Pictured is Owego native Alexis Halstead during a boom run competition, where the competitor is challenged to run across logs on the water. Alexis is one of 50 competitors, including about 15 women, featured at the Tioga County Fair Lumberjack Competition scheduled for July 11 at the fairgrounds located in Marvin Park in Owego, N.Y.
Owego, N.Y. native Alexis Halstead is one of about 50 competitors lined up for the second annual Lumberjack Competition to be held on Saturday, July 11 at the Tioga County Fair. The Fair is scheduled for July 7 through July 11, and takes place at the fairgrounds located at Marvin Park in Owego, N.Y.
The lumberjack competition event will showcase the skills of approximately 34 men and 15 women as they compete in various events on the professional lumberjack level. Part of the New York State Lumberjack Association (NYSLA) circuit, the Owego stop is one of several NYSLA events held across the state from May through September. In addition to athletes coming in from all across New York State, lumberjacks and lumberjills are traveling to Owego from various northeast states.
Events stacked up at the lumberjack competition include the axe throw, women’s and men’s single buck, open and modified chain saw, women’s and men’s underhand chop and women’s fire build, just to name a few.
The number of women athletes participating at lumberjack competitions has grown significantly in recent years, bringing to the sport some serious ambition and talent.
Alexis Halstead, a 2013 graduate of Owego Free Academy, grew up around the lumber industry at her family’s business, Halstead Lumber. A recent graduate with a degree in Culinary Arts from Finger Lakes Community College (FLCC) in Canandaigua, N.Y., it was there, two years ago, that she began competing on the collegiate level.
The FLCC Jack and Jill Team, including Alexis Halstead, won a collegiate championship held at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. in April 2015, which included competing against twelve northeast colleges.
“When I competed, my Jack and Jill team won the championship and I won my singles event, which was burling,” shared Alexis. She placed third in the single buck event, where a competitor makes one cut through up to 19 inches of wood using a single man crosscut saw.
Experienced in multiple events, Alexis has competed in the underhand chop, where a competitor races to chop through a 12 to 14 inch log, while standing on it with feet apart. Alexis will participate in the “Team Fire Build” at the fair, a timed event where a team of two will be given a can of water, a wood block and three matches, challenging them to quickly start a fire to boil water.
Practicing nearly every day at home, Alexis also practices once a week with other athletes, and has competed in and trains for another passion, log rolling competitions. Future plans include continuing her education at SUNY-Cobleskill and competing on the collegiate level there, as well as pursuing more professional level competitions.
New this year at the Tioga County Fair, spectators will be able to watch the competition under covered bleachers. Rain or shine, the events are scheduled in two shows – from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m., allowing spectators to choose which three hour time slot to watch. Also new this year, the competition will be filmed by “The Sports Network” of Canada, and was made available on the Internet at a later date.
Event organizer and Commissioner of Tioga County Public Works, Gary Hammond, shared that he was originally approached by the Tioga County Fair Board to organize the event, as an effort to bring back more traditional events to the fair. As a past competitor himself and involved in the lumberjack community for over 30 years, Hammond will take on the role of announcer at the event, offering experienced insight during the competition.
While describing the axe throw, where competitors throw an axe at a bulls-eye target 20 feet away, Hammond shared, “The axe throw event is for both men and women, and it’s all based on skills,” and he added, “And nerves, too.”
Hammond believes the additional competitors participating this year, along with breaking up the competition into two small shows, as well as the increase in popularity of the sport will attract even more spectators.
Competitors will vie for prizes. The Lumberjack Competition is sponsored by Tioga State Bank with assistance from ECHO Chain Saw.
The Tioga County Fair is the second oldest fair in New York State. For more information, visit the tiogacofair.com, the ‘Tioga County Fair’ on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter @TiogaNYFair.
