Federation (IHGF)
 
The Great Plains Renaissance Festival in Wichita, a qualifier in the IHGF All-American Highland Games Championships series, had a great competition in A group division, which included Skylar Arneson, Tomas Lambotte, Ryan Huddleston, Joey Grieshaber, Zach Lucas, and Nate Fowler.
 
Arneson won comfortably in the 22-lb. Braemar stone, his specialized event, with a great series of throws all over 35’ and a best of 38’ 8”. Lambotte followed at 36’ 2” and Huddleston at 33’.
 
Arneson continued, notching another victory in the 16-lb. open stone with a healthy putt of 49’ 6”. Again in second was Lambotte with 43’ 3”, but third was a tight tussle, with Grieshaber edging ahead of Huddleston, 42’ 6” to 42’ 3”.
 
In the 56-lb. weight for distance, Arneson added another win with 39’ 4”. Lambotte did 34’ 5” for second and Huddleston 31’ 11” for third.

Arneson was soaring like an eagle in the 28-lb. weight for distance as he unleashed a hail of class throws with his best at 82’ 8”. Lambotte trailed at 66’ 7”, with Huddleston third at 60’ 9”.
 
In the 22-lb. hammer, Arneson opened with a winning throw of 100’ 9”; second was Lambotte at 90’, and third Huddleston at 88’ 4”.

In the 56-lb. weight over bar, Arneson topped out at 15’ for the win, with Lambotte in second at 14’ and Lucas third at 12”.
 
Arneson won the 20-lb. sheaf over bar at a height of 28’. Lambotte did 26’ for second, and third place was a tie between Grieshaber and Lucas at 22’.
 
The final event with the caber, 18’ and 125 lb., ended in a tie between Grieshaber and Arneson who both made 12:00 tosses. Lambotte did 12:30 for third.
 
Overall places:
1. Skylar Arneson
2. Tomas Lambotte
3. Ryan Huddleston
4. Joey Grieshaber
5. Zach Lucas
6. Nate Fowler
 
Arneson has qualified to compete with Sean Burns, John Anthony, and Eli Kiener at the finals of the IHGF All-American Highland Games Championships, which will be held in September at the Great Plains Renaissance Festival in Wichita.
 
In the woman’s A group division, Jamie Channel and Marsha Clasen went head to head in the IHGF woman’s A group qualifier. Clasen narrowly took the 16-lb. Braemar stone over Channel with a putt of 25’ 4 to 25’ 1”. Channel responded in the 9-lb. open stone with a best of 35’ 1” for the win; Clasen did 34’. Channel then blasted out a mighty throw of 37’ 11” in the heavy weight for distance, with Clasen doing 27’ 10”. In the 14-lb. light weight for distance Channel again delivered a tremendous throw at 63’ 10”; Clasen did 50’.
 
The light and heavy hammers were ding-dong battles with Channel just going ahead in the last throw in the 16-lb. hammer for the win with a distance of 58’ to Clasen’s 55’. Clasen dominated with a throw of 69’ 8” for a triumphant win in the heavy hammer; Channel threw 67’ 1”.
The caber, an impressive 15’ and 80-lb., was won with a 12:00 toss by Clasen, with Channel doing 80 degrees. The 28-lb. weight over bar ended in a tie between the two at 13’. 
 
Overall places:
1. Jamie Channel
2. Marsha Clasen
 
Channel will compete in September, along with Felicia Baker Baltren, Ashley Weber and  Meagan McKee in the finals of the IHGF All-American Highland Games Championships at the Great Plains Renaissance Festival in Wichita. The IHGF would like to thank director Richard Cathey for hosting the IHGF qualifier and especially the athletic directors, Dave and Gunner Glasgow and Larry and Terri Ventress, for putting on a great games.
 
Next up on the IHGF calendar of events will be the fifth qualifying games in the IHGF All-American Highland Games series in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 4–5 May.

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