Paul Smiths, NY (April 19, 2010) – The best collegiate lumberjacks in the region will converge on Paul Smith’s College for the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Northeast Collegiate Challenge, the final qualifier event of the 2010 season, as part of the 64th annual Woodsmen Weekend Friday, April 23-Saturday, April 24.
ESPNU cameras will be on hand for this one-on-one, winner-take-all battle where top athletes from colleges and universities in the region will compete head-to-head in four disciplines, the single buck, stock saw, standing block chop and underhand chop, using professional rules and professional-sized wood. The competitor with the most cumulative points after all four disciplines earns a $1,000 scholarship from STIHL for his school and advances to the 2010 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Championship competition to be held in conjunction with the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series now in its 25th year. The event will be held at the Oregon State Fair in Salem, Ore., Aug. 27-29.
“We’re very excited to host some of the nation’s best collegiate woodsmen and women at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Northeast Collegiate Challenge,” said Brett McLeod, head coach of the Paul Smith’s College woodsmen team. “Our traditions in lumberjack sports go back a long way here, and it’s great to bring this event to the place where some of the first collegiate competitions were held.”
Paul Smith’s College has become a school known for producing top STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series competitors. In last year’s STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Championship, a Paul Smith’s alumnus and student competed for the national title. Adam LaSalle received his associate’s degree from Paul Smith’s in 2006 and then attended the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where he won the first regional event of the 2009 season advancing him to the Collegiate Championship last June. LaSalle took the championship crown and received an automatic spot in the 2010 professional series and will compete in August. Also of Paul Smith’s College, Kurt Karboski won the 2009 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Northeast Collegiate Challenge, which advanced him to the 2009 Collegiate Championship. Additionally, Matt Bolton, another Paul Smith’s College student, won the 2008 Collegiate Championship and automatically advanced to the 2009 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series where he made his professional break-through performance.
“We are looking forward to holding the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Northeast Collegiate Challenge at Paul Smith’s College,” said Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager of STIHL Inc. “There is no better way to celebrate the Series’ 25th anniversary than to see the future of the sport compete.”
This summer, to expand the lumberjack tradition, Paul Smith’s College will launch the Adirondack Woodsmen’s School. The two-week school, co-sponsored by STIHL and work-clothing maker Carhartt, is aimed at high school and college students looking to train with some of the best woodsmen in the business to learn about the rugged traditions at the heart of the sport.
In addition to the Northeast Collegiate Challenge, STIHL will host the second annual dedicated STIHL TIMBERSPORTS collegiate women’s event. The participating schools will select their top lumberjill to compete in three professional disciplines, the single buck, stock saw and underhand chop to determine who reigns queen. The top lumberjill will receive a Keech competition axe and a $500 scholarship from STIHL for their school..
A training demonstration will be conducted by professional STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series competitor Matt Bush at 1 p.m. EDT Saturday, April 24. Bush will provide pointers to the collegiate lumberjacks, demonstrate techniques involved in the lumberjack disciplines and assist the athletes in improving their skills. He currently holds the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series world record in the hot saw discipline set in 2003 at 5.08 seconds.
Since 2003, the Collegiate Series has traveled to college campuses across the country to seek out the best amateur 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.
In addition to the Northeast 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
• Southern hosted by the University of Arkansas-Monticello in Monticello, Ark. March 24, 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 Aug. 27-29
The winner of the each regional Collegiate Challenge event earns a spot in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Championship.
Get the latest information and up-to-date news and video on all the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series 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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The STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Northeast Collegiate Challenge
When: Saturday, April 24
2-3 p.m. EDT: STIHL’s Women’s Collegiate Challenge
3-5 p.m. EDT: STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Northeast Collegiate Challenge
Where: Paul Smith’s College’s Great Lawn
Route 86 & 30
Paul Smiths, NY 12970
Participating Schools:
Cobleskill Community College, Cobleskill, NY
Colby College, Waterville, Maine
Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY
SUNY-ESF Ranger School, Wanakena, NY
Finger Lakes Community College, Canandaigua, NY
Nova Scotia Agricultural College, Truro, Nova Scotia
Paul Smith's College in Paul Smith, NY
Penn State University, State College, Pa.
Unity College, Unity, Maine
University of Connecticut, Storrs, Conn.
University of Maine at Orono, Orono, Maine
University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH
University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt.
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
.
About Paul Smith’s College
At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. The college, whose campus is on the shores of Lower St. Regis Lake, is the only four-year institution of higher education in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park of New York State. Our programs, in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship, the sciences, and many others, draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere.
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