Fort Collins, Colo. (March 5, 2010) – With the Rocky Mountains as nature’s backdrop, the STIHL® TMBERSPORTS® Collegiate Series presented by Carhartt brings its Western Collegiate Challenge, the premier wood-cutting, heart-pumping collegiate lumberjack competition, and the ESPNU cameras to Colorado State University’s campus in Fort Collins, Colo. March 17-19.
Woodsmen teams from more than 10 regional colleges and universities will converge on Fort Collins as Colorado State University hosts the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Western Collegiate Challenge and the 71st annual Association of Western Forestry Clubs regional conclave on the university’s newly rebuilt logging field. This will be the first time CSU has hosted the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series.
”Colorado State is honored to host the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Western Collegiate Challenge,” said Adrian Flygt, CSU graduate student and competitor in the Collegiate Series. “We‘ve been putting a lot of work into hosting the conclave, from constructing a competition deck to rebuilding and relocating our logging field. We look forward to putting CSU in the limelight as a legitimate logging program.”
ESPNU cameras will document the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Western Challenge where the most skilled collegiate lumberjacks go head-to-head in four professional lumberjack disciplines: the single buck, standing block chop, stock saw and underhand chop at 1 p.m. MDT Friday, March 19.
Each participating school will select its best lumberjack to go chop-for-chop and saw-for-saw in the four disciplines for a slice of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Western Collegiate Challenge title. Competitors will be judged based on the professional STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® 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 Western conclave is always an exciting event because of the high level of skill that these students have,” said Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager for STIHL Inc. “As we celebrate 25 years of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series on the professional level this year, we look forward to reaching this milestone with the Collegiate Series down the road.”
The CSU logging team has developed an impressive reputation in lumberjack sports over the last few years with Flygt’s dominance in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series. In 2008, Flygt won the Western Collegiate Challenge and placed second in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Championship. In 2009, he placed second in the Western Collegiate Challenge, but was able to advance to the Collegiate Championship when selected as the 2009 wildcard pick. He later withdrew from the Championship due to injury. Flygt is eager to return to the lumberjack stage representing CSU in the 2010 Western Collegiate Challenge.
STIHL Inc. the creator and producer of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series presented by Carhartt, the world’s premier lumberjack sports event, seen by millions of fans on ESPN2, created the Collegiate Series in 2003. Since then, the 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. With the Collegiate Series, STIHL also highlights and supports forestry schools and education and ESPNU spotlights the hosting schools and their forestry programs in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series competition shows.
A training session will be conducted by professional lumberjack Dave Jewett at the CSU Logging Field. Jewett 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 Western Collegiate Challenge, the Collegiate Series consists of four additional 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 25, 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, N.Y. 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 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, who then earns 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
. Access behind-the-scenes photos and video on
www.Facebook.com/STIHLTIMBERSPORTS
and
http://www.youtube.com/user/STIHLTIMBERSPORTSfan
.
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STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Collegiate Series Western Conclave
When:
Friday, March 19 at 1 p.m. MDT
Where:
Colorado State University Logging Sports Field
(Southeast corner of Vine Drive and Overland Trail)
Fort Collins, Colo.
Participating Schools:
California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Ore.
Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo.
Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, Mont.
Humboldt State University in Arcata, Calif.
Modesto Junior College in Modesto, Calif.
Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore.
University of California-Berkeley in Berkeley, Calif.
University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho
University of Montana in Missoula, Mont.
University of Nevada, Reno in Reno, Nev.
University of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Ariz.
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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