One of the area’s most exciting and unique events is returning to Pigeon Forge in June. And if you guessed that the STIHL Timbersports series is the vent that is coming back to the area, well you’re a step ahead of all of us.
The STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series is one of the premier lumberjack sporting events in the country. Recently, officials with STIHL, as well as RAM Trucks, announced the top 40 professional lumberjack athletes – choppers/sawyers who will compete in the 2013 U.S. Series. The Great Smoky Lumberjack Feud in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. will host the event – STIHL TIMBERSPORTS U.S. Pro and Collegiate Championships, for the second consecutive year, June 7-9, 2013.
All the best lumberjacks scheduled to compete in Pigeon Forge this year including Arden Cogar Jr., the 2011 and 2012 STIHL Timbersports Series U.S. Champion. Cogar, a civil defense trial attorney from West Hamlin, W. Va., returns to the series for his 26th season. Tim Benedict will be making his series debut this season after winning the 2012 Collegiate Championship at Penn State.
If you’re local you might just recognize two familiar faces who will be participating this year – Derek Knutson and Andrew Mattison, who both work at the Lumberjack Feud.
Other noted competitors include a slew of collegians moving up into the pro ranks like David Green from Sisters, Ore., Adam LaSalle from Fairplay, Colo., Walter Page from Tollhouse, Calif., Will Roberts from Cortland, NY, Logan Scarborough from Polkton, NC and Nathan Waterfield from Cherry Valley, NY. Additionally, three sets of father-son lumberjacks will compete this season, including Paul and Matt Cogar (cousins of Arden Cogar), Mel and Jason Lentz and Mike and Matt Slingerland.
In all, six professional lumberjack disciplines make up the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series pro competition. These methods include the hot saw, single buck, springboard chop, standing block chop, stock saw and underhand chop. Held in conjunction with the Collegiate Series, the qualifying rounds pit the top eight lumberjacks in the region against each other with the top four pro athletes from each advancing to the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series Pro Championship at the Great Smoky Mountain Lumberjack Feud. These four individuals will not only compete against other competitors from around the country for the championship crown, but will also join together to represent their regions in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Relay Competition. In addition to the ultimate bragging rights in lumberjack sports and a Ram 1500 truck, the top U.S. competitor also advances to the World Championship in Stuttgart, Germany Oct. 25-26.
The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series, established in 1985, is billed as the Original Extreme Sport and attracts the world’s top lumberjack athletes in a competition based on historic logging techniques. The Series is seen by millions of viewers annually in more than 62 countries on networks such as Eurosport, Outdoor Channel and ESPNU.