A grueling sport, springboarding originated in Tasmania more than 100 years ago.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Springboarding, a timber sport more than 100 years old, had its origin in Tasmania and the Coasts of Victoria and New South Wales. While only a few of these unique competitions are held in North America, including the ESPN Great Outdoor Games, Australians and New Zealanders have dominated the event for a century.

The event was born from the logger's need to ascend beyond the protruding roots of large, old trees. To get a good cut on the tree, the logger had to find a way to get above the gnarly trunk and roots. The logger did so by using springboards.

Springboards are five-foot long platforms used by the logger to stand on while axing away to fall the tree. The boards fit perpendicular to the tree and inside notches cut by the logger. Over the years, the sport of springboarding developed as it is showcased at the Games.

Dave Bolstad, a New Zealander with more woodchopping championships than anyone in modern times, was last year's silver medalist at the GO Games. At 6-feet tall and weighing 270 pounds, Bolstad is indeed a force to be reckoned with in springboard circles.

Unlike the primitive version of springboarding that evolved into the modern-day sport, preparing the pole used in the competition is an art in itself.

"We don't just go out there and start chopping," he says. "There is some prep time involved in getting the pole ready for the competition."

The springboard pole stands vertically at nine feet and has a diameter of 12 inches. Before the competition begins, choppers measure from the top of the pole down to a length of 40 inches.

There, they draw a small mark that will eventually serve as the second of two notches made in the pole to hold the springboards. Another 40 inches down the pole, another mark is made for the first notch.

After that, the springboard is tilted against the first notch position to ready it for the starting whistle. The finishing touch is the positioning of the ash block that is nailed in place atop the nine-foot pole.

"Then you're ready to chop," adds Bolstad.

When the starting whistle blows, the contestant chops a pocket into the designated mark and inserts the springboard into the first notch. He climbs aboard that springboard, chops the second pocket and then inserts a springboard into the second notch.

Next, he climbs onto that springboard and then chops into the block nailed to the top of the pole. The chopper's axe must strike and penetrate at least one time on both the front and the back of the 12-inch block.

On average, the time from start to finish is roughly 90 seconds. In winning last year's silver medal, Bolstad posted a time of 45 seconds — chopping the average time in half.