Spring Break
The Daily OrangeJacks and Jills
Hundreds attend annual Lumberjack Roundup at ESF
By Bill McMillan
Posted: 4/2/08, 12:16 AM EST Section: News
The Lumberjack Roundup was a full-day competition with events including the axe throw, obstacle poll, fire build, vertical and horizontal chops and pulp toss.
Usually a meet takes up the entire day and has each member of the team participating in four team events - one singles event and one doubles event with another teammate.
Spring meets can take up two days, with each member participating in five team events: one singles events, one doubles event, one triple event and a canoeing event.
Gerry Towne, a junior in forest research management at ESF has traveled as far as Nova Scotia for this type of outdoor game and saw the experience as a positive competition rather than a cut-throat struggle for glory.
"There's not much harshness between our teams," he said. "It's run by fellow woodsmen too, so we run it how we like."
The tools of the trade do not come cheap either, Towne said.
Smaller axes can run between $300 and $400 a piece with a $50 sharpening charge. Bow-saw blades typically cost $350 with a $150 sharpening charge and cross-cut saws go for $1,500 a piece with a $300 to $400 sharpening charge.
"The axes are specially made for competitions," he said. "We have the axes bought over the years, and usually we keep them sharp, but we usually send them off to professional sharpeners to sharpen them for us."
The event has been rising in popularity, especially in the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, he said, but is also making its way into Europe.
Towne had advice for anyone interested in becoming a lumberjack or jill.
"To be a professional, you should have the height, the build and the form, but in the collegiate you just need form," he explained. "It's just a lot of practice."
Jess Goblet, a SUNY Cobeskill third year majoring in animal science, was one of the women competing during the weekend.
"I knew some of the guys on the team, and that's how I got started, and then we just recruited other girls from there," she said.
Usually a meet takes up the entire day and has each member of the team participating in four team events - one singles event and one doubles event with another teammate.
Spring meets can take up two days, with each member participating in five team events: one singles events, one doubles event, one triple event and a canoeing event.
Gerry Towne, a junior in forest research management at ESF has traveled as far as Nova Scotia for this type of outdoor game and saw the experience as a positive competition rather than a cut-throat struggle for glory.
"There's not much harshness between our teams," he said. "It's run by fellow woodsmen too, so we run it how we like."
The tools of the trade do not come cheap either, Towne said.
Smaller axes can run between $300 and $400 a piece with a $50 sharpening charge. Bow-saw blades typically cost $350 with a $150 sharpening charge and cross-cut saws go for $1,500 a piece with a $300 to $400 sharpening charge.
"The axes are specially made for competitions," he said. "We have the axes bought over the years, and usually we keep them sharp, but we usually send them off to professional sharpeners to sharpen them for us."
The event has been rising in popularity, especially in the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, he said, but is also making its way into Europe.
Towne had advice for anyone interested in becoming a lumberjack or jill.
"To be a professional, you should have the height, the build and the form, but in the collegiate you just need form," he explained. "It's just a lot of practice."
Jess Goblet, a SUNY Cobeskill third year majoring in animal science, was one of the women competing during the weekend.
"I knew some of the guys on the team, and that's how I got started, and then we just recruited other girls from there," she said.
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