The wood chips will fall where they may when the West Virginia University Woodsmen Team hosts the 8th annual Lumberjackin’Championship at Mylan Park Horse Event Center April 8-9.
WVU ’s woodsmen and women will compete against Virginia Tech, Penn State , Penn State Mt. Alto, Haywood Community College and North Carolina State on Saturday, with events beginning at 10 a.m. and running until 4 p.m.
We will be cutting wood for speed, using razor sharp technique, crosscut saws, axes and chainsaws,said Doug Bailes, team captain and a wood science and technology major from Mount Nebo .
Professional competitors will be chopping and sawing for cash prizes beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday. Mylan Park will be providing food and concessions for the event on both days. Admission is free and open to the public.
Another WVU student organization, the Davis College Student Ambassadors, will help with the activities as part of the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences’continuing efforts to promote equine activities and programs. The Ambassadors are undergraduate students who assist the college with recruitment efforts.
WVU ’s Woodsmen Team has been enjoying a strong competitive year.
On Feb. 18, the team won overall honors at the Virginia Tech Timbersports Collegiate Competition in Blacksburg , competing against Haywood Community College , North Carolina State and Virginia Tech.
The weather was miserable, snowy and 24 degrees, but the team did extremely well,said Kristin Lockerman, team member and forest resources management major from Hockessin , Del.
WVU placed first in the jack&jack crosscut, jill&jill crosscut, jack&jill crosscut, aerial photography and underhand chop.
The Woodsmen Team was founded in 1939, as a sub-group of the Forestry Club. While its membership primarily consists of students in WVU ’s Division of Forestry and Natural Resources, any student is eligible to join.
The team, led by co-captains Bailes and Bryan Vandigo from Chardon , Ohio , both wood science and technology majors, currently has a roster of 12 members. The WVU Woodsmen Team represents programs in agricultural and environmental education, animal and veterinary sciences, civil engineering and forest resource management, among others.