Woodsman
Woodsmen participate in various events that replicate real skills used by lumberjacks while cutting down trees and preparing the wood.
In North America, the sport currently is organized in five regional divisions: northeastern, mid-Atlantic, southern, midwestern, and western.
As loggers were paid for piece work, the ability to perform a specific task more quickly, or with a degree of showmanship, was something to be admired.
Today the tradition survives on college campuses across Canada and the United States, as well as on various competitive circuits worldwide, including ESPN's now-defunct Great Outdoor Games.
Meets may take place outdoors or inside a suitably large structure to safely accommodate the potentially dangerous tools used.
Men and Women's team typically utilize the same equipment, however in competition some rules are adjusted by gender.
If a school chooses to send a mixed-gender, or Jack and Jill team, Men's rules apply.
The list and structure of the competition is typically published beforehand in order to allow team members to prepare for their assigned events.
The axe is released in such a way that it rotates about the midpoint of the handle and, ideally, contacts the center of the target with only one edge.
Splitting can take several forms, but is typically performed with one or more bolts of hardwood and as a single, double or triples event.
Splitting axes in the 4-6 pound range are used, and mauls are typically prohibited as they provide a sizable competitive advantage.
Logs are always placed on the ground, and occasionally within a car tire to prevent a clumsy competitor from accidentally striking their own feet or legs with the axe.
This event is a variation on the underhand chop which scores a competitor not on time, but on the number of axe swings needed to sever the log.
In a singles event, a competitor is typically asked to cut a series of thin slices, called cookies, from a log, which is chained down to a stanchion.
Great pains are taken before the event is run to examine the log being cut for knots or imperfections which can damage these very expensive and delicate instruments.
A teammate is allowed to straddle the log and place a wedge to ease the competitor's progress and prevent binding of the saw.
The event can be designed in various ways to emphasize visual accuracy or the ability to run their chainsaw at the peak of its power band.
The event is scored based on the number of whole disks left on top of the log at the time the competitor announces they are done.
A timed race where participants navigate an obstacle course carrying a metal wire choker cable (couldn't find sources that were not selling the product but would have linked it regardless).
The culture on teams which participate in woodsmen competitions varies widely from that of a drinking club with chainsaws to a school sanctioned varsity sport with all the associated visibility and expectations thereof.
The sport has been co-educational for all of recent memory, and female competitors are for the most part given equal treatment to men, though the professional circuit has largely chosen to ignore women.
The atmosphere at a woodsmen meet oscillates between the seriousness competition and the friendly environment of the county fair.
The selection of equipment is not something to be taken lightly, given its considerable cost, and each piece of wood is scrutinized for imperfections and knots that might interfere with its eventual bifurcation.
On the lighter side, these events are frequently attended by friends and family, who mingle freely with the woodsmen.
Many different grinds and makes of competition axes are available, with some of the more popular types including Tuatara, Keech, and Brute Force.
