With a first-place finish all but assured and frothy paper cup of dark liquid cheer awaiting on the sidelines, 36-year-old Mike Susmark wasn't about to waste any time with his last toss of the day.

And so, with little pomp, the 6-foot-3, 295-pound Susmark swung the 56-pound iron weight back, forward and back again, shifting it from the outside of his right leg to the broad space between his casually divided calves. Then, with just the faintest tension visible in his Rock 'Em Sock 'Em arm and Bo Jackson neck, Susmark sent the weight soaring over his head, confident enough not to look as it arced over the PVC bar suspended a Yao Ming's reach above.

The weight cleared the bar with inches to spare before returning to the earth with a grassy thud. Winner.

To the surprise of no one, the soft-spoken Arizonan took first place overall in last weekend's Hawaiian Scottish Festival Highlands Games at Kapi'olani Park, winning in each of the eight events he entered.

Susmark, whose father lives in Honolulu, competes in as many as 15 Highlands games around the country each year, perhaps none quite as distinctive as that sponsored each year by the Hawaiian Scottish Association.

To some, the thought of transposing a competition born in the highlands of Scotland to tropical, sea-level Honolulu might appear odd. But, as the association proves each year, the antique traditions of the Scottish Highlands are, like Hemingway's Paris, a moveable feast.

Susmark was introduced to so-called Scottish heavy athletics by a friend four years ago and quickly became enamored.

"I don't have a track and field background and this looked like something for big guys to do," he said.

And while Susmark isn't a Scotsman by blood (he's Polish-German), he understands enough of the culture to appreciate the history and traditions of Highlands sports.

"I think they started when a couple of drunk Scotsmen said, 'I bet I can throw this farther than you!' " he said, laughing.

Historians have traced the roots of Scottish Highlands games to early 10th century community festivals and, in particular, to more formalized contests introduced by King Malcolm Canmore in 1040.

As in other festive folk cultures, the early athletic competitions in the Highlands grew out of communal celebrations, often involving rival clans, and provided a venue for young men to demonstrate their physical prowess and their proficiency in skills associated with hunting and warfare. Women also participated, typically in footraces.

Highlands games blossomed in the 1820s with the revival of Tartan and Highland culture under Sir Walter Scott. In America, Scottish immigrants continued to celebrate their culture with festivals and athletic competitions, starting in New York in the mid-1800s.

Today, hundreds of Scottish festivals and Highlands games are staged in the United States and around the world each year.

In addition to heavy athletics — games that emphasize power — the modern menu of games includes early versions of track and field events like "putting the stone" (similar to the shot put) and the hammer throw. Many competitions also include dancing, which in early times was seen as a valuable exercise in speed, coordination and agility.

The Hawaiian Scottish Festival and Highlands Games, which welcomes participants of all ethnicities, typically offers a range of athletic competitions.

In "putting the stone," contestants "put" heavy, circular stones weighing between 14 and 56 pounds, for distance. In the Braemar stone, the stone must be launched from a stationary, standing position.

"Tossing the weight" and "throwing the weight" involve weights chained to a metal handle and tossed for height (as Susmark did) or thrown for distance. Original participants used boxes with handles that were used for measuring farm produce.

In "throwing the hammer," participants throw the hammer, a heavy iron ball fitted on to a long wooden handle, from a standing position.

For many, the signature event is "tossing the caber."

A caber is a long wooden pole, anywhere from 75 to 138 pounds, roughly finished and usually still carrying the grooves and deformities of the tree from which it was taken. The goal of the game is for participants to lift it at one end, balance it, then flip it end over end as symmetrically as possible. A perfect throw will find the end the participant held dropping directly opposite of the release point. A "12 o'clock" toss is ideal; tosses in the 11 o'clock to 1 o'clock range are the next best.

"Being strong helps, but if you don't have the technique to flip it, you won't do well," said Robert Taylor, 66, a Honolulu attorney and four-time Highlands games participant. "It takes balance and accuracy."

Track and field athletes have a leg up, so to speak, in many Highlands games because of the similarity between many of the events. Taylor and fellow Hawai'i Masters Track Club member Jack Karbens, for example, both drew on their experience in the decathlon and pentathlon to post strong showings in the Highlands games.

"I got hooked," Taylor said. "This is one of the most fun things I've ever done. When I started, I thought it was crazy to try and pick up a small telephone pole!"

The first day of the games included the heavy athletics competitions. The second day featured "housewife games," like the frying pan and rolling pin tosses, and a mile-long run in kilts.

Regina Willbanks, 35, took top women's honors on the first day of the games, a worthy achievement despite the lack of competition.

"I'm surprised that there weren't more women competing today," she said.

Larry Phillips, who organized the games, said people often are attracted by the novelty of the games then find themselves hooked on the fun and camaraderie.

According to Phillips, it's participation, friendship and cultural appreciation, not necessarily winning, that make the games worthwhile. And never was that more true than in the first year of competition.

Every participant got a bottle of — what else? — scotch.

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.