THE CALEDONIAN GAMES
Betz Bests Heavy Events at Pleasanton

Pleasanton, Calif., Sept. 4 and 5: Sean Betz overcame a 2.5-point deficit to take the win in the 35th U.S. Invitational Heavy Events Championship in the Professional Division. The Omaha, Neb., athlete trailed Pennsylvania's Harrison Bailey III following the Saturday round of eight events, but took the lead and title during the Sunday round of events.

The U.S. championships consisted of five events on Saturday and three on Sunday at the 144th Scottish Highland Gathering and Games, held at the county fairgrounds in Pleasanton.

The International Highland Games Federation World Hammer Championship is scored with the accumulative distance of the 16-lb. hammer on Saturday and the 22-lb. hammer on Sunday. Mike Pockoski took the title with throws of the 16-lb. hammer at 133.3 feet and 22-lb. hammer at 115.5 feet for a gross score of 248.8.

Sunday's 56-lb. Pro Weight for Height was won by Eric Frasure with a throw of 18 feet over the bar.

Pockoski topped the field in the Pro Caber Championship, where the athletes qualify for the fabled Challenge Caber, but it was fifth-place British champion Scott Rider who came back to outgun the competition to take the Challenge Caber honors.

In winning the U.S. Invitational, Betz scored the win in the 28-lb. Braemar Stone Putt at 37 ft., 11.5 inches, while second-place Bailey won the 28-lb. Weight for Distance at 83 ft., as well as the Weight Over the Bar at 18 ft. Bailey's downfall on Sunday came in the 22-lb. Hammer with a fifth and the 16-lb. Stone Putt with a sixth.

In the Men's Amateur Class, Chad Gustin of Lawrence, Kan., took the title. The Men's Masters 40-49 title was earned by Shawn Baker of Surprise, Ariz., and the 50+ Masters class was won by Kel Mulrey of Oakley, Calif.

The popular Women's Class met pre-event expectations with a rousing down-to-the-wire win by 2007 champion Summer Pierson of Phoenix over Adriane Blewitt of Ashland, Ohio. Pierson scored wins in five events, with Blewitt taking two and tying Pierson in the caber.

1. Sean Betz, Omaha, Neb., 25
2. Harrison Bailey III, Easton, Pa., 28
3. Daniel McKim, Kansas City, Kan., 33
4. Eric Frasure, Huntersville, N.C., 39
5. Mike Pockoski, Las Vegas, Nev., 41
6. Scott Rider, London, Eng., UK, 41
7. Ryan Vierra, Stevenson, Calif., 51
8. Bert Sorin, Irmo, S.C., 56
9. Rusty Price, Snelling, Calif., 61
10. Lucais MacKay, Moorpark, Calif., 67

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