Jenny Atkinson’s 2007 Season Recap

When the recipe comes out for the "dream season," my 2007 competitions held most of the important ingredients. I had incredible outcomes in both log rolling & boom running at all of the top competitions. My pre-season training was awesome and I was ready to hit the logs when the ice melted! I have supportive sponsors (STIHL, Oberto Beef Jerky, Wood-Mizer, Idaho Chucks & Starfish Point) that I was proud to team up with again for a winning season……MANY THANKS!

Boom Running

Becoming the 2007 Boom Running World Champion was a definite highlight! I laid down the 2 fastest runs in the finals as I raced into the history books as a 3-time world champion spanning over a decade. My husband, Niel, and I were both overwhelmed with emotion! The victory was also on the most challenging boom run ever in the history of the sport! One week later I validated my new title by winning the Lumberjack World Championships (LWC) boom run in Hayward, WI. The feeling was incredible! My consistency showed once again this season in the STIHL Timbersports Series boom running competitions. The competition was fierce and the races were very close! I opened the first tournament of the year with the silver medal in Decatur, AL and took home the bronze medal in the finals in Stillwater, MN…..just 0.05 seconds away from making the finals round. The coverage will be aired on ESPN2 in December. Check it out! My young black lab, Aruba, also learned to boom run this season and she was the star of the day at the competition in Stillwater. This season I am most proud of earning the #1 world rank in the boom run for the 2008 season. It has been a long time coming!!

Log Rolling

I had another very successful year in log rolling once again securing the #2 world rank for next season. The field of competitors is strong and deep so each and every match takes a lot of determination and perseverance. I was a consistently on the podium winning the gold or silver in every event. Shana Martin seemed to be my biggest nemesis and I always love to compete against her. We have fun, aggressive, exciting matches! At the world championships in Stillwater, MN I had three great matches winning 3-0, 3-0, & 3-1 followed by earning 2nd place honors by losing 0-3 in the final match. I was happy with the silver, but very disappointed that I didn't have a better performance in the finals. It just wasn't my day! One week later at LWC I showed my unbeatable form and focus. I won my preliminary matches 3-0, 3-0, 3-1, and defeated Shana Martin 3-0 in an awesome final match with all falls on the 4 log. The crowd was on the edge of their seats! I was thrilled to take home the LWC victory for the 3rd year in a row. My relay team also won making it a "Golden Trifecta" weekend for me in the log rolling, boom run, and relay. This was an amazing feat and has never happened in the history of LWC!

Overall

Winning the Overall title at the World Championship combining log rolling and boom running was also a goal for this season. I am thrilled to have accomplished it for the 2nd year in a row. It was a phenomenal feeling to stand on top of the podium holding the STIHL chain saw over my head! Being the hometown hero in Stillwater and having so many friends, relatives, school kids, and fans in the stands was exciting. I enjoyed riding on the STIHL truck in the Lumberjack Days parade with 75,000 people lining the streets of Stillwater screaming for foam axes, posters, and beef jerky!

Media/Other Events

With my successful 2007 season, it also brought more media attention than ever before. Becoming the current boom run & overall world champion along with podium finishes in every competition, I have proven that my abilities run deep. I am a consistent performer at top levels. I had significant airtime on ESPN2, and many local news broadcasts. Besides the millions who watch it on TV, each year I compete to a live audience of over 100,000.

In April I filmed a reality TV show for the New York Yankees called the Ultimate Road Trip which reached 1.1 million homes in the 1st airing. The episode ran 13 total times. This season I also did 6 radio interviews and was featured in over 30 newspaper articles and internet postings. I had impressions of over 6,000,000 and an editorial value that exceeded $3,000,000. In August I had the honor of throwing out the first pitch at a Norfolk Tides Triple-A baseball game in Norfolk, VA along side Rick Dempsey, a legend in his own sport. I was also featured on the cover of the Great Lakes Timber Professional Association Magazine. In October I was invited to Wood-Mizer's 25th Anniversary Celebration and had a great time giving a log rolling demo to thousands of attendees. I donated one hour log rolling lessons to charity and raised over $4000 for a non-profit organization.

I also had the privilege of visiting STIHL and Wood-Mizer headquarters and met a lot of great employees of both companies. I love meeting new fans each season and it is always a joy to give away fun sample products from my sponsors. People in the crowd love the beef jerky, autographed posters, foam axes, coloring books, key chains, bandanas, pens, etc! I really like the opportunity to tell them about my sponsors and thank them for coming to watch the competition. I attribute my successful season to many things including focused training sessions, visualization, weight lifting, video analysis, and most importantly goal setting with a strategic plan.

I prepare myself as much as possible knowing that I am giving it 110%. I always end each competition day smiling knowing I gave it my best. Most importantly, I am having fun! I especially appreciate the support this season from my sponsors and family. The financial backing from STIHL, Oh Boy! Oberto Beef Jerky, Wood-Mizer, Idaho Chucks and Starfish Point are vital to my success. Having a great deal of passion for log rolling and boom running, I truly enjoy training and competing every day! I have been involved in the sport for 25 years. This was the most memorable competition season of my entire life. I am definitely looking forward to another fabulous season in 2008……let the training begin!

Jenny

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