BORN IN THE USA. SHINTY TO THE CORE

Sun disrupts play in Northern California

A fascinating and wide-ranging interview with Michael Bentley, one of the founding fathers of shinty in the United States. 
In the article, Michael outlines the challenges involved in developing shinty in a huge country with no shinty tradition; the couthy beginnings to his shinty odyssey and the strong bonds of friendship forged over the years with many shinty people in Scotland.
And how he would love to take the USA to a shinty world cup...


What sparked your early interest in Scottish culture? 

My own heritage. My father's mother was a Manson. Her family came to California via Canada. I also had friends who were interested in things Scottish (with many of them having Scottish roots) and so it all worked together to get me involved in Scottish dancing, music and doing some living history type of stuff. And through all that, shinty! 

Researching your story, I read that you had thought shinty was extinct, and tried to recreate sticks from photos. What were they made from and do you still have any of the old examples? 

Early examples of shinty sticks (camans) created by US enthusiasts

I wouldn't say extinct, we just didn't know if/how it was being played as a modern sport. Our first exposure was through literary mentions of historical New Years games (I particularly remember Highland Folkways by Isobel Grant as the first encounter), and I guess we assumed it might still be played in that way. I know this may sound silly, but this was long before the internet and printed material on shinty leagues is (even now) pretty thin on the ground here in the US! We made those first camans from appropriately shaped branches that we found… live oak, and fruit trees mostly, I think. We do still have a few… I have mine I know.  

How many times have you been across to Scotland; where did you go; and how did you enjoy your visits? 

I've been in Scotland enough times that I've lost count now...ten times or so I think. I always enjoy my visits, and all the more nowadays as I have so many friends throughout the country. I tend to spend most of my time in the Highlands, but I've also spent time in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perthshire and so forth. 

The only area I've really never been to, only through, is the Borders. Will have to rectify that soon. Oh, and still haven't been to all the islands. There are quite a few! 

Looking forward to that as well.  

How many players are involved in your club at present, and what, generally, are their backgrounds? 

Just now I'd say we have a few dozen active players, and a few dozen more that are occasional attendees. The last few years have seen at least a dozen members retire from playing or move out of the area, so we're down in active numbers a bit from our high water mark. Backgrounds at this point are mixed. A number of us have Scottish heritage, which had a hand in bringing us to shinty, but there are certainly folks for whom that is not the case. As we recruit I think the unique qualities of the sport become the major selling point, not simply it's Scottish-ness. 

How high would you say the standard of shinty is in your club and league? 

That is hard to say, in the sense that we've not been able to have ongoing one to one competition with a Scottish side. But last year, with 6-8 of our own players, we competed reasonably well with Lewis and I would wager that with a full side of our stronger players we would give them a run for their money. 

Pure speculation, you understand!

I also thought we played well in Kiltarlity, where we were augmented by some very good Lovat players to fill out our numbers. As the game went on I think we all got a better sense of how to interact with our Scottish teammates, and that was a great learning experience, and really fun too.

We do not play 12-a-side very much, more tending towards sixes. This makes a jump into 12s a bit rough for us, though it is where I would like the club to go eventually. 

The challenge is not only numbers, but finding pitches of the correct size. American facilities are built for American football and soccer, so it's not easy to find anything approaching even 150 yards in length.

To return to our playing level - in the past we have drawn games with a younger Aberdour team in a six-a-side format in 2007. We have also played Skye, both here in California and on Skye, as well as Edinburgh East Lothian, Forth Camanachd, Tayforth and with players from Glasgow Mid Argyll. 

I note you have a few clubs that you are able to play against. How strong is the sport in California? 

Still growing, I hope! There is a new club starting in Central California (a few hours form us), but very early days there. Because of losing so many players this past year, we have suspended our three-team sixes league and are playing challenge matches instead. 

As for the other US clubs, Oregon is 10-plus hours each way driving, Washington much further, so we won't be playing them often. We did have a three-team tournament with Oregon and Washington in 2010 up in Kelso, Washington at the Kelso Highland Games. We managed to defeat both Oregon and Washington clubs on that occasion. Hopefully we can keep up our streak when next we meet them! 

How many clubs or groups play shinty across the whole of the USA, and where are the main areas where shinty is played? 

The West Coast seems to be a bit of a hot bed, with California, Oregon and Washington. 

On the east coast, Massachusetts is starting up and North Carolina has been going for a few years. We have had inquiries from other areas as well, but to my knowledge there are no other standing clubs. 

Also surprising that there do not appear to be any clubs in Canada.

What are the biggest drawbacks to taking part in shinty in northern California? 

Finding facilities takes a lot of our time and money. There are simply not enough fields for the number of people that live here, and the local soccer leagues seem to have a stranglehold on pitches. 

The other big issue is distance/time involved in getting people together. We're spread out over the Bay area, not really a huge distance in miles, but the traffic is bad and unpredictable so a 30-mile drive can easily take an hour or more at the wrong time of day. And like many clubs, we struggle to get folks to prioritise shinty in their busy calendars. 

To what extent is the sport supported from Scotland? 

We have received some help in the form of rules and coaching materials from the Camanachd Association, and they have been generous with their time when we were over. 

I have enjoyed meeting the folks in the office and have gotten some great advice and encouragement over the years. I know John MacKenzie had a very positive message during our meetings while he was president of the association. He was very encouraging and his energy was extremely inspiring to me personally. 

Graham Cormack was very generous with his time during our club's recent visit and has been a big help to me with the coaching courses. Many clubs have also been generous with their time and resources. In the early days Edinburgh East Lothian, Beauly and Skye all helped us get materials and equipment. And during visits I have been lucky enough to visit with clubs as well, such as Skye, Fort William, and Kingussie, attending training sessions and having a chance to talk with players and coaches. 

Michael Bentley (right) accepts a plaque from Skye Camanachd's Ross Cowie during a 2007 visit to Scotland

In the last year and more I have taken both the foundation and level 1 coaching courses (and refereeing course as well), and have enjoyed those immensely.

What plans are in place to further develop the sport in America?
I am currently working with a few other folks to get US Camanachd up and running as a full-fledged non-profit and tax-exempt corporation.
We are expanding a multi-aspect web presence that will allow for a free flow of information about the sport in the US as well as providing resources for developing clubs, coaches and players. In addition, we are establishing a formal relationship with the Camanachd Association and will be working to raise the profile of the sport as well as supporting efforts to found clubs throughout the US.
There are so many things that need doing, and (at this point) zero budget with which to work, but I hope that we can set up a basic infrastructure and try to create an atmosphere conducive to growth of the sport over here.

Where do you see the sport being in five, ten and twenty years' time in the USA?
That is a good question, but one that is very hard to answer.
I hope we can get a successful First Shinty programme going here in the Bay area, and that will help bring along younger players and hopefully lead to a youth league of some sort. I also hope that the other clubs, along with our club, will continue to grow in numbers and progress in skill. As for US Camanachd, we are looking at ways to help foster the growth of clubs and raise the profile of shinty. We have posted some materials, both of our own creation and from the Camanachd Association, and we will continue to get press coverage, representation at Scottish events over here, etc.

Are there plenty of young players coming through, or does the sport depend to a large extent on the old diehards?
We depend too much on old diehards at the moment, but we are working to get First Shinty going and try to develop interest to get more young players involved. Recruiting is always a challenge and also an essential part of club health.

How much would you relish being able to take part in an international series like a world cup of shinty?
I would love it. Obviously the expense of international travel, and the limitations of time/schedules impact how often we can visit Scotland, but those of our members who have been to Scotland have really enjoyed the chance to play there, to compete with other teams and see the sport played by top players as well. Plus, it's always fun being in Scotland.

To what extent is the media interested in the sport over in the USA?
Intermittantly, I think. We've gotten some very nice coverage, largely through our appearances at the Highland Games, but trying to get more regular media coverage is certainly high on our to-do list.

Could you tell me how many matches have been postponed over the past few years because of rain-soaked unplayable pitches?
Haha, don't think we've lost any matches, but we've lost training sessions for sure. Decent fields here tend to get closed as soon as there's much rain, they really don't stand up to it...very different soil and grass than in Scotland.
We do a fair amount of our training on artificial turf these days, for a couple of reasons. One, fields here are not maintained well (at least the fields to which we have access), and so the grass is much too long and often there are pot-holes etc. to deal with. Secondly, a lot of high schools and other facilities are replacing grass with turf due to the year-round needs of field usage. Unlike colder/wetter climates, there is no period for fields to rest and recover from use. Obviously, if we had access to a nice pitch we would prefer to play on grass, but the reality of our situation is that we cannot play on grass 100 per cent of the time.

How much of Californian shinty is about the social aspect of the sport?
 It is an important part of the club for many of us.
There is almost always a trip to a pub or restaurant after practices/games, and we have had other events of a more social nature as well. I co-founded the club with friends, and I've made some really good friends through shinty, both here and in Scotland, so for me there is a strong social aspect to the whole experience.

How are shinty players viewed by friends, family and wider society?
 "You're crazy" Haha!