20TH ANNIVERSARY HISTORY

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Anita Gambill (757) 486-9151 or
Terry Kelley (757) 340-7425
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STIHL Incorporated
(757) 486-9100

"Thunder and lightning” is how one fan explained it.

"It's beyond explanation that these events can happen so fast,” said another.

"My favorite is Dion the Dominator,” said the 40-something fan wearing a shirt autographed by his favorite athlete.

The STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series is taking the spectator sports' nation to a new level of excitement. Having just completed 19 years of entertaining both live and TV audiences from Alaska to Maine, the Series is gearing up for its 20th Anniversary.

From its inception, STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® has consisted of top lumberjack athletes competing in events including the Springboard, Standing Block Chop, Underhand Chop, Single Buck Saw, Hot Saw and the STIHL Stock Saw. Each preceding year has contributed in its own unique way to the mounting success of the Series.

Prior to 1985, STIHL sponsored the "lumberjack championships,” in Hayward, Wisc., which was featured on ABC's Wide World of Sports. In 1985, Jim Manion, was instrumental in having the competition filmed and pitching it to an emerging sports network called ESPN.

"Jackson D'Armond, now marketing communications manager for STIHL, named the series ‘STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS®,' and for the first time, a commercial product could own a legitimate sport broadcast by ESPN,” said Manion. "You also have to remember that ESPN was only five years old when they began airing the events.”

The network was new, and so was the way the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® events were presented.

"There was no overall championship until the early ‘90's,” said D'Armond. "There were prizes for individual events at as many as 10 venues throughout the country. We would film all of them and create a show to air on ESPN.”

Once D'Armond decided that the events needed to be produced by STIHL instead of fair operators, he sold ESPN on the idea that there would be a series champion, who would be crowned the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Champion.

"We created our own scoring system, so all six events would be scored equally,” said Manion. "The addition of the title set us apart from other lumberjack-type shows in that this series would become the ‘Super Bowl' of the sport.”

And that's when the competition heated up. Now, winning the coveted title of STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Champion means a whirlwind of appearances and recognition as the world's finest axe man and sawyer. Competitors from as far south as New Zealand to the distant reaches of northern Canada now join the series in hopes of winning the crown.

"This is the true world championship of our sport,” said 2004 Champion David Bolstad. "These are the best axe men and sawyers in the world. And, winning the STIHL Championship makes you the best in the world.”

If there has been a dominating nation in the world of STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® it is New Zealand, the country that proudly boasts nine championship titles. Furthermore, a dynasty of sorts comes from Jason Wynyard, who has won the Series an unprecedented five times.

"I've been pretty lucky over the years to win five, but you have to keep working harder and harder because the competition keeps getting stronger,” said the native Kiwi.

One might think it would be enough that the sport has evolved into the premier event that lumberjack sports has to offer.

"Never enough,” says Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager for STIHL. "As we grow the STIHL brand through STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® worldwide, I think you're going to see an expansion which will involve more people in our sport so we can continue entertaining millions with one of the most exciting sports championships on the air today.”

While the goal is to keep the sport fresh and exciting for viewers, careful attention is given to keeping the sport competitive. The year-long effort of making sure the competition stays fair falls on the shoulders of Granite State Lumberjack Shows, Inc., producer of professional lumberjack shows around the country for the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series.

The competition wood selected by the Granite State staff is "farmed” out of eastern Ohio from a stand of watershed pine trees that gives competitors the most evenly matched logs. Each athlete is therefore allowed a fair shot at winning the championship.

"We cut the wood in February and then haul it to New Hampshire for storage in our humidity controlled facility until we're ready to ship it for the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series,” said Don Quigley, Granite State owner.

The wood is white pine that is cut from the same year of growth for the whole series so we can maintain consistency in all the events. So just like a golf course is the same for all PGA TOUR professionals, the chopping and sawing blocks are equal for all competitors during the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series.

This year, the wood will be shipped to Menomonie, Wisc., where the competition kicks off Aug. 6-7. Then, it's on to Lake Charles, La. Aug. 26-27 to determine the final eight to compete for the title of STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Champion. The competition wraps up in Virginia Beach, Va. with the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Championship Sept. 23-24, followed by the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® World Championships on Sept. 25.

What will the next 20 years look like? Phelps is optimistic that the sport will keep growing.

"We have deals in place with ESPNU to take this sport to a different market with their collegiate network,” he said. "We also see this growing throughout the world by virtue of the creation of the World Championships.”

Phelps also expects to see more American competitors coming up through the ranks of collegiate competition and other qualifying opportunities.

"What started in a field in Wisconsin with one camera on a forklift is now covered by many cameras and seen around the world by the young and old,” he said. "We keep growing the sport to include all audiences and plan to do so for a very long time.”

For more information log on to www.stihltimbersports.com

About STIHL Inc.
STIHL Inc. manufactures the world’s largest selling brand of chain saws and produces a full line of powerful, lightweight, and versatile handheld outdoor power equipment for homeowners and professional users. STIHL products are sold through servicing power equipment retailers from coast to coast— not mass merchants. For more information or for the name of the closest STIHL retailer call toll free 1-800-GO STIHL (1-800-467-8445) or visit the STIHL Web site at www.stihlusa.com.

For information on job opportunities with STIHL Inc., please go to www.stihlcareers.com. STIHL is an EEO and drug-free work environment.

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