Building Strength & Confidence at the Highland Games

Southwest of Salt Lake City, at the mouth of Bingham Canyon and the base of the Oquirrh Mountains, Nicole Davis runs a private gym called BodyStrong SLC. She offers strength training classes and practice groups for the Highland Games, a traditional Scottish competition consisting of nine unique events.

Davis started weightlifting later in life, previously believing that working out was about being a certain size. After an injury, however, she began lifting weights as a way to focus on “performance rather than the scale,” she says.

She was initially drawn to compete in the Highland Games because it required strength, athleticism and skill. Although she had prior experience with weight training, she liked the added challenge of a new and unique sport. She has been competing ever since and now trains her own clients and has a slew of state records as well as a couple of world records.

“It’s about being able to stand up taller both in and outside of the gym.”

In the Highland Games events, heavyweight and lightweight objects are thrown and measured over either distance or height. These objects may be heavy stones, weights attached to chains, hammers or a long, tapered pine pole weighing over 50 pounds. Competitors split into certain classes based on age, gender, weight or experience. In each of these events, competitors compete in kilts, some connecting with their Scottish roots. In some events, like the hammer throw, competitors use specific equipment, such as special boots outfitted with customized large metal blades to dig into the ground and stabilize the thrower’s momentum.

For Davis though, the Highland Games is more than a competition: It’s community. Highland Games competitions often run alongside Scottish festivals, where there is also a representation of Scottish clans, music and food. She says that even when she travels to out-of-state Highland Games, there’s a bond between the athletes because there’s an underground and unique nature to the competition. Although the events are entertaining to watch, Davis reiterates that it takes training and skill to be able to consistently perform in the nine events.

“It’s not about your size. It’s about how strong you can be, how skilled you can be.”

Her favorite event is the sheaf toss, where a competitor must use a pitchfork-like tool to throw an approximately 10-pound burlap bag a certain height. “My first and second season, it was my worst event,” she says. Davis most enjoys the progress and effort it took to not only improve, but to excel in the event. This July, she set the world record in her competition class, throwing the bag 29 feet and one inch in her home state of Utah.

In her personal training work, Davis sees a similar transformation in her clients. Some of the women who come to her gym are initially focused on achieving a number on the scale or showing up for the social aspect of the workouts. However, like Davis, they begin to realize that performance and strength are far more empowering. “It’s rewarding to see how strength can impact every part of their life,” Davis says. “It’s about being able to stand up taller both in and outside of the gym.”

The gym’s walls are adorned with swords, a coat of arms and trophies from past competitions. Davis says she sees women closing the gap in participation and elevated levels of competition at the Highland Games. She is proud to see women taking up space. At the competitions, she says, “It’s not about your size. It’s about how strong you can be, how skilled you can be.”

Davis recommends joining a group practice, if you think you might be interested. To learn more about Nicole Davis and her gym, check out bodystrongslc.com or @bodystrongslc on Instagram. Find the Utah Highland Games community online at utahheavyathletics.com.

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Adaptive Snowboarder Izy Hicks Carves Her Own Path
Catch Their Spirit: Utah Wild Fosters Equity in Ultimate Frisbee