Editing Sheaf toss (section)

{{Short description|Traditional Scottish agricultural sport}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2019}}
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{{refimprove|date=November 2018}}
[[Image:Sheaf toss 001.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The sheaf toss event at the 2005 [[Skagit Valley]] Highland Games, in the state of [[Washington (state)|Washington]], United States.]]

The '''sheaf toss''' ({{langx|gd|sguab}}) is a traditional Irish and Scottish agricultural [[sport]] event originally contested at country fairs. A [[pitchfork]] is used to hurl a [[hessian fabric|hessian]] bag stuffed with [[straw]] over a horizontal bar above the competitor's head.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Williams |first1=Doug |title=Terri Ventress can throw just about anything – and has 14 world records to prove it |url=http://www.espn.com/espnw/life-style/article/24663876/terri-ventress-throw-just-anything-14-world-records-prove-it |accessdate=30 November 2018 |publisher=ESPN |date=14 September 2018}}</ref> Typical weight for the bag is 16 or 20 [[pound (mass)|pounds]] (7.3 or 9.1 kg).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nauright |first1=John |title=Sports around the World: History, Culture, and Practice [4 volumes]: History, Culture, and Practice |date=2012 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781598843019 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mYBtMajLAaAC&dq=%22Sheaf+toss%22&pg=RA1-PA111 |accessdate=30 November 2018}}</ref> Three chances are given to each competitor to cleanly go over the bar. After all challengers have made their attempts, the bar is raised and all successful competitors move on to the new height. This continues until all but one athlete is eliminated.

The Sheaf toss has been incorporated as an event at many of the Scottish [[highland games]] although technically it is not itself a heavy athletics event. The sheaf toss is also a traditional sport in the [[Basque Country (greater region)|Basque Country]]. It is a feature of the annual [[Sykehouse Show]] in South Yorkshire, England.

Sheaf tossing is also contested in Ireland and Australia particularly at [[agricultural show]]s and at [[fair]]s; Irish sheaf tossing differs from sheaf tossing in Scotland and France in that the sheaf is made of [[Juncus|rushes]] which are bound tightly with [[Baler|baling twine]] and are not placed in a bag. The rules are the same as the Scottish version and a [[pitchfork]] is used. The same pitchfork is usually used for all competitors so as not to give anybody an unfair advantage by allowing them use their own customised pitchfork. A variation of this rule is that if one brings a custom pitchfork to the competition, they must allow any other competitor to use that fork.