With sword fights, hammer throws and stone puts, you might think the Great Basin Scottish Highland Games are an aggressive display of competition. But one weight thrower says the community is unmatched.

“It’s a family atmosphere,” says Kent Malcolm. “We all help each other out. with each other’s presence, we all pass each other. we just come out having a good time through it. try to better our last mark.”

Malcolm has been throwing weights for 26 years, and he says the community has remained welcoming in that time. Others agree – they say the community is open to anyone who’s interested.

“You don’t have to be Scottish. It was just like, I need a reason to wear a kilt and throw stuff,” says Rebecca Maciolek, a hammer thrower who found out she’s 12% Scottish from a DNA test.

“I’m not Scottish at all,” says weight thrower Dakota Howard, “but the Scottish culture is really cool. the kilts are cool. the bagpipes are cool. I think the number one thing though is meeting new people and building a community with everyone.”

Howard competes in many events, including Weight Over the Bar. The goal is to toss a 56-pound weight over your head and over a suspended metal rod in three tries. If you succeed, you move on, and the bar moves up.

“When you’re throwing stuff up in the air and you clear like a high height,” Howard says, “everybody’s cheering. That’s probably the best moment you could have.”

Sam Wheeler is a member of Northern Nevada Armored Combat. He says when he lived in Vermont, there wasn’t a team nearby, but there was when he moved to Reno three years ago.

“I did jujitsu and Muay Thai before this,” Wheeler says, “and it was just really interesting to see how little actually transfers over.”

Wheeler says the armor limits your mobility, so you can’t strike or move the same as in other combat sports.

If these events aren’t your speed, there’s also plenty of vendors.

Adam Kalan-Quin co-owns Thistle & Stitch with his wife. They specialize in Scottish-inspired clothing and embroidered gifts.

“Some guys don’t wear the kilt every day, but they’re going to wear a t shirt or a polo shirt or a hat, and still represent the culture, but maybe not in the full regalia,” Kalan-Quin says.

The Great Basin Scottish Highland Games continue from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, September 14, at Sparks Rodeo Arena.