Lumberjacks compete at timbersport event

LEHI — Finishing in second place is not something Jason Wynyard really ever expects to do. Yet, for the past couple of seasons in the STIHL Timbersports Series, the seven-time series champion has watched fellow New Zeleander David Bolstad take the top spot from him.

Wynyard got a good jump on reclaiming the STIHL Timbersports Series title on Friday afternoon when he won four of six events to win Pool A in the first round of the series at Thanksgiving Point.

He placed first in the standing block, single buck, spring board and hot saw events and finished second in both the underhand chop and stock saw. Wynyard also posted the best hot saw time on the day, winning the event in 5.98 seconds.

It's an ideal start, but Wynyard is experienced enough to know competitions like these aren't won with a single good round.

"You can't really think too far ahead because you might turn around and you're knocked out of the competition," Wynyard said. "It's imperative you make it to the next round and that's the main focus. I'm just trying to do the best I can and trying to have a bit of a game plan to move forward in the competition."

Bolstad won Pool B after finishing first in three events — springboard, standing block and hot saw. In the three events where both emerged as winners, Bolstad posted better times than Wynyard in springboard and standing block. He won the standing block in 14.893 seconds compared to a time of 16.445 for Wynyard and took the springboard in 40.777 compared to 46.720 for Wynyard.

The top four choppers/sawyers in each pool advanced to compete in the next round at Columbus, Ga., in two weeks. Other qualifiers out of Pool A included Brad DeLosa, Arden Cogar, Jr., and Martin Komarek. Additional Pool B qualifiers included Laurence O'Toole, Mike Sullivan and Jean Pierre Mercier.

Komarek finished second in the hot saw to edge out series rookie Matt Cogar for the final spot from Pool A. The two were separated by a slim margin in the final event. Komarek, a native of the Czech Republic, posted a time of 7.38 seconds. Cogar finished the event in 7.42.

For those who stayed alive with Bolstad and Wynyard, it puts them one step closer to potentially upsetting the duo and handing the series crown to a different lumberjack for the first time since 1996.

"Somebody wants to knock them off for sure," Sullivan said. "There's no doubt that's what everybody is gunning for."

Four speed climbers and four boom runners advanced to today's semifinals in their respective events.Defending boom running champ Taylor Duffy suffered a pair of surprising losses to make a quick exit from the '09 series. Duffy fell off the log in her first race to fall into the elimination bracket, then lost again to Tanya Fischer, who was competing for the first time after a one-year absence from the series.

E-MAIL: jcoon@desnews.com