Chop, split, roll and toss: MU lumberjack team in mid-season practice
by Courtney Niendick, posted Oct. 7, 2008
In a nook of MU’s campus near Trowbridge that not many people know about is right where you can find the sound of chainsaws and axes. MU’s Forestry Club has a competitive lumberjack team that practices almost every day for around two or three hours. They are serious about what they do, and the tradition of this activity has been going on since the ’70s.
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Eli Engelken and Jake Norman practice on getting their time down in the buck saw competition. |
Khristy Huber cheering on her teammates at the practice Sept. 24. |
There are 22 members on the team, including eight women. The team is open to anyone. However, members must attend eight practices to be able to participate in any of the competitions.
“The lumberjack team is a great way to spend time outdoors with people that have similar interests and get the feel for what forestry is all about,” said Jarolyn Byrne, a lumberjack team member and forestry major. “It’s a great exercise, and it’s fun getting to socialize with your friends.”
There are many activities in which individuals can earn points that then combine to make a team score. Some of these activities include speed chop, cross cut, match split, log roll, pulp toss, bolt toss and a dendrology quiz.
The team competed against other colleges this year in Alberta, Mich. Some of those schools include Perdue, Michigan Tech, Iowa State, Michigan State, Wisconsin and a team from Canada. The team normally does really well at this meet.
“It’s a little bit harder the farther north you go because they use all of the northern wood, especially the dendrology quiz because they are all northern types,” said Cody Cambell, a senor and forestry major.
“My favorite is speed chop,” said Dave Haberl, a junior on the team. “It’s a high profile contest, and it’s what people come to watch.”
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Corey Meyer speed chops during practice. |
Ashley Owens and Mark Ruper practice the Jack and Jill log roll. |
Some of these activities are single but can also be done with a team or what is called “Jack and Jill” style, which means a man and a woman.
One of the captains, Danny Moncheski, a senior, has been on the team his since he became a student MiU.
“My greatest memories come from the time spent in the vans on the way to the competitions, camping out with all of your buddy’s and all of the team bonding that we do,” he said. “Some of the best times at the competitions are at night when the different teams see who can have the biggest bond fire. It seems like they can get as big as houses.”
The team members are supportive of each other and their successes. At any time during practice, a team member will be cheering on another team member, even if he or she is making a better time than the other on one of the events. The team just returned from the competition in Alberta, Mich.
The weekend of Oct. 11, they will be competing in the Ozark Regional Timber Fest at Doniphan, Mo., where they will compete against teams that are not organized by colleges but by everyday people.
