Stihl Timbersports Series

The Stihl Timbersports Series is a series of woodsman or wood chopping competitions where the athletes compete in the use of axes and saws in manners typical for lumberjacks. It was founded in 1985, and currently includes six different disciplines, with both professional and collegiate divisions. The terms 'timbersports' and 'timber sports' are trademarked by Stihl Inc.
Stihl Timbersports began in 1985, and the earliest broadcasts were made from a field in Wisconsin, United States, using a single camera on a forklift. At this time, there was no overall Series championship. Instead, awards were given for performances in individual events on venues around the country. Stihl, however, had a vision of a series that would bring the best athletes together and let them compete in several events and thus determine who was the best overall lumberjack.
With the help of Granite State Lumberjack Shows, the Series evolved and has become a very prestigious competition. Athletes from all around the world take part in the Series with European athletes taking part in the Series since 2005.
The Series has also spawned a college series, the Stihl Timbersports Collegiate Series, involving over 60 collegiate woodsman teams in the US and Canada. The winner of this series automatically receives a seed for next year's professional series.
The Canadian Series created their first Women's Professional Division in 2013. 2017 marks the creation of their first Women's Professional Division.
The Series celebrated its 30th anniversary in the spring of 2015.
The Series involves both men and women competitors. There are currently three divisions: Men's Rookie Division, Men's Professional Division and Women's Professional Division. The three disciplines that are completed by the Pro Women's Division are Underhand Chop, Single Buck and Stock Saw. The four disciplines completed by the Men's Rookie Division are Underhand Chop, Standing Block Chop, Single Buck and Stock Saw. The six disciplines completed by the Men's Professional Division are Underhand Chop, Standing Block Chop, Spring Board, Single Buck, Hot Saw and Stock Saw.
In order to be chosen as a Stihl Timbersports Athlete, one must fill out an application form and an athlete resume. The resume consists of the best times with each discipline. After the application process they choose the top eight athletes from the East Coast for each division and the top eight from the West Coast. The Men's Professional Division automatically move on to the National Championship. The Men's Rookie and the Women's Professional Division have Qualifier Competitions on each coast, where the result being the top four competitors from each division move onto the National Championship. The Men's and Women's Professional Division does not have a maximum age limit. The Men's Rookie Division has a maximum age limit of 25. Currently there is not an established World Championship for the top female competitor. The men's divisions both compete for the top spot to move onto the World Men's Championship and the World Rookie Championship which is held in the European Union every fall. If one wins the World Rookie Division then one automatically must move up to compete in the Men's Professional Division. The Men's Professional Division also compete for spots on Team Canada to partake in the World Relay Champion's Trophy, also held in Europe every fall.
Each year, starting in 2015, the Stihl Timbersports Series celebrates athletes who have made an impact in the sport by inducting them into the Timbersports Hall of Fame. Here are the inductees:
The Series is currently seen by over 20 million viewers annually on a variety of networks across 62 countries, including ABC, ESPN, Eurosport, Outdoor Channel, Stadium and more. It is recognized as the longest running show on ESPN other than SportsCenter. Tommy Sanders has served as on-air host of the American Series since 1992, whilst Dan Anstey has hosted the Australian edition since 2017.
The Series currently involves six disciplines.
Each year across the US and world, Timbersports athletes battle to be named series champion. The Timbersports Series champions since the competition's inception are:
1985 - Mike Sullivan 1986 - Mel Lentz 1987 - Rolin Eslinger 1988 - Mel Lentz 1989 - Rolin Eslinger 1990 - Mel Lentz 1991 - Mel Lentz 1992 - Mel Lentz 1993 - Rolin Eslinger 1994 - Matt Bush 1995 - Mel Lentz 1996 - Harry Burnsworth 1997 - Jason Wynyard 1998 - Jason Wynyard 1999 - Jason Wynyard 2000 - Jason Wynyard 2001 - David Bolstad 2002 - Jason Wynyard 2003 - David Bolstad 2004 - David Bolstad 2005 - Matt Bush 2006 - Jason Wynyard 2007 - David Bolstad 2008 - David Bolstad 2009 - Jason Wynyard 2010 - Jason Wynyard 2011 - Jason Wynyard 2012 - Jason Wynyard 2013 - Brad De Losa 2014 - Jason Wynyard 2015 - Jason Wynyard 2016 - Jason Wynyard 2017 - Jason Wynyard 2018 - Laurence O'Toole 2019 - Brayden Meyer 2021 - Jason Lentz 2022 - Brad De Losa
2010 - New Zealand 2011 - Australia 2012 - New Zealand 2013 - New Zealand 2014 - Australia 2015 - Australia 2016 - Australia 2017 - New Zealand 2018 - Australia 2019 - Australia 2022 - Australia ..
.2023 - Australia