September | 2011 |

Recently I went to a local fair with my family. We had a great time walking the fairgrounds. There is so much to do at a fair besides eating “carni” food and buying unneeded things that are must haves (we did both). The weather was perfect. We stayed for the outdoor concert that was beginning later in the afternoon.

As we walked towards the concert venue we approached the lumberjack competition area. Being an avid fan of STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series (yes, I TiVo it) I was excited to see the fair was having its own competition!

It was a small event and only one discipline was being performed called the Standing Block. This is where a lumberjack chops from both sides of the log and when the block of wood is divided or separated the time ends for that contestant; the best time wins. There is an exact science to participating in this event and preciseness is the key. It’s also physically draining on the body and is one of the most challenging of all the disciplines.

We watched the competition and I was in my glory.

Until this weekend I haven’t had the opportunity to go to a competition. I get my fix watching recorded episodes of STIHL TIMBERSPORTS at home. Each competition is physically intense making it exciting to watch. If you’ve never watched or heard about TIMBERSPORTS, STIHL best describes the Series on its website:

The professionals in the Series compete in five regional professional qualifiers. This means that the professional athletes from the region will be competing against each other for the chance to go to the U.S. championship. Athletes compete in a variety of disciplines based on traditional logging skills to determine the best all-around lumberjack. Disciplines include hot saw, single buck, springboard chop, standing block chop, stock saw and underhand chop.

There’s also a Collegiate Series where 52 colleges compete head-to-head and the winners advance to the Collegiate Championship.

Out of all the disciplines, my favorite to watch is the Underhand Chop. A competitor stands with feet apart on a log of wood no more than 14 inches long. The athlete chops through the piece of wood then turning to the other side to complete the cut before it’s separated. It’s one of the most dangerous of disciplines for the reason you can imagine: swinging an ax going 70 mph between your feet!

I love watching this sport. Next time you’re at a state or local fair consider watching a lumberjack competition. Try it … you’ll like it.

Side note:
I was concerned with the cutting of the trees and the effects on the environment. What was done with the wood afterwards? I did a little digging and was happy to find that STIHL only works with sustainable forestry – the trees are part of a managed forest so they’re only cut when it’s time. Another plus is a national waste disposal company turns the scrapings into mulch when the competition is over.

Those that live on the east coast can certainly relate to my next blog post. Hurricane Irene got many of us up and down the coast and the repercussions are still lingering for some of us. Power didn’t return to my house until Saturday and I just got my phone line, internet, and cable back tonight. While this was a terrible inconvenience I keep telling myself it was just that and be thankful that nothing horrible had happened.

Many of us are in the midst of cleanup. If you’ve been following other posts I’ve written you know that I love yardwork as much as I love chocolate chip cookies (I know, scary, right?). So I relished in the idea of the yardwork that was in store for of me. I had my equipment ready to go and got started last Monday after work and I had my action plan (in this order):

1) Blow all the leaves and other debris from my lawn

2) Pick up any sticks and branches that were still lingering

3) Cut small tree that fell, keep some of the wood for the chimena and throw the rest in the woods

4) Blow leftover saw dust and leaves off that part of the lawn

5) Mow the lawn

6) Finish up with trimming around edges, lamp-post, etc.

7) Clean lawn mower

8 ) Pour a nice glass of red

Seems like a lot to tackle in one day? Well it was – I only got through number one that day (and number eight); yardwork was in my future for the next several days. I quickly realized that I’m no landscaper and that I would go hungry if this was my profession because I spent way too much time on the task at hand. “Well, I thought, since I love yardwork so much I get to have so much fun all week-long!” That sentiment didn’t last long…

Ok, so I had more work cutout than I had anticipated. One thing I know is that I needed to put safety first. According to Consumer Reports the leading causes of injury during DIY home improvement projects in 2009 were: falling off ladders, getting struck by mower debris, lacerations from a power tools or chain saws, and burns or breathing difficulties caused by household chemicals. We all know that many of these injuries are avoidable. I can’t help but wonder why people don’t take it seriously. Is it because we get lazy or that dreaded “it’ll never happen to me” syndrome? Whatever it is, please take a moment to read the following information that appears on STIHL’s website about safety. It pays dividends just to take a little extra time.

http://www.stihlusa.com/pressrelease/Jun09_StormSafetyResources.aspx

I did complete my “to do” list later in the week and the yard once again looks great – I had a lot of sore muscles and I was physically exhausted, but it was well worth it.

Monthly Archives: September 2011

Oh Those Lumberjacks!

Once and for All Goodnight Irene Goodnight…