She makes other women say, 'I want to be strong. I want to throw things.'

The most striking test of strength at Tartan Day South may be the caber toss.

In that singular Celtic tradition, competitors launch the telephone pole-sized log into the air, attempting to flip it 180 degrees.

But to Danielle Curry, the caber toss is just like throwing a medicine ball.

“It’s grip and rip and just pull it,” Curry says. “It’s isn’t an accuracy event, so I just think about pulling it really hard and being lined up.”

Curry took the top spot at the 2014 Highland Games World Championship. She ranks second in world in the Strongman strength competition. She’s also second in the world in Mas wrestling, a kind of tug-of-war done sitting down and hand to hand. And she holds a number of records for competitions at Tartan Days South.

Tartan Day South takes place Thursday, March 22, through Sunday, March 25. At the main event —on Saturday, March 24 — you can find food, music, falconry, border collie herding, carnival rides, and a Quidditch competition — yes, that Quidditch — and much more.

It happens at the Historic Columbia Speedway in Cayce. The focal point of the event is the Highland games, where competitors take part in throwing stones, ancient hammers, bundles of hay and more, as well as the caber. Tartan Day South was where Curry, an Irmo resident, first competed in Highland games.

“It was nerve-wracking because I didn’t know what to expect,” Curry says. “I didn’t know what the other throwers would be like. I really didn’t know anything except what I had done in practice.”

Highlands games were a long time coming for Curry. Growing up on a farm in Ohio led her to athletics at a young age — “pretty much every sport,” she says.

In high school, she took up track and excelled at the shot put. She went to college on a track scholarship. But after college, she fell away from competition.

“After college, I decided I needed to be a normal human,” Curry jokes.

She kept up the athletic training, though. After two shoulder surgeries, she was sure her competitive days were done. In 2012, a friend told her about Highland games and wanted Curry to try it out.

“I was like, ‘No, no. I’m good. I’m done throwing. I’m done competing,’” Curry remembers. “She said, ‘You have to try it.’ So I went and tried Highland games. After the first practice, I ended up loving it.”

Now, training for strength competitions like Highland Games is like a part-time job for Curry. For her day job, she investigates money laundering, but when that work’s done, she’s in the gym for up to 20 hours a week and doing a couple practices for whatever sport in which she’ll be partaking.

One of the Highland sports she fancies is the 28-pound weight throw, in which competitors attempt to throw a heavy ball over a bar above their heads. At times, when Curry does all this tossing, she finds that she’s making a bigger impact than a weight smacking the ground. Often, women approach her after competitions.

“It’s actually the older people that (come talk),” Curry says. “Seeing other women throwing these big heavy things. Women come up to you and are like, ‘Holy cow, that’s impressive. How do I get started? I want to be strong. I want to throw things.’”

Even with the risk of injury and all the work that goes into Highland games, this is what keeps Curry doing it — not the competition and the glory of a win, but the people she meets.

“I really like the travel and all the people in the sport,” Curry says. “You get to meet so many from so many walks of life and these people become your friends. You see them in different cities and you’ll catch up and ask how their families are. There’s always great people.”

If you go

Tartan Day South events

Celtic Kickoff: Columbia-based Celtic folk rock group Syr will perform.

7 p.m. Thursday, March 22, at the British Bulldog Pub, 1220 Bower Parkway.

Celtic Commotion Concert: This evening of Celtic culture presented by the town of Lexington features music, demonstrations and artistic exhibitions. Performers include bands Lift Irish Band, Barleyjuice and Tuatha Dea and falconry group Winged Ambassadors.

6 p.m. Friday, March 23, at Icehouse Amphitheater, 107 W. Main St., Lexington.

Main Event: Highland athletics, dance lessons, whiskey seminars, heritage exhibits, herding and birds of prey demonstrations, music and more will continue throughout the day. See tartandaysouth.com for a complete schedule.

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at Historic Columbia Speedway, 2001 Charleston Highway, Cayce.

Drumsmoke: Tuatha Dea will lead a free drumming experience.

7 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at the Historic Columbia Speedway campground.

Kirkin' of the Tartans: According to the Tartan Day South website, this tradition began as a blessing of tartans banned for 36 years by the English. Now, displaying tartans and public parades of clans to the music of the bagpipe celebrates the Highlander patriotism, faithfulness, and independence.

11 a.m. Sunday, March 25, at the West Columbia Riverwalk Park and Amphitheater, Alexander Road, West Columbia.

This story was originally published March 17, 2018 at 12:16 AM with the headline "She makes other women say, 'I want to be strong. I want to throw things.'."