Lumberjacks joust
Event has been held in Truro for the past two years
Professional lumberjacks from across the Maritimes and the northeastern U.S. will compete for top honours and prize money at the third annual N.S. Lumberjack Championships.
Professional lumberjacks from across the Maritimes and the northeastern U.S. will be competing for top honours and prize money at the third annual Nova Scotia Lumberjack Championships, to be held in Barrington on June 16.
Ryan Mcintyre, president of the North Nova Lumberjack Society (NNLS), recently confirmed that Barrington has been selected to host the provincial championship event this year.
“We haven’t finalized the venue yet,” said Macintyre. “We’ve got it down to two spots.”
Wanting to promote the sport, the North Nova Lumberjack Society initiated the Nova Scotia Lumberjack Championships in 2016. In its first year, the event was named the best overall competition on the pro-circuit by the Maritime Lumberjack Association.
“We’re pretty proud of that,” said Mcintyre. “To start one up and get voted the best is pretty good. It’s a feather in our cap.”
For the last two years the provincial championships have been held in Truro, attracting upwards of 35 professional competitors from across the Maritimes, as well as a large number of spectators. By holding it in southwestern Nova Scotia, Mcintyre said organizers are hopeful they will attract competition from the northeastern U.S., given the easy access from New England to the area via the Yarmouth and Digby ferries.
“We’re really excited to be coming down to the south shore,” said Mcintyre. “It’s really a beautiful spot to hold it. Barrington has got the heritage there. Forestry is huge and has been tied to that community for a long time.
While not all the details of the one-day pro-show are finalized yet, for the past two years competition events included springboard chop, underhand chop, standing block chop as well as a number of sawing events such as hot saw and single bucking.
“We got some of the best in the world right now in those events in eastern Canada,” said Mcintyre, adding in 2016 a world record was set in single buck, and there have been Maritime records broken both years.
“It’s pretty high-calibre competition,” he said. “We’re looking forward to putting on a great proshow down there.”