Even when he’s not angry, Jeff Kaste likes to throw things around. That’s what he does. Kaste plans to be throwing things Saturday when he competes in the heavy events at the New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival, a three-day celebration of Scottish and Celtic culture that begins Friday at Loon Mountain Resort.
The heavy events test an individual’s strength and power, and include the Caber Toss, Weight for Distance, Weight for Height, the Sheaf Toss and the Hammer Throw. Kaste, 37, will be competing as a professional. “The majority if not all of the people who throw in the Highland Games have an actual job because it doesn’t pay terribly well, but it pays enough to make it worth your while and make you want to keep doing it,” Kaste explained.
“There’s no chance of me winning, and I say that because the No. 2 guy in the world is going to be there and he’s a much better thrower than me, even when I’m at my best — and I’m not close to my best. “For me to come away happy I’d really just like to hit some good numbers.
I think season-bests would be really nice for me.” Kaste lives in Center Ossipee and works as an academic adviser at Southern New Hampshire University. He attended Timberlane Regional High School in Plaistow, where he competed in boys volleyball, wrestling and track and field.
Kaste was also on the track and field team at the University of New Hampshire. He competed in the indoor and outdoor throwing events at UNH, and made the Ameri.