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Weight for Height
In this event the athlete tosses a 56 pound weight
backwards over a bar. The bar is attached to a standard, similar if not identical to the one used for the sheaf toss, and is parallel to the ground. The weight is a large block of metal with a
ring handle. The athlete, standing backwards to the bar and just in front of it, grabs the weight with one hand, swings it several times between his legs, and then tosses it over the bar. Each
athlete is given three tries at tossing the weight over the bar, failure to cross the bar disqualifies the athlete from further rounds. At the end of each round the bar is raised. There is a bit of machismo at work in the weight toss. After tossing 56 ponds of metal over his head, the athlete will calmly take a single step to the side and watch the weight crash to the ground just about where he was just standing! It reminds one of a matador's casual attitude as the bull rushes by. This is an event that Ernest Hemingway would have loved.