MONTREAL -- When the Highland Games get underway in Verdun, there will be one competitor present who is hoping to do something that's never been done before. Jason Baines wants to toss a caber. But not just once. He wants to toss a caber more than a caber has ever been tossed by anyone else in human history.
Baines, who lives in Hawkesbury, Ont. and works in a factory that makes and distributes the types of lock nuts that hold the wheels onto train cars, has been training hard for Sunday's event.
The caber toss sees participants grabbing onto a massive log, getting a running start and throwing it, with the goal being to have it flip over.
“There's nothing more fun than putting a skirt on, going out on a field with people watching you and then maybe getting a nip of whisky afterwards,” said Baines.
For his practice, Baines has made his own cabers from logs found on land he owns. Using one of those cabers, he hopes to set a new world record by flipping a caber more than 122 times in one hour.
“That means I've got to average, minimum, two successful throws a minute, plus a little bit more,” he said.
That's no light feat – cabers are a minimum of five metres long and weigh around 40 kilograms.
Those hoping to see history be made can watch the Highland Games' livestream.
