The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Tag: logging sports

  • Student takes home “Belle of the Woods” title in timber sports competition

    Student takes home “Belle of the Woods” title in timber sports competition

    by Lidia Grande-Ruiz

    Cal Poly Humboldt’s Logging team shined yet again at the SCLC competition, held in the Shasta District Fair & Event Center located in Anderson, CA just south of Redding.

    SCLC (Sierra Cascade Logging Conference) is one of the largest Forest Products and Construction Equipment Expositions out there. In addition to being a competition, it also helps young people interested in logging, forestry, and related fields to meet professionals in the industry. Not just make them better loggers, but also make connections which will help them get jobs during or after college.

    “SCLC provides the community and students of all ages the opportunity to learn about the forestry industry,” said Vice President Zoey “Dozer” Cardoza. “In addition, SCLC is a huge sponsor for our team.” 

    She’s majoring in forestry with a concentration in forest operations.

    The team holds alumni breakfast to network with Humboldt alumni in the industry.

    The conference consisted of three days: The first day of practice with professionals within the industry, the second day of breakfast with the alumni, and a third day with competition. 

    The competition consisted of various categories: Jack and Jill, Double and Single Buck, Horizontal Speed Chop, AX Throw, Choker Setting, and Stock Saw. Each team member shined in each category to the best of their abilities showing off what they learned not just from practice but also from the local professionals. 

    One moment when this was proven was when Equipment manager Cassanda Renteria (Forestry in Forest Operations) took the title Belle of the Woods, which is given to the highest female competitor overall in each discipline. 

    “I was lucky enough to be placed in 3 first [place] and 1 second [place.]” said Renteria. “I was really stoked and grateful that I got the opportunity to showcase all my best events. It’s a great feeling when all the hard work you put in pays off in the end.”

    Competition was very fierce as everyone wanted to showcase what they practiced so hard for. 

    “My goal for the competition was to help my teammates win,” said fellow team member Ed Laskey, Forestry major with a concentration in Wildland Fire Management. “One of my teammates Cass was doing all her events back to back and she ended up winning all of them and then she had to do like a face off pretty much against the second fastest person in her events and we were all getting pretty stressed out because she was getting tired. We were getting worried she was going to pass out but she made it through.” 

    “The biggest thing for us from SCLC since we have the supervision of these professional timbersports athletes is we are trying to get the most experience we can,” says President Austin Nolan (Wildlife Conservation Management). “So we are not necessarily out there to win the most points in the table.”

    CPH ended up being tied with Oregon State. The CPH Logging Team is expected to compete in the AWFC on April 11-16th in Corvallis, OR hosted by Oregon State University.

  • Lumberjacks Host Logtoberfest

    Lumberjacks Host Logtoberfest

    Logging sports club invites competition for an axe amount of fun

    On Nov. 16, the Humboldt State Logging sports club held its annual Logtoberfest. This year they got to compete against schools including University of California, Berkeley, University of Nevada, Reno and Shasta College.

    In previous years, Logtoberfest was more of a practice session for HSU logging sports. This year HSU decided to make their event an open invitational and welcomed other university logging sports teams.

    Sounds of axes chopping and chainsaws revving echoed as those involved gathered around to show off their woodcutting skills. But the event was about more than just cutting wood. Logging athletes and their familiarity with each event provided entertainment while still ensuring safety.

    Vice President of the club and HSU forestry major Sophia Ackerman was in her third year competing in Logtoberfest. She was happy to see the arrival of the traveling schools and the growth of her logging team.

    “Our team has gotten bigger,” Ackerman said. “Logtoberfest in the past has been more like practice scrimmages against ourselves to get ready for competitions really early in the season.”

    Ackerman spoke highly about one event in particular: the obstacle pole. This event required an individual to carry an active chainsaw up a tilted log and cut off a portion of it.

    Another event called the horizontal chop involved a person positioning their feet on a log as they land multiple strikes until it breaks. Feet are exposed, but an important safety feature includes metallic footwear and chain-mail shin guards, so that in the event a contestant misses their intended target, no one is seriously injured.

    “Because it is extremely dangerous, if you glance out you can chop your leg. You gotta be comfortable with chopping and really good with the axe.”

    Jace Hunt

    Ackerman participated in the horizontal chop event and wasted no time chopping the log against her Shasta College opponent. Upon completion, Ackerman sat and took a break as she watched and cheered on her opponent to finish strong. Sportsmanship among the logging athletes has allowed them to form a bond of endless support for each other.

    Wildlife conservation major Jace Hunt competed in an event called the vertical chop, and after multiple swings from his axe, Hunt delivered a final blow to the log sending wood chips flying in every direction.

    Despite constant sawdust and wood chips flying everywhere, maintaining an uninterrupted line of sight was a goal the athletes thrived for. However, there were some participants that saw the flying chips as a motivational obstacle.

    Not only does swinging an axe demand physique but it demands discipline to assure that team members avoid inflicting bodily harm. Although this is Hunt’s second Logtoberfest, he did not compete in last year’s axe-wielding events.

    “You have to be on the team for a full year before you can do the vertical chop,” Hunt said. “Because it is extremely dangerous, if you glance out you can chop your leg. You gotta be comfortable with chopping and really good with the axe.”