The fling is the thing
Danny Frame attempting to set caber toss world record
Over a dozen odd years or so, Danny Frame has thrown a few hammers, tossed a few cabers, and travelled the globe.
He’s among the world’s best for Highland Games heavy events and now he’s set his sights on a Guinness world record attempt, July 20 during Middleton’s Heart of the Valley Festival.
He’ll attempt the most caber tosses successfully flipped in three minutes.
“The current record’s 14 held by a gentleman by the name of Kevin Fast of Ontario,” said Frame who is from Shubenacadie and attended South Colchester Academy in Brookfield. “So the goal is to get over 14 – hopefully 15, 16, maybe more.”
Fast’s record was set in 2013. “It is quite a task because it works out that to get 15 you have to flip one every 12 seconds,” said Frame. “It’s going to take a lot of coordination with the people helping out, standing the cabers and holding the cabers for us, and to be as safe as we can be.”
The cabers are 16 feet, four inches long and weigh 88 pounds. It’s not that large normally for a professional caber thrower.
“But it’s the cardio aspect of it,” Frame said. “It’s over three minutes. It’s not just one rep.”
For a successful flip, the caber has to climb through the air at 90 degrees and then land in an imaginary clock face between 9 and 3.
“So if it doesn’t get up to 90 degrees, if it falls back towards you, it doesn’t count,” he said. “You can’t take any one attempt lightly because if you miss one
that could be the make-or-break of breaking the record.”
Frame played football for five years with the Acadia Axemen and was named all- Canadian three times. He went on to play three years in the Canadian Football League on the offensive line with the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
He has two Atlantic Canada Strongest Man titles, and numerous Highland Games titles. Competing in heavy events has meant expanding his horizons.
“I’ve been able to travel all through the Maritimes, all across Canada, through the U.S., and even into Europe,” he said.
“It’s been a cool way to venture around, meet some great people, see some great sites all while throwing heavy things and wearing a kilt.”
Frame is a teacher today at Lawrencetown Education Centre. Frame works with at- risk youth and draws inspiration from students who often overcome obstacles to finish their high school educations.
“I thought something like this to challenge myself lives up to our motto as a school: ‘Challenge for Growth,’ directly showing students that if you set goals, strive to do big things, that anything is possible no matter where you’re from. You
know a lot of people think you’re from a small town, that there’s not a lot of opportunity but if you look for it, it can be there.”
Frame hopes to see a lot of people out for his record attempt July 20 during Highland Games events from 7 to 10 p.m. at Rotary Park.
“The Heart of the Valley Festival – it’s a great festival,” he said. “It’s a great family weekend for the Town of Middleton to showcase all the beauty of area. I’m just happy the festival is having me be part of it. I’m hoping a lot of people come in to watch the record attempt, but also just take in what a wonderful place Middleton and Annapolis County is.”