Williamsport, Pa. (April 12, 2010) – The STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Collegiate Series presented by Carhartt brings its Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Challenge, the premier wood-cutting, heart-pumping collegiate lumberjack competition, and the ESPNU cameras to the Pennsylvania College of Technology Saturday, April 17.
Penn College’s School of Natural Resources Management will host and participate in the Mid-Atlantic States Intercollegiate Woodsmen's meet that kicks off at 8 a.m. EDT at the Earth Science campus in Montgomery, Pa. The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Challenge begins at noon. Woodsmen teams from more than five regional colleges and universities will converge on Lycoming County to determine which school will walk away with the ultimate bragging rights in lumberjack sports.
“We’re excited to host the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series,” said Jack Fisher, Penn College forestry club advisor. “We’re very proud of our forestry program; and by hosting the annual woodsmen meet, we’re gaining a lot of visibility for our school in the academic and professional settings.”
ESPNU cameras will be onsite to document the head-to-head competition between the most skilled collegiate lumberjacks in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Mid-Atlantic Challenge. Each participating school will select its best lumberjack to go chop-for-chop and saw-for-saw in the four professional disciplines of the single buck, standing block chop, stock saw and underhand chop, for a slice of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Challenge title. Competitors will be judged based on the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Professional Series rules.
The winner will earn a $1,000 scholarship from STIHL for his school and advance to the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Championship to be held this summer in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series. The 2010 Collegiate Series will be televised on ESPNU later this year.
“The Mid-Atlantic Challenge is one of the more intimate competitions in terms of the number of participating schools, but it’s quite big in terms of athleticism, ability and enthusiasm,” said Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager for STIHL Inc.
Since 2003, the Collegiate Series has traveled to college campuses across the country to seek out the best amateur lumberjack athletes and give them the opportunity to advance in the sport. More than 50 universities and colleges presently compete in the Series. The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series presented by Carhartt grooms student athletes to one day take their place among the professional elite. Additionally, ESPNU provides a national platform to not only highlight the competition and the sport, but also spotlight the hosting schools and their forestry programs in the Collegiate Series competition shows.
As an applied technology college and a special mission affiliate of Penn State University, Penn College offers certificate, associate and baccalaureate degree programs in more than 100 fields of study. Additionally, the school of natural resources offers associate degree programs in forest technology, landscape technology, ornamental horticulture (landscape technology emphasis), and ornamental horticulture-plant production emphasis.
Prior to the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Challenge, a training session will be conducted by professional lumberjack Mike Slingerland. Slingerland will provide pointers to the collegiate lumberjacks, demonstrate techniques involved in the lumberjack disciplines, and assist the athletes in improving their skills.
In addition to the Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Challenge, the Collegiate Series consists of four other regional events and one championship. The complete schedule for the 2010 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series includes:
• Central/Midwest hosted by Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in Carbondale, Ill., Sept. 26, 2009
• Western hosted by Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., March 19, 2010
• Mid-Atlantic hosted by Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pa., April 17, 2010
• Northeast hosted by Paul Smith’s College in Paul Smith, NY, April 24, 2010
• Collegiate Championship in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series at the Oregon State Fair in Salem, Ore., Aug. 27-29
The winner of the each regional Collegiate Challenge event will earn a spot in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Championship held in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series at the Oregon State Fair Aug. 27-29. At the Collegiate Championship, the five regional winners and one wildcard pick will go head-to-head to claim the 2010 Collegiate Championship title. The winner will earn a place in the professional ranks in the 2011 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series presented by Carhartt.
Get the latest information and up-to-date news and video on all the competitions by going to
www.ESPNOutdoors.com
and clicking on TIMBERSPORTS, or visit
www.stihltimbersports.com
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www.Facebook.com/STIHLTIMBERSPORTS
and
http://www.youtube.com/user/STIHLTIMBERSPORTSfan
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STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Collegiate Mid-Atlantic Challenge
When:
Saturday, April 17
11:30 a.m.: Professional demonstration with Mike Slingerland
Noon: STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Challenge
Where:
Pennsylvania College of Technology
School of Natural Resources Management
Earth Science Campus
203 Allenwood Camp Lane
Montgomery, Pa. 17756
(Event address – just off Route 15, 10 miles south of the college’s main campus in Williamsport)
One College Avenue
Williamsport, PA 17701
(Main campus address)
Participating Schools:
Allegany College of Maryland, Cumberland, Md.
Haywood Community College, Clyde, NC
Montgomery Community College, Troy, NC
Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, Pa.
Penn State, Mont Alto, Mont Alto, Pa.
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 independent servicing power equipment retailers from coast to coast – not mass merchants. STIHL products sold through U.S. STIHL dealers are for distribution in the United States only. 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 STIHL's Web site at
www.stihlusa.com
.
STIHL Inc. is the official underwriting sponsor of the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series. The series airs throughout the year on the ESPN2 cable network, and the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Collegiate Series airs on ESPNU. The STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® SERIES is the pinnacle event in lumberjack sports. Since 1985 the Series has grown to become the premier showcase of the decades old sport of lumberjacking with competitions held around the world.
The term TIMBERSPORTS® is a registered trademark owned by ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co. KG. and refers to the series of disciplines and competitions that are part of the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series. As such, it should not be used as a generic description of the overall sport of lumberjack sports. This trademark refers to all modifications of the term TIMBERSPORTS such as timber sports, or timbersport. The term TIMBERSPORTS should always appear in conjunction with "STIHL."
About Carhartt, Inc
Established in 1889, Carhartt, Inc. exists to provide best-in-class, durable products for the active worker. Carhartt is a family owned, consumer focused, global company that is respectful of its heritage. We lead the way in developing durable, premium, high quality products and services for workers on and off the job. Headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., with more than 4,500 employees worldwide, Carhartt is privately owned and managed by the descendants of the company’s founder, Hamilton Carhartt. For more information, visit
www.carhartt.com
.
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