- December 5, 2025
Brian Burnett knows that rebel yells matter in the hammer throw.
Brad the Piper kicks off the Ormond Beach Backyard Highland Games.
Dawn Allestad Schull powering through the stone throw.
Novice athlete, John Burger, competing in his first games. Judge Bruce Rutherford looks impressed.
Ben Buchanan makes light weight for distance look easy.
Ann-Marie Willacker competes in 8 out of 9 events at the Highland Games.
DJ stares in wonder at the Christmas tree.
Dawn Allestad Schull's brainchild, Clan Kringle: Throwing for a Cause.
Wendi Turnbull watching the backyard games on the sideline while her husband David competes.
Announcer Buck Buchanan conspiring with Santa at the Highland Games.
Clan Fletcher: Mom Jeanine, Logan, Billy Jr and Connor.
Stretching like an athlete should, Todd Bell prepares for the caber toss.
Caitlin Sammons executing exquisite form during the caber toss.
Sideline commentary by Buck Buchanan as Ken Korcak balances the caber.
Tools of the trade at the Highland Games: a pitchfork and sheaf.
Aivin Diaz determined to get some distance in the stone throw event.
David Turnbull laughing it off after a random caber incident as judge Trish Jones checks what's next on the agenda.
Athlete Sam Wood relaxing between events.
Dawn Schull, Melissa Fulling: Cameron's mom and president of the Live Like Cameron Foundation and Clan Fletcher.
Athlete Tyson Trias spinning with style in the light weight for distance event.
Master scorekeeper Alanah Schull.
Scott Thomas losing his beard with the rad barber Aaron Shook.
Shave for the Brave victim, Bill Fletcher, prepped and ready to go with Brandon of the Proper Barber.
Brandon with the Proper Barber finishing up Bill Fletcher's so fresh and so clean look.
Kenilworth Avenue runs through a quiet Ormond Beach neighborhood just east of U.S. 1. That changed Saturday, Dec. 12, when residents could hear the sound of bagpipes drifting down the street coming from the Ormond Beach Masonic Lodge. It was the kickoff of the Ormond Beach Backyard Highland Games.
Dec. 12 marked the second backyard games being held within three months in Ormond Beach, and Dawn Allestad Schull is not stopping at two. After the St. Augustine Highland Games were canceled, Schull asked fellow athletes if they still wanted to throw. They got together which led to the inception of the backyard games.
Schull is currently on the board for the Foundation of Scottish Athletics.
“My goal is that the Highland Games continue despite all of the festivals being canceled," she said. "I wanted to have a game that would benefit the local community while letting the community know about Scottish Highland Games.”
Saturday’s games benefitted The Family Renew Community of Volusia County. Damon Sansom, master of the Ormond Beach Masonic Lodge, chose the charity and provided the venue where the games were held. Clan Kringle: Throwing for a Cause was started in conjunction with these games “to ensure that every child had a toy under the Christmas tree” according to their Facebook page.
Saturday’s event was considered a light weight games and included five events with seven divisions participating. There were 40 athletes competing in sheaf, hammer throw, stone throw, light weight for distance and the famous caber toss.
By noon on Dec. 12, Ann-Marie Willacker already had four medals. At the larger games, she competes in eight of the nine events on the event list. She hasn’t quite figured how to do the caber toss from her wheel chair.
“I’ll figure it out," she said. "Before I was in a wheel chair, I was really interested in power lifting. Right now, I train every Sunday and also with an adaptive athlete trainer online.”
While the athletes competed, there was hot chocolate to sip and a Fletcher’s Irish Pub food truck was nearby ready to serve. Santa Claus also made an appearance, listening to Christmas wishes while giving books and toys to the children.
“The Highland Games is like a big family event and everybody treats each other like brothers and sisters," said 13-year-old master scorekeeper Alanah Schull, who has been going to the Highland Games for four years.
