ST. JOHN’S – Dougie McDonough, 44, got to fulfill every curling fan’s dream yesterday at a bonspiel final when he caught the game-winning stone at the expense of the majority of his bones.
Harvey Dunstun, the winning team’s skip, reportedly called the final shot by pointing out towards the bleachers before throttling the rock down the ice at 175 kilometers an hour. The stone knocked out all of the opponent’s rocks before ricocheting into the stands where it crushed the lucky McDonough’s arms, torso, and abdomen.
“Baseball fans hope to catch a game-winning, out-of-the-park, home run ball,” McDonough explained while drifting in and out of consciousness. “But us curling fans dream of having our bones pulverised to dust by twenty kilograms of polished, sub-zero granite.”
For McDonough, the moment was about the experience and not a piece of memorabilia as he generously tossed the rock to a young fan, who is expected to make a full recovery. “If I really wanted a collectible that bad I’d catch one of the souvenir rocks they throw out at the start of the game, or shell out $400 at the gift shop.”
For his catch and good sportsmanship, the curling rink awarded McDonough a free trip to St. Margaret Clitherow Hospital.
McDonough is reportedly excited for the summer track and field season to begin for his chance to catch a record-breaking javelin.
