I stood on a block of wood and lifted a razor sharp axe above my head.
I reminded myself to look at the line on the block and keep my nose over it. I was very aware of how close my toes (protected by chainmail) were to that line. When I brought the axe down I fought an urge to close my eyes. The axe head buried itself in the wood … well, it went in like an inch … sort of close to the line. The whole thing flew by in like 10 seconds.
Which wouldn’t be so bad except the person who was watching and coaching me can get through the whole block in under 20 seconds. Bless him for not laughing.
Stirling Hart, a world champion Stihl Timbersports athlete, offered to give me a lesson on the standing block chop discipline, one of six included in the Timbersport series. Hart is in town to compete in the 2018 Canadian Championship event held at Wasaga Beach today through Sunday.
The standing block chop is meant to simulate felling a tree with an axe. There is a “block” of wood (it’s round with a flat top) secured vertically. The athlete has to chop through the wood completely as quickly as possible while also standing on top of it. The strategy is to chop half way through one side, then turn around and chop the other side. The axe comes down into the log under the athlete’s feet.
According to Hart, most athletes can perform at a rate of one chop per second. The idea is to get through the wood in as few chops as possible.
Based on my first performance, and my chopping speed, I may qualify as half-time entertainment. “The amazing, slow-motion lumberjack.”
Hart did say I was a “natural,” and reassured me everyone “has to start somewhere.”
Though I believe those comments are more a testament to his coaching and not my ability.
If a tree falls in the forest, chances are, I didn’t cut it down.
I could totally pull off the chainmail sock/shin guard combo as a regular wardrobe rotation though. I’ll just wait here for my Stihl sponsorship offer.
Hart is the current world champion in a trophy endurance event that has athletes perform four disciplines in a row through four qualifying rounds. Hart completed all four disciplines in under 65 seconds to win the title. He’s the first Canadian to win the world trophy, which he won in France last month. He was second in 2017 in Germany. Hart received his first axe at the age of four. He’s at home with an axe in his arms.
While he walked me through the process, Hart made several comparisons to golf (figures, I’m also very bad at that sport).
Hart brought six axes with him to Wasaga Beach for the championships this weekend. He tried all six on the block of wood saved for me. Each act has subtle differences in the angles (there are three different angles on each axe head) and the grind making them more effective in different types and densities of wood.
He chooses an axe for how well it cuts and how easily it comes back out of the wood.
The wood blocks for the Wasaga Beach event have come from British Columbia, where Hart lives and operates a forestry business.
“When the block you’re chopping comes from your region, that’s a huge advantage,” said Hart.
Every competitor will get a block of wood from the same tree. They draw numbers for specific blocks, and that’s about as fair as it gets when you’re dealing with a natural product.
The axes are razor sharp, and most of them have a name. Hart says he sometimes names the axes for the competitions he uses them in. One has the name “Wise” scrawled in black sharpie at the bottom end of the handle. He used that to win the Tony Wise trophy.
“Just about everyone in Timbersports has an incident with an axe,” said Hart, whose own face bears a four-inch scar across his cheek.
He got his scar in the springboard event when the axe fell out of the tree and hit him across the face. He went on to set the Canadian record for that event.
“That’s really getting back on the horse,” he said.
This is the first time the Stihl Timbersports Canadian Championships has taken place in Wasaga Beach, and Hart said he was thrilled to be on the water and looking forward to a swim between rounds.
“It doesn’t get much better than being on a lake,” said Hart.
Qualifier events begin this afternoon (July 19) at 4 p.m. with more competition events Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Click here for a full schedule.