The Lumberjack

Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Torrin Hults

Imagine climbing a 50-foot tree in 15 seconds or sawing through a 16-inch log with a hand saw. You won't find these events at any ordinary competition. This is Logtoberfest, an annual logging sports competition. It consists of events such as axe throwing, tree climbing, and wood chopping.

Over 50 years ago, Humboldt State University founded the Logging Sports Club. Every Saturday, the club members get together to practice logging sports and once a year they compete against each other in the middle of the forest in Freshwater. The club members aren't just Forestry majors and loggers. They are everything from athletes to education majors to psychology students to competitors.

Tori Gervasi is an elementary education major and a three-year veteran of the Logging Sports Club. "Practices start at 10 a.m. and sometimes we end up practicing until four in the afternoon," said Gervasi.

This year, the competition consisted of eleven events including the single buck, the double buck, the tree climb, the jack and jill, and the obstacle pole. Most of the competitors agreed that the hardest competition is the single buck. In that event, a single competitor uses a hand saw to saw through a 14-16 inch log. The person who finishes the fastest is the winner.

"We call it the single puke," said Gervasi.

Club members agreed that finishing the single buck in more than 26 seconds is unacceptable. But the single buck is just one of several competitions in Logtoberfest. Ben Arroyo is a second-year club member and forestry major.

"It takes me about 15-17 seconds to do the 50 foot tree climb," said Arroyo. "But there are guys here that do it in 13 seconds."

During the tree climb, the fans and teammates gathered around to cheer on the competitors.

"There's a lot of individual events, but we're a family," said Gervasi. "We are always rooting for each other."

Logtoberfest prepares the team for bigger events held in San Luis Obispo and Montana, which take place during the spring semester.

Arroyo said that although some club members are loggers, he is in it for the fun and competition. "It definitely feels like a competitive sport when you're up against other schools who train just as hard," said Arroyo.

Friends and family members of the competitors drove long distances to support the hard work of the Logging Sports Club at Logtoberfest. Lisa Wells came to watch the event from Petaluma. Her son is a first semester member of the Logging Sports Club.

"This event is awesome," said Wells. "I've never seen anything like it."

Her son, Jason Wells, said that the sport is difficult both physically and mentally. It is different from any other team sport he has been a part of.

"I can't imagine the crew team trying to single buck," he said.



Michelle Deutsch can be reached at mrd27@humboldt.edu

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