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If you don't know jack
By Rob Scheer
Special to GOG
In the 1900s the cry of "Timber!" was a lumberjack's warning call to others in the forest that a tree was about to fall. In the year 2001 it is ESPN's call to the world's top lumberjack athletes to gather in Lake Placid, N.Y., for what is proving to be the most prestigious event of it's kind, the ESPN Great Outdoor Games Timber Competition.
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Rob's Sharp Picks
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Event
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Favorite
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Country
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Women's Endurance
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Sheree Taylor
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NZ
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Dark Horse
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Allison Clarke
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NZ
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Men's Endurance
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Jason Wynyard
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NZ
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Springboard
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Mitch Hewitt
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AU
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Speed Climb
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Brian Linville
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USA
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Tree Topping
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Wade Stewart
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CAN
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Women's Boom Run
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Mandy Erdman
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USA
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Men's Boom Run
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JR Salsman
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USA
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Women's Log Roll
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Tina Salsman
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USA
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Men's Log Roll
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JR Salzman
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USA
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Legend Paul Bunyan will not be on hand but we have our own modern giants. Watch for the powerful four-wheel-drive model athletes like chopper Jason Wynyard. We also have lightning-fast Ferraris like JR Salzman defending in log rolling and the boom run. If you are the type of sports fan that likes to watch auto racing because of the crashes, then tune into the tree climb. This Timber event provides some spectacular drama and spectacular wrecks. NASCAR has Jeff Gordon; the Speed Climb has its own heroes like Brian Linville, two-time 60-foot world champion climber and current world record holder. These climbers go from 65 feet to 0 feet in 2.5 seconds!
Jack and Jill went up the hill, Jill started her chainsaw and cut down a tree while Jack fetched water. She got thirsty! The ladies have their own "Axe to Grind" at the Great Outdoor Games. Sheree Taylor from New Zealand will defend in the Endurance Event and America's Tina Salzman will defend in Log Rolling and Boom Run. These women are seasoned workhorses and the women athletes range in style from muscled Perchrons to sleek Thoroughbreds. The women are exciting to watch and provide serious competition.
You may ask yourself where is this sport coming from and where can it go? Well, this is a sport not created but born from the traditions of highly skilled woodsmen. Most cultures of the world have a relationship with the forest and have cut trees since the Stone Age. It is inevitable that men working side by side with axes will eventually want to know who is the best. The result is competitions that began centuries ago now have huge potential for growth just like pro rodeo. Timber and rodeo have direct connections to the working man and television's ability to expose them to the masses creates increased awareness for new fans and sponsors alike. Timber is on the fast track to becoming the new emerging extreme sport as television increases exposure and sponsors support new events.
Current hotbeds of Timber are Australia, New Zealand, USA and Canada. In the future you can expect to see athletes from Europe, South America and South Africa. New competitions are springing up worldwide and access to equipment and training is readily available on the web at www.lumberjacksports.com. The sport has progressed beyond the logging industry and many of the modern athletes are college students, doctors, lawyers, ranchers and urban businessmen. Most newcomers to the sport learn in high school or college programs and apprenticeships with other athletes. Timber is a sport that combines tools, skill and athleticism. It is a sport that requires commitment and focus and is not based on recreational pastimes. A Timber athlete can be labeled "different" just by their decision to get involved. One thing that runs throughout all the Timber athletes is fierce competition, a desire to win and a passion for their sport and it's history.
National pride runs deep with the disciplines of chopping and sawing currently dominated by the "Thunder From Down Under," namely athletes from Australia and New Zealand. Log Rolling and Tree Climbing have seen a decade of top USA athletes winning gold but Canada has come through with it's occasional champion in both events.
Men, women, muscles, tools, raw power and wrecks are all part of what makes Timber a highly popular feature sport at the ESPN Great Outdoor Games. Tune in to ESPN2 to see for yourself. Otherwise, you won't see "Jack".
Rob Scheer is a three-time world champion speed climber who grew up in a Northern Wisconsin lumber town. He now makes his living by producing lumberjack-sporting events.
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