Grandfather Mountain, Nature on a Whole Different Level

NEESE SETS TWO WORLD RECORDS
AT GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN HIGHLAND GAMES

Mike NeeseGRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN, NC -- Mike Neese, 47, from Mooresville, NC set two world records in Scottish athletic events in the age 45-49 age category at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games on Sunday.

The six-foot-four-inch, 340 pound, newly named offensive line coach for the Mooresville High School football team began his assault on the record books by tossing the sheaf 31' 3" high to eclipse the previous world record of 31'. A sheaf in Scotland is a sack of hay and Neese tossed the 20-pound burlap sack over a bar with a pitchfork.

The final of seven Scottish athletic events comprising Games competition is tossing a 42-pound weight for height, also over a bar, and Neese closed out a great day with another world record. He tossed the weight 21' to break the old record of 20' 2", set in the 2006 Grandfather Mountain Games.

Even at age 47, Neese's accomplishments are competitive with the best professional Scottish athletes in the world. His 42-pound weight toss obviously broke Grandfather Mountain's field record, set in 2006 and his 31' 3" sheaf toss tied the old field record, regardless of age, until it was broken Saturday by Eric Frasure with a 33' toss. Traditionally, four or five of America's top ten Scottish athletes compete annually at Grandfather.

This weekend was Neese's 12th appearance at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. He won the Amateur Scottish Athlete of the Games award during that span, but he hasn't won the top professional award. This was Neese's first Highland games competition in two years. "Maybe the layoff rested me up," he quipped.

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