Carluke man Paul Dearie hopes to make his Scotland debut in an international ‘heavies’ competition in Germany this August.
The 38-year-old is due to take part in the competition in Schliersee, which is south of Munich and involves things like tossing the caber and shot put.
Paul started in the sport almost 10 years ago because his mum Jan needed competitors for Shotts Highland Games.
He became immersed in the sport, and tries to improve on his game at every event, something that he admits is slightly obsessive.
Paul said: “It really has snowballed. I thought it would be a one-off, and it was an unusual set of circumstances – basically because there were so many events they didn’t have enough athletes for and I stepped in, but I was dead last in that one.
“Last year I got four overall wins, and I never thought I would get to that level.
“It’s the same as any sport that is technical, like athletics, and I suppose it’s like someone with a golf swing, in that you want to get better and better and can be quite obsessive. There are always ways that you can improve.”
Paul is looking forward to the event, which is in a small town on a Bavarian lake, which will be his first experience of Germany.
He said: “I’m looking forward to it, and obviously it depends a lot on the coronavirus thing, but it’s at the end of August so it’s got a chance.
“Hopefully by then people will be better, but it’s not just the athletes, it’s also the health of the people who are involved.
“It’s my first time representing Scotland, so that’s going to be pretty cool, and it’s not as formal as when a footballer or something like that represents Scotland – they picked a team and I’m part of it this time, but I’ve never been to Germany before, so that’s pretty good.
“In the lead-up to it I should have a whole season ahead of me, but I don’t know what happens now.
“The first event is in Gourock on May 10 but that doesn’t look likely, so it’s quite up in the air.
“There are usually a few thousand people at these events so that wouldn’t pass the guidelines for this week, let alone what it might be like by then.”
Mum Jan said: “Paul has the hook for it and you can get addicted, because you always want to do better than the last one.
“He’s dedicated and when he gets stuck into something he’s quite determined. He encourages others, too.”
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