Forestry Club practices for chopping, chain throwing, log rolling competition
The club will join five other Midwest schools for the the challenge Friday and Saturday.
Published Oct. 5, 2010
The Forestry Club will participate in the fifth annual Ozark Regional Timberfest Challenge in Doniphan on Friday and Saturday. This is the club's third consecutive year to take part in the contest.
Timberfest is an annual festival, hosted by the Ripley County Chamber of Commerce, that celebrates the logging and forestry history of Missouri. The festival has various events about the heart and soul of logging practices, including educational demonstrations and re-enactments of draft horse pulls, metalsmithing and chainsaw carving.
The Forestry Club’s Timber Tigers will participate in this invitation-only collegiate competition along with five other schools from the Midwest. In 2008, MU’s team won second place and a $600 prize.
“Our goal this year is to win first place and have fun,” Forestry Club President Khristina Huber said.
The most anticipated event at Timberfest is the lumberjack competition, Huber, a senior, said. She said MU is participating in 10 events within the lumberjack competition this year, and many of the club’s participants are seasoned veterans.
Practices have been held the last three weeks at MU’s South Farm and continue through this week. Practices entail using crosscut saws, axes and other heavy — and lethal — equipment. Tin shoes are worn in competitions that involve axes, but that is the only precautionary measure taken by participants.
The first week of practice was the hardest, Team Captain and senior Denean Brady said.
Included in the competition this year is the log roll, where a two-person team will use specialized logging tools, called peaveys, in order to roll an eight-foot log 20 feet away in the fastest time.
There is also a Logger’s Relay that consists of four timed events. Huber said many professional lumberjacks enter this event since it is the only one open to the public. In the past, winners were awarded $1,000 for first place. The Timber Tigers have participated in this event in the past but never won.
Chain throwing, which despite its name is the least dangerous event, is also included in the competition. The chain throw pays homage to the old ways of surveying land. The event requires a participant to walk a measured distance with the chain, mark the spot with a flag, roll up the chain and start the process over from the flag. The cycle continues until someone crosses the finish line.
“(Timberfest) is about preserving forester heritage and reminding us where we came from,” Brady said.
Freshman Michelle Walker said she heard of the practices by word of mouth from others who are involved and decided to give it a try. After a quick training given by a veteran member on the proper stance and technique for the crosscut saw, she was practicing with the group.
“It’s awkward at first but kind of fun,” Walker said. “You don’t feel it while you’re doing it but afterwards it hurts.”
Practices are held at South Farm from 5 p.m. until dark. In order to participate in any of the competitions, you must be a member of Forestry Club.
The club plans on using any prize money received to buy parts for their tree farm tractor.
Three Rivers Community College, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, Michigan State and Iowa State are also attending the competition.
In the spring the Timber Tigers will participate in another logging competition at Purdue University.