MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Jason Wynyard got a little louder on Sunday during the final round of the Stihl TimberSports Series held at the Ducks Unlimited Great Outdoors Festival.

Wynyard of Auckland, New Zealand quietly slipped into the overall points lead in the series on Saturday by posting consistent finishes in five of the six events. Sunday, though, his presence as the leading lumberjack in the world was heard loud and clear.

Wynyard won two of the six events and finished second twice. His worst finish of the day was a seventh in the Hot Saw category.

	Dave Bolstad didn't have a strong Sunday, but he's still in the running to defend his overall title.

"Everything seems to be coming together,'' Wynyard said.

That may be an understatement considering Wynyard's high scores, including a time in the Single Buck that threatened the World Record by less than 1/100th of a second. And his high finishes in the sawing events won him the daily Stihl Sawing Championship.

The stellar performance placed Wynyard firmly as the overall points leader.

But he wasn't the only one making noise in this event that marked the halfway point in qualifying for the Stihl TimberSports Championship. Dale Ryan of Katoomba, Australia, who floundered in the lower ranks during the first day of competition, moved up the rankings by winning the three chopping events.

"Yesterday, I only qualified for three events,'' Ryan said. "Today, I've got five and I plan on making up plenty of ground.''

In the Stihl TimberSports Series, lumberjacks compete in six events over a four-day period. The first two days are qualifying events for the two days of finals. They begin with 26 competitors, trying to make the finals in as many of the six events as possible.

In each of the events, the lumberjacks are awarded points for their finish. The ultimate goal is to secure as many points as possible to make the year-end championship. Competition is fierce in every category; often just a few seconds separate first place from last.

In the middle of those 1/10th and 1/100ths seconds are points to be gained. Consistent performances, like those by Wynyard, during the series are vital if the lumberjacks expect to move on.

"You have to understand that there are 26 fierce competitors, who have to qualify using 26 different pieces of wood,'' Dave Bolstad said. "You got to beat the best guys in the world but you've got to draw the best wood to do it.''

Bolstadt is he current Stihl TimberSports Champion, winning the title in 2001 from Wynyard, who had held it for the four previous years. While Wynyard and Ryan were charging, Bolstad was faltering. Although he had two second-place finishes in the Hot Saw and Spring Board categories, he finished in the middle to lower ends of the pack in the rest of the events.

"This just wasn't my day,'' Bolstad said. "I'm glad it's out of the way. The beauty about this competition is you've got such good competitors that if you're not on your game your not going to win. I'd rather have it that way.

"I want to compete against the best. So as surprising as it may sound, I'm very happy.''

His happiness may have something to do with the fact that despite his poor day, Bolstad remains in second place in the overall standings, just 12 points behind Wynyard.

It will stay that way until Aug. 14-17, when the lumberjacks compete again at the Ducks Unlimited Great Outdoors Festival in Oshkosh, Wis. The four days, two days of qualifying and two days of finals, will determine the final 12 men who advance to the Stihl TimberSports Championship.

OVERALL SERIES POINTS STANDINGS
End of First Regional Event


Competitor		Country	Place		Points
Jason Wynyard	        NZ		1		345
David Bolstad		NZ		2		333
Matt Bush		US		3		330
Dave Jewett		US		4		299
Kerry Head		AUS		5		294


Dale Ryan		AUS		6		285
Brad Turner		AUS		7		284
Harry Burnsworth	US		8		274
Carson Bosworth	        US		9		270
Mel Lentz		US		9		270


Dion Lane		NZ		11		263
Arden Cogar, Jr.	US		12		257
Mike Sullivan		US		13		249
Warrick Hallett	        NZ/US		14		230
Mike Slingerland	US		15		226


Jim Taylor		US		16		215
Rick Halvorson	        US		17		203
J.P. Mercier		CN		18		192
Jerry Scutt		US		19		179
Mike Forrester	        US		19		179


Paul Pfenninger	        US		21		178
Mike Eash		US		22		170
Gaston Duperre	        CN		23		153
Wally Robarge		US		24		148
Jim Bascio		US		25		145
Jerry Gingras		US		26		126