AP PHOTOS: Human towers rise skyward in Spain's Catalonia as part of cultural pride

TARRAGONA, Spain (AP) — Dozens of people squeeze together, pressing as tight as they can get. The stronger the foundation they build, the less likely their human tower will collapse. As children and others climb, they create eight, nine, even 10 dizzying stories.

They tug on sashes wound around torsos, gritting their teeth to keep their backs straight and their legs from buckling. With maximum concentration, they look into each other’s eyes, seeking further support.

The tradition of building human towers, or “castells” in Catalan, dates to the 18th century and forms an essential part of Catalonia’s culture. “Colles,” or human tower troupes, compete to build the tallest and most complicated towers at festivals often held in village squares across the region in northeastern Spain.

For many Catalans, the towers symbolize the pride they feel for their land, language and history. It means they are in it together and, if united, they are capable of amazing feats.

As the tower goes up, the ages come down. Graying hair, receding hairlines and the burliest bodies are seen on the ground floor. The increasingly nimble are tasked with creating the final stages. Young men and women, then teenagers, then children ascend in a spidery climb, their arms interlocked, to the very top.

The smallest boy or girl, as young as 5 years old, crowns the tower, reaching some 16 meters high (52 feet). Then, as collective strength wavers, the tower often sways. It undoes itself, with each level sliding down the backs of lower ones.

Or the tower crashes on the heads and shoulders below. Injuries aren't common, and children wear helmets.

Every two years, the most important competition for human towers is held in Tarragona, an old Roman city on the Mediterranean coast. The “Concurs de Castells” started in 1932. It now invites the 42 best teams to compete.

Newcomers and foreigners alike now take part in this practice that's included in UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Tomoko Sakamoto is from Japan. She, her husband and their two children participate in a human tower troupe.

“It’s changed my life,” she said. “I am part of Catalan culture and I am proud.”

Iain Sullivan in Madrid and Joseph Wilson in Barcelona contributed.

The torn shirt of an assistant is photographed after completing a "Castellers" or human tower during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Members of "Castellers de Vilafranca" celebrate after completing a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Members of "Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls" fall as they try to form a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Members of "Castellers de Lleida" celebrate after successfully completing a "castells" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Juan Antonio Rodriguez, 72, reacts after performing next to members of "Castellers de Vilafranca" completing a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Members of "Sagals d'Osona" form a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Assistants react as members of "Castellers de Vilafranca" try to form a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Members of "Colla Jove de Tarragona" fall before completing a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Valeria, 11, reacts after climbing to the top of a "castell" or human tower during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Member of "Castellers de Vilafranca" form a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Members of "Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls" react as they form a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Members of "Castellers de la Vila de Gracia" form a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Assistants look as members of "Castellers Jove de Barcelona" form a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Members of "Colla Jove de Tarragona" form a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Assistants look as members of a "Castellers" form a human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Members of "Moixiganguers d'Igualada" form a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Members of "Castellers de Sant Cugat" react after successfully completing their "Castell", during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Members of "Colla Joves Xiquets de Valls" form a "Castell" or human tower, during the 29th Human Tower Competition in Tarragona, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The roof panels over the home of baseball's Tampa Bay Rays were ripped to shreds after Hurricane Milton came ashore in Florida on Wednesday night, bringing wind gusts exceeding 100 mph and flooding parts of the state.

It was not immediately clear if there was damage inside Tropicana Field, located in St. Petersburg. Television images showed the swaths that serve as the domed building’s roof were completely tattered, giving a clear line of sight to the lights that were on inside the stadium.

There were only essential personnel inside the ballpark Wednesday night, all of them safe and accounted for, the Rays said. It was not being used as a shelter and no first responders were being staged there, the team said, adding that no official determination about damage can be made until the storm passes and conditions are safe.

The team previously said that Tropicana Field features the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof, with the panels made of “translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass” supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts.

The roof was designed to withstand wind of up to 115 mph, according to the Rays. The stadium opened in 1990 and initially cost $138 million. It is due to be replaced in time for the 2028 season with a $1.3 billion ballpark.

An NBA preseason game in Orlando between the Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans, scheduled for Friday, was canceled even before Milton hit the state. The game will not be rescheduled.

Orlando was playing at San Antonio on Wednesday night and was scheduled to return to central Florida on Thursday. Those plans are now in flux because of the storm, which made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida. It forced the airports in Orlando and Tampa to close and it wasn't clear when it would be safe for the Magic to return home.

“There's always things bigger than the game of basketball and that's what we have to keep our perspective on,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Knowing that there's families and homes and situations that are going through a tough time right now, we need to be mindful of that and conscious of it.”

The Magic-Pelicans game is the second NBA preseason matchup to be affected by Milton. A game scheduled for Thursday in Miami between the Heat and Atlanta Hawks was postponed until Oct. 16 because of storm concerns. Also called off earlier this week: a rescheduled NHL preseason game on Friday in Tampa between the Lightning and Predators — one that was originally set to be played last month and was postponed because of Hurricane Helene.

“Stay safe Florida!” former Tampa Bay star Steven Stamkos, who is entering his first season with Nashville, posted on social media Wednesday. “Thinking about all the amazing people in the Tampa area right now.”

Countless college and high school events in Florida also have been canceled or postponed because of the storm.

For now, two planned exhibitions by Simone Biles and other Olympic gymnasts — part of the “Gold Over America Tour," the acronym not coincidentally spelling out GOAT in a nod to Biles' status as the consensus Greatest Of All-Time in the sport — this weekend are still on. The tour is scheduled to come to Sunrise, the home of the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, on Friday and then move to Orlando on Saturday.

Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, which is north of Miami, is scheduled to resume live racing on Friday. Saturday's college football game with Cincinnati going to Orlando to face UCF is still on, and the Memphis-South Florida game in Tampa was rescheduled earlier this week to be played Saturday.

UCF and USF officials have both said further decisions will be made, if necessary, after the storm damage is evaluated.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Wind-driven rain soaks a street in downtown Tampa, Fla., during the passage of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Chris Nation, of Commerce, Ga., climbs a tree and gestures while hanging out with coworkers outside the hotel where they are riding out Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Nation, who works for a towing company, was deployed with colleagues to Florida to aid in the aftermath of the storm. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Max Watts, of Buford, Ga., walks in the parking lot to check on a trailer parked outside the hotel where he is riding out Hurricane Milton with coworkers, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Watts, who works for a towing company, was deployed with colleagues to Florida to aid in the aftermath of the storm. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Tourists exit the Disney Springs entertainment complex before the arrival of Hurricane Milton Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)