Timber Days gets under way
CONNELLSVILLE – The strength and agility of six professional lumberjacks will be tested again today as they compete for the overall title in the final stretch of the city’s eighth annual Timber Days at Yough River Park. After two hours of wielding axes and chain saws Saturday, 17 of the world’s top timber sportsmen found themselves in a rather stiff competition and a race against the clock, chopping and sawing white pine logs.
With the majority of men from New Zealand and Australia, local lumberjack Harry Burnsworth expected the two countries to dominate the six events, especially chopping.
“They’re big and have done it longer than the Americans,” said Burnsworth, who was named on the “Elite Twelve” just one week ago during the qualifying round in the Stihl-Timber Sports competition in Ohio.
Burnsworth, who garnered the top spot in the hot saw event, supplied the wood for this year’s competition, which he said came from an area in Deer Lake in Farmington.
Burnsworth said he chose white pine because of its softness and consistency, two crucial elements for cutting.
For some competitors, such as Warrick Hallett of Minnesota, the price of gas was crucial to the number of participants. “It was a long way,” said Hallett in his first visit to Connellsville.
The New Zealand native said he met his wife there at a timber sports series show and the two now compete in the Jack and Jill Crosscut.
Burnsworth and Hallett were up against Dave Bolstad, Jason Wynyard, Dion Lane, Dale Ryan, Matt Bush, Mike Slingerland, Melvin Lentz, Arden Cogar Jr., Mike Eash, Chris Bradshaw, Brad Delosa, Richard Jordan, Dave Engasser and Mark Jones.
Some of them even had fans that traveled from Pittsburgh and surrounding areas to watch their favorites.
Gary Fulton of Avonmore brought his wife, daughter and two sons as they rooted for 34-year-old Cogar, being that he was the closest to them when he previously resided in West Virginia. “I’ve seen these guys on the Outdoor Life Network,” said Fulton.
Fulton added that he found the summer schedule of events for the sport on the Internet, which listed Connellsville.
Jane Young, also from Pittsburgh, came with her two daughters.
While she may have been wheelchair bound, Young had the best seat in the house and even managed to get two pieces of wood the lumberjacks give to various members of the audience as a momento.
“I haven’t missed a trick,” said Young as she watched attentively.
While she lives locally, Jane Varriano of Connellsville said it was the first time she attended Timber Days and decided to bring her grandchildren from Virginia. “I wanted to see what it was all about,” said Varriano.
What it all boiled down to was Cogar, Wynyard and Bolstad dominating the majority of events that consisted of the Standing Block with Cogar in first place; Bolstad, second place; Ryan, third place; Delosa, fourth place; Lane, fifth place; and Wynyard, sixth place. Underhand Chop, Blostad, first; Bush, second; Ryan, third; Delosa, fourth; Cogar, fifth; and Lane, sixth.
Two-Man Cross-Cut, Wynyard and Lane, first; Bush and Slingerland, second; Cogar and Bradshaw, third; Burnsworth and Bolstad, fourth; Jordan and Eash, fifth; Jones and Engassser, sixth; Hot Saw, Burnsworth, first; Stevens, second; Hallett, third; Bush, fourth; Ryan, fifth and Jordan, sixth; Jack and Jill Cross-Cut, Jordan and Jessica Gonya, first; Cogar and Kristy Linville, second; Mark and Trish Jones, third; Mike and Barb Slingerland, fourth; Dave and Peg Engasser, fifth; and Matt and Jill Bush, sixth.
Single Buck, Wynyard, first; Lane, second; Cogar, third; Bolstad, fourth; Ryan, fifth and Delosa, sixth.
Following the events, the day rounded out with a hot dog eating contest that attracted more children than adults as they chomped away to see whose stomach could handle the most.
Crazy Cowboy also provided entertainment.