Stihl Outdoors TimberSports Event at Thanksgiving Point

Thankgiving Point played host on June 5th and 6th, to the first round of the pro competitions for the Outdoors Timbersports sponsored by Stihl. Since its only about 2 1/2 miles away, Steve thought it would be fun to go ... he had heard there would be the dog splash jumping too. We took the girls, the camera and headed out for a new experience.

First, we found seats in the arena that was set up for the log sports. The first one we saw was the Speed Climb. Description: Using climbing “gaffs” or “spurs,” climbing rope and harness, competitors race to the top of a 60-foot pole and return to a padded crash pad. On the descent they must touch the pole with their feet at least once every 20 feet and can reach speeds of 35 mph. These are timed events that start at the signal and end when the competitor returns to the crash pad. The primary challenge of this discipline is strength and coordination on the climb, and controlling the speed as the competitor descends to ensure touching his spurs in the designated areas. It was AMAZING to watch these guys climb this!! It took them just seconds to climb the top and then they were virtually free-falling down with a couple quick stops to stick in their spurs. FAST!!

Then we saw the SpringBoard Chop. Description: A discipline based on the need for old-time loggers to establish a cutting platform above the massive root bases of old growth trees, the competitor uses an ax to chop pockets into a nine-foot poplar pole and then place 6-inch wide springboard platforms into the pockets. Climbing up on the springboards, the competitor chops through a 12-inch diameter white pine log at the top of the pole. This discipline is a true challenge of strength and dexterity because the competitor must power through the chop while balancing seven to eight feet in the air. The springboard chop world record is 32.77 seconds set by New Zealander David Bolstad in 2000.** I know it sounds crazy, but we loved watching these events. They each use two springboards and their ax. They are not roped on in anyway, so if the springboard won't hold, they have to jump down, ax in hand! I also thought it was impressive that they chopped from both sides - meaning that they had to swing both left-handed and right-handed. Two people compete at a time, but they are also timed.

Then this lady came by signing autographs for the kids ... good for the sponsors. Her name is Jenny Atkinson. She signed a photo of herself for each of our girls and then we asked to get her picture. She was more than willing, and asked if her husband could take one too. She said the sponsors love seeing pics like this. :) Her husband was carrying a TINY baby, I'd say less than 6 months old, maybe only 3 months old ... and she looks like this??? Totally unfair. My baby is 4 years old and I've still got quite the pooch on my tummy! Jenny was the 2007 World Champion in Boom Running! She's 35, been competing for 25 years and is also a 3rd grade teacher.

Our third event ... one quick boom running race. With, yep, Jenny Atkinson and another new mom! Description: This discipline mimics the skills necessary in old time logging when moving lumber down river. Featuring lumberjills, a competitor runs down and back across a string of seven logs of different shapes and sizes attached end to end in a 70-foot long pool. The boom run is a timed event with the competitor with the fastest time advancing to the next round. Boom running is a test of skill, speed and agility. Quick feet and balance are essential as a competitor seeks to make a “dry” run. Unfortunately, Jenny didn't win... But it was crazy to see them running like that. Steve was hoping for a good splash, but no such luck. They were both dry at the end ... although Jenny did stumble off the last log and got a slight injury.

4th event: Stock Saw: Description: The stock saw discipline is a true test of operator ability. The competitor uses a stock MS 660 STIHL Magnum™ chain saw and begins with both hands on the log and the chain saw idling on the deck. At the gun, the sawyer makes two cuts through 16 inches of white pine. With only four inches of wood to work with, precision is key. If a competitor saws outside of that or fails to saw a complete cookie, he will be disqualified. Jason Wynyard set the world record in the stock saw discipline at 9.81 seconds at the finals in Columbus, Ga. in 2008.** .... That's some serious sawing!

And to me, the best part of the day was who we ended up sitting near in the bleachers. Total coincidence. There was some empty space and when Steve looked up, he realized that it was right next to our 1st regular babysitter Jessica. She started babysitting for us every weekend when Alyssa was just an infant!! She babysat for us one weekend night almost every weekend for about 4 1/2 years. She's now married to Nic. When Jessica stopped babysitting for us, she was dealing with some tough issues and was sick. We really worried about her and missed her a lot (even though we did find another great babysitter shortly after she stopped babysitting). When we started discussing names for our third baby, we discussed the name Jessica. It stuck. We liked the way Jessica Lindsey sounded, we liked the possible nickname Jess or Jessi and it reminded us of our cute Jessica Perry. So, our Jessica is sort of named after our babysitter Jessica. We hung out with them for quite awhile. It was fun to catch up. She was blown away at how much the girls had grown.

After the 4th event ... the girls just needed to get up and move. We headed out to see if we could find the SPLASH dogs. They weren't "SPLASHING" so we watched some dogs running obstacle courses and then we tried a few events! Alyssa tried roping a steer...

Then she tried bull riding... when she approached the mechanical bull, it turned on her as if it was about to charge. She wasn't quite sure what to do. No matter what direction she headed to get on, it turned toward her. Then she realized I was laughing at the operator...

She showed no fear and laughed and smiled a lot while she was riding and getting thrown to the ground.

Taylor was interested in the little pool of water ... hmmmm... it was for river rafting - tossing a rope into it was the goal. All 3 girls gave it a try.

And finally ... some SPLASH dogs! If you don't know what this is, it involves a dog running down a raised platform and diving into the air to get a toy or ball their trainer has thrown. The goal is to jump as FAR from the platform as possible. The distance is measured. Some dogs can jump 20-25 feet! Its crazy! We didn't get to see any GREAT dogs, just some training, but we at least got to see some jumps. Our favorite was this dog that was ABSOLUTELY NOT about to get wet. He'd run up to the edge and STOP .. literally clawing his way back from the edge. The owner tried EVERYTHING to get him to jump. That dog would not go in. Finally, the owner, "oops" (after removing his shoes, watch, shirt, phone etc from his pocket) fell in taking the dog with him.

Aren't they cute sisters!?

Here's one dog just leaving the platform although he's kind of hard to see because he blends into the platform and trees a little.

Overall, a very fun day that I'd do again next year if given the chance. It was just fun to do something spontaneous and new and to spend time with the girls and Steve (seeing Jessica and Nic was an added bonus!).