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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
June 9, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
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June 9, 2011
 
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display the history of logging at Forest Festival By NATALIE JOHNSON included six competitors, Sirguy, a forester himself, Dave Moses Sr., Dave Moses got into the sport when he Mason County's Forest Jr., Branden Sirguy, Brian was in college, is now one of Festival was first created to Bartow, Trevor Baker, and the top competitors in tim- keep the area's logging his- Jeff Skirvin. They competed bersports. He plans to travel tory alive, in events including speed to Salem, Ore. in August to The festival's logging climb, obstacle pole race, compete in the Stihl Timber- show took place at Loopsingle and double buck saw sports Series along with two Field in Shelton on Saturday races, hot saws, spring beard of his teammates from the and featured six competitors chops, horizontal chop and Saturday competition, David with the same goal - to cele- burling, or log rolling. Moses Jr. and Brian Bartow. brate and keep alive logging An activity rapidly grow- While timbersports are traditions, ing in popularity, timbers- particularly relevant in the "Absolutely, it keeps ports originated in logging Pacific Northwest, with its the history alive - it really camps with men who corn- long history of logging, the wasn't that long ago," said peted with each other to test sports are gaining fame competitor Branden Sirguy. their skills, Sirguy said. worldwide, Sirguy said. "It was 1940when the chain- "Whenever you get a "It is really picking up saw took over and many peo- bunch of guys together some- globally," he said. "In the pie fought against it."body wants to be the best," last 10 years it's been really This year's exhibition he said. getting popular in Europe." Also Featuring: • Windows • Decks • Siding Serving Western Washington for 37years Superior quality workmanship at an affordable pricel ** Our Roofs Are Hand Nailed ** 30 Year Workmanship Warranty 20%-40% OFF All Roof Installations with PABCO PREMIER 30-yr Laminate Shingles Call now to schedule a FREE Estimate and reserve your color while materials last. ROOF NOW-- PAY LATER FREE Estimates • Saturday& App mb 3 Available Call today to sdmdule your appointment ]E ~,-,~. Lic.# A1ROOI*I 11PR r~ • Local • 24-hour emergency service • 0% Financing OAC • Senior discount Sirguy competed with five other timbersports com- petitors, or lumberjacks, at Saturday's competitive exhi- bition, one of whom was 67 year-old David Moses Sr., who, according to his grand- daughter Kristina Cooper, is a retired logger, and has competed in logging exhibi- tions for 40 years. "He's a retired logger ... his father was a logger ... he's been competing since 1972," she said. While Cooper sat on the sidelines Saturday, she is an experienced competitor in her own right, and of- ten competes alongside her grandfather, who raised her, and her uncle, Dave Moses Jr. "I do six different events - crosscut, women's stock Saw, axe throwing..." she said. Logging competitions were once overwhelmingly dominated by men, but in recent years more and more women have started slinging axes too, Cooper said. ~/~nere's more women competing than before," she said. "Women used to have to compete with men - they didn't really have a chance at most events." Now, women can choose between their own individu- al events, or u Jack and Jill" competitions where they can compete in teams alongside male competitors. While these events are now considered sports, cut- ting a log with an axe or a cross-saw is just as danger- ous today as it was when log- gers used it as a day-to-day skill. "My granddad chopped off two of his toes once," Cooper said. "I've heard of somebody who fell 30 feet off a pole - he's fine now, but things happen." On Saturday, as well as in all modem timbersports, competitors used old tech- nology to chop wood, but new technology to protect them- selves, she said. The lumberjacks at Sat- urdayJs exld]~ition all wore chainmail socks, cork shoes and when working with chainsaws, Kevlar chaps to protect their legs from a stray saw blades throughout the competition. They also used oil to lubricate saws during cross saw events, to prevent the dangerous in- struments from jumping out Located on Hwy. 101 between Shelton & Olympia 360.426.4743 Call For Details and Pricing to Other Areas www.kennedycreekquarrv.com Journal photos by Natalie Johnson At left, Dave Moses Jr., left, and Branden Sirguy compete in the springboard chop event. Above, Brian Bartow takes a tumble while competing against Jeff Skinvin in the burling event. of the log and injuring a com- petiter. The lumberjacks needed protection when handling the ridiculously dangerous "Hot Saws," which Dave Mo- ses Jr. described as, "Chain- saws on 'roids." These saws are often made from snowmobile mo- tors, but one at Saturday's exhibition required to men to handle it, and was powered by a six-cylinder car engine. "They're just for fun," Coo- per said. "There are some that are so big they take four people to lift them." Though the competition can be brutal, Cooper said that the world of timbers- ports is like a big family that always supports each of its members. Page A-8 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, June. 9, 2011 HE A [TI-IGRADES" I"0 CAPffAJ, MIfOK l. CgNTgPr'e AWARD-WINNINO "rl ,i!