Dowling hunts world title
It’s not always about brute strength.
That is the mindset of world champion sawyer Bobby Dowling, before his first international STIHL Timbersports World Championship in England.
Dowling said in his career he had relied on his weight to pull his saw through the wood, but he had been working on his fitness, strength and mental game before the trip to England.
‘‘When I look back now, it’s like I just had no idea.
‘‘Now, it’s about my head space and finding that level.’’
Dowling is part of the fourman national timber sports team going to England.
He wanted to put a big effort in to do his part for the team, who are the reigning champions, he said.
‘‘We are the world champions, I’m hoping to play a big part in taking the win this year.’’
Dowling, who has competed in the sport since a young age, said he was pushing himself to get to a higher fitness level by doing CrossFit.
His sporting accolades provide a long list – multiple world championship wins and beating world records in his chosen category of the single buck, which is a saw operated by one person. Dowling’s saw was nearly 2 metres tall, the biggest saw they made, he said.
‘‘I tried to get a bigger one made, but that’s the biggest they make.’’
The saws he will be using in the competitions were especially made for him for this event.
Dowling said he was probably only one of 10 people in the world who could sharpen his particular saw.
Dowling considered himself an all-rounder, aiming to take the top overall marks at events.
‘‘All the other years I’ve tried to be an all-rounder, that always encouraged me to do better.’’
He is now focusing on the single buck event only.
‘‘I thought if I focused on one event and became a specialist, it would open a lot of doors,’’ he said.
The events will be held in Liverpool, England, on October 18 and 19.
The Kiwi team will face traditional rivals, Australia, as well as Canada and the United States. A dispute between a West Coast teacher fired four weeks after revealing her HIV positive status and her employer has been resolved.
Gayle Jonker complained to the Human Rights Commission and the Employment Relations Authority about the way her HIV positive disclosure was handled by her employer.
The case has now been resolved through mediation.
Jonker said ‘‘the matter is now closed’’.
Jonker worked as a centre manager at Learning Adventures daycare centre in Cobden, which is owned by Evolve Education, for just under three months.
She was fired after speaking to The Press about living with HIV with the aim of breaking down the stigma attached to the condition.
Evolve said her dismissal was unrelated to her health status.
Evolve Education Group people and talent general manger Bev Davies said all employment matters were confidential.
Jonker had previously told The Press she was ‘‘disturbed’’ by the way her HIV positive disclosure was handled, calling it uninformed and uneducated. A letter was sent to parents, along with a child illness pamphlet.