My co-workers were snuff-chewing, big-bearded men who felled those huge spruce and cedar trees.
The highlight of the summer was the fourth of July logger sports competition. There were competitions for axe-throwing, choker-setting and “topping the spar,” a timed event that measured who could zip up a tree the fastest with pole spikes and then slice off the top with a chainsaw.
These contests started over a century ago, when lumberjacks did the dangerous work of cutting and hauling timber. In their isolated camps, they competed to see who could throw a double-bit axe the most accurately, chop through a piece of wood fastest and stay on top of a rolling log the longest.
Those matches evolved to formal competitions at county fairs, festivals and later, on ESPN. New events arose, like the springboard chop, where contestants literally hack their way to the top of a pole with only a plank and an axe.
And then there’s the so-called "hot saw," where competitors see how fast they can cut logs using chainsaws powered by motorcycle engines that run on jet fuel.
The Lumberjack World Championships is held annually in Wisconsin with 21 events for men, women and teams. Lumberjack pros usually come from a long line of loggers, with teams often made up of siblings, parents, sons and daughters.
And there’s real money at stake! The best lumberjacks and lumberjills can win as much as $50,000.
But logger sports enthusiasts will tell you the competition is not about the money; it’s about pride in the work — and the chance to work with trees in any way. I can certainly understand that.
