Who knew wood chopping could be so fun?

It was probably 10 years ago that I saw my first bit of wood chopping while channel surfing at 2am. It caught my eye because it made me think, "They are showing men chopping wood with an ax?" And then came the Springboard competition. This is good.

Two men race against the clock and each other to make two notches on a massive trunk (of a tree essentially) to insert a 2x4 piece of wood. He then hops ON TOP of that plank to create his second notch and inserts that and then climbs on top of THAT plank. Then, at about 8 feet off the ground, a slim piece of wood is holding up nearly 300 lbs. of man as he is hacking away with all his might into the top of the trunk to break it away faster than his opponent and against the clock to beat all competitors. THAT WAS COOL. From that moment on, I was transfixed and whenever I was able to find the program, I stuck with it.

Skip to the present when we live in a world full of Tivo's and such where they find what we want for us with little to no effort. Espn2 has come to satisfy my craving for manly men chopping wood or using the most massive chainsaws ever to cut a disc faster than the next man. (cat sound!) Welcome to Stihl Timbersports on ESPN(2).

I've come to know Dale Ryan's shake of the head at his own disappointment, or Dion Lane's happy-go-lucky attitude even if he vacillates between being the fastest or slowest in any given event. But nothing revs the blood more than seeing Dave Bolstad versus Jason Wynyard. These are the two giants (literally and figuratively) in the world of Stihl's Timbersports for the last decade or so.

Wynyard and Bolstad are the two names you hear constantly and it's been an yearly tug-of-war for champion status with Bolstad about to overtake Wynard for overall champ. I heart Jason for his smile and his mild-mannered ease, but was saddened to see him so out of shape during the 2008 events! I hope he's been training and is back to his old self and can pull out one more win to show why he was king of the (Timbersports) world.

However, Bolstad is no easy competitor. I believe his nickname is "The Professor" and he has earned it. He is so precise with his chopping skills and even his chainsaw skills (yes, there is a skill to getting that motor started, maintaining control, and staying within 6" to cut two 2" discs), it can blow your mind. Sometimes, when you know what is the fastest time given, Bolstad would not only beat it but set a new record. Nothing makes me giddier than seeing these two battle!

This sport is physical and nothing in print can begin to describe the power these men exhibit. Also, these men whose names are synonymous with the American Stihl Timbersports are all from New Zealand. Just last year, Stephen Colbert "ranted" on The Colbert Report for our American athletes to come forward and take back the mantle of champion. Colbert put the challenge forth to Oregon's Mike Forrester who accepted... He never placed within the top 8. Our other Americans took places 7 and 8 in the overall standing, with New Zealand and Australia (like Justin Beckett) filling out all the top spots.

The question is, "Is there hope for the USA in 2009?" We'll find out starting this May.