Virginia Beach, Va. (Sept. 12, 2008) – STIHL Inc., creator and owner of the premier lumberjack sports event, the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series presented by Carhartt, will host its world championship in Kilkenny, Ireland Sept. 24. After one of the most intense seasons, the finalists for Australia, Benelux, Canada, The Czech Republic, France, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the U.S. have now been determined.
Some 15,000 spectators in these countries followed the national championships live onsite and witnessed top athletic performances. Carson Bosworth of Lake Geneva, Wis. will represent the U.S. in the world championship after securing a spot with his powerful performance at the U.S. national championship in Columbus, Ga. June 27-29. Bosworth is no stranger to this season finale though; he also represented the U.S. in the 2007 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS World Championship.
"It's a great honor to be able to represent the United States at the world championship, especially for me, since I have spent so much time making the trip to Europe to help coach at training camps there, said Bosworth. "The sport has really grown in Europe, and I have many friends there as competitors so the fact that I get to compete at the world championship is very special."
"It is amazing how the sport has migrated to new countries and continued to gain interest. It truly is a great sport, and being able to be a representative of your country at such an event is very special," continued Bosworth.
Bosworth will face-off against the defending world champion, David Bolstad of New Zealand. Bolstad punched the New Zealand ticket to the world championship with a consistently high-level performance in all six STIHL TIMBERSPORTS disciplines at the Columbus, Ga. final. He bested fellow New Zealand competitor and world-record holder Jason Wynyard.
One of the most notable moments of the 2008 season was when Wynyard, who placed second in the U.S. championship, broke a STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series world record in the stock saw discipline when he sawed through 16 inches of white pine in only 9.81 seconds, smashing Hermann Schönbächler's two-year record of 10.22 seconds.
There will be many other familiar faces among the elite lumberjacks in Ireland, Dale Ryan of Australia, Jean-Pierre Mercier of Canada, Martin Komarek of The Czech Republic and Schönbächler representing Switzerland all of whom competed in the 2007 world championship.
"This season was one of the most hard-fought competitions that I've ever seen, with record-breaking times and outstanding performances by both established athletes and newcomers," said Roger Phelps, the promotional communications manager for STIHL Inc. in the U.S.
The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS athletes must prove themselves in a total of six chopping and sawing disciplines: hot saw, single buck, springboard chop, standing block chop, stock saw and underhand chop.
The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series World Championship will air Dec. 21 at 1-1:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2. Times are subject to change without notice. For the complete ESPN2 schedule and more information, go to
www.ESPNOutdoors.com
and click on TIMBERPSORTS, or visit
www.stihltimbersports.com
.
About STIHL Inc.
STIHL Inc. manufactures the world's largest selling brand of chainsaws 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. 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 presented by Carhartt. 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."
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