Virginia Beach, Va. (May 28, 2008) – STIHL Inc., the creator of the premier lumberjack sports event, the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series, announced today the six collegiate contenders who will compete for the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series Championship title. The event will be held June 27 in Columbus, Ga. as part of the Aflac Outdoor Games and in conjunction with the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® professional event presented by Carhartt.
The following collegiate lumberjacks will chop and saw their way through three professional disciplines to try and win the national title:
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Matt Bolton, Paul Smith’s College
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Corey Christians, University of Connecticut
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Adrian Flygt, Colorado State University
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Justin Jacobs, Louisiana Tech University
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Matt Slingerland, Montgomery Community College
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Benjamin Vandermyde, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
The six competitors will compete in the underhand chop, stock saw and single buck with the winner earning a spot in the 2009 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series.
“STIHL has produced the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series for ESPN for five years, and we’re honored to offer this opportunity to students,” said Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager for STIHL Inc. “We created the Collegiate Series to support collegiate interest in the sport around the country and help develop the next top U.S. athletes.”
The Collegiate Series traveled to college campuses across the country to challenge amateur lumberjacks in a chopping and sawing matches captured by ESPNU cameras with one competitor from each regional conclave receiving the honor to compete for the revered lumberjack title.
Each regional champion earned his school a $1,000 scholarship from STIHL, and, as part of his win, STIHL will pay each finalist’s way to the Collegiate Championship, including travel and lodging for the lumberjack and his coach. The winner of that event earns a spot in the 2009 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series.
The Aflac Outdoor Games is a three-day event scheduled for June 27 – 29 in Columbus, Ga. In addition to the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series and Professional Series Championships, the Aflac Outdoor Games will include sporting dog events and a national barbecue contest officially sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society.
The Collegiate Series Championship held at the Aflac Outdoor Games will be broadcast later this year on ESPNU. Fans of the series can also get the latest information and up-to-date news and video on all the competitions by signing up for the Quick Cuts e-newsletter at
www.stihltimbersports.com
.
For more information, go to
www.ESPNOutdoors.com
and click on TIMBERSPORTS, or visit
www.stihltimbersports.com
.
About STIHL Inc.
STIHL Inc. manufactures the world's largest selling brand of chain saws and produces a full line of powerful, lightweight, and versatile handheld outdoor power equipment for homeowners and professional users. STIHL products are sold through independent servicing power equipment retailers from coast to coast – not mass merchants. For more information or for the name of the closest STIHL retailer call toll free 1-800-GO STIHL (1-800-467-8445) or visit STIHL's Web site at
www.stihlusa.com
.
STIHL Inc. is the official underwriting sponsor of the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series presented by Carhartt. The series airs throughout the year on the ESPN2 cable network, and the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Collegiate Series airs on ESPNU.
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