General News
1 October, 2022
Sheaf Tossing Championship returns to Warrack Show
With the amazing news that the Warracknabeal Show is going ahead for 2022 comes the announcement of this year’s Sheaf Tossing Championship’s resumption.
With the amazing news that the Warracknabeal Show is going ahead for 2022 comes the announcement of this year’s Sheaf Tossing Championship’s resumption.
“We haven’t had sheaf tossing for a couple of years now but Warracknabeal has been offered and granted the Victorian Championship to go ahead the show,” event organiser and Australian Sheaf Tossing Association member Ian Bibby said.
There are three divisions within the Sheaf Tossing event, the open handicap, novice handicap and the championship itself.
Sheaf Tossing is a popular agricultural sport event that entails the use of a three-pronged pitchfork to hurl a burlap sack, tightly bound and stuffed with oaten hay, over a horizontal bar above the competitor’s head.
The starting weight of the sheaf sits at 3.6 kilos.
Mr Bibby said that Australians are coming far and wide to compete in the state Championship, with South Australian sheaf tossers currently living with him in the meantime until the competition.
"They're very good tossers and former Australian champions, such as Sheridan Holland. He's never missed a show here at Warracknabeal and has also represented Australia in Sheaf Throwing competitions," Mr Bibby said.
Keen sheaf tossers will get a chance to see South Australian brother duo Danny and Cooper Schache having a throw at the championships as well as Ballarat's Darren Quinlan.
Members of the Australian Sheaf Tossing Association will also be in attendance such as president Andrew Peterkin, repeating and former Australian and Victorian champion.
"We've got guys coming down from Gippsland, Stawell, Ballarat, former Rupanyup residents - they're coming from all over," Mr Bibby said.
The day prior to the sheaf tossing championship, the association will hold their annual general meeting, which may see different members move to different roles on the day of the Warracknabeal Show.
Mr Bibby said Warracknabeal is lucky to have the sheaf tossing competition return and hopes that it remains at the show for the foreseeable future.
"We had the (sheaf tossing) competition in Warrack in the 1950s, through to '54' and then it lacked for quite some time," he said.
"I was quite instrumental in getting it to come back as a competition in 1988. I got quite interested in the sport at the 1988 Easter rally, where they had an amateur toss.
"From there, (the association) saw that I had a bit of ability at it and the secretary asked me to go to Adelaide to compete and I've been an avid competitor ever since, so I got it back at the show.
"the championship shows in Melbourne and Adelaide were really strong back in those days but the sport is coming back a little bit now.”
If you are considering competing in the open or novice sheaf tossing competitions, Mr Bibby has some words for you, "come along and have a try, we'll teach you all the basics and give you instructions on how to get it over the bar."
"There's nothing better than getting someone out of the crowd who wants to get out there and have a go."
Entries for the competition open on Thursday, October 6, and require a $5 registration fee.