Track and Field Athlete and Highland Games Champion
Hall of Fame Inductee, 2014 (in Inverness, Scotland)
Denise Houseman began her throwing career at age 14, when she discovered a natural talent for the shot put. Her track and field throwing career blossomed in college at the University of New Hampshire, where she competed in the shot, discus and hammer. Years later, having competed in Open meets on and off, she met (now) fellow SMAI HOF member Sue Hallen, who introduced her to the Scottish Highland Games and heavy athletics.
After competing in the pouring rain at the Southern New Hampshire Games the day after she turned 40, she was hooked and became a regular competitor in the women’s class, as it grew into the force it has become today. Within 4 years of her first games throw, in 2006, Denise became a Masters World Champion. She repeated in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, winning a stunning 6 consecutive world championships while dominating her class as one of the best masters throwers ever.
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The Scottish Masters Athletics International (SMAI) is organized and operated to foster international sports competition for charitable and cultural purposes. We are the exclusive sanctioning authority and host for the Masters World Championships (MWC) for the traditional Scottish Highland Games athletic competitions called the "Heavy Events."