Virginia Beach, Va. (May 5, 2008) STIHL Inc., the creator of the premier lumberjack sports event, the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Series, announced today that Corey Christians from the University of Connecticut is the wildcard pick of the 2008 season. He will be the sixth collegiate lumberjack to compete in the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Collegiate Series Championship June 27 in Columbus, Ga. held as part of the Aflac Outdoor Games and in conjunction with the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS professional event presented by Carhartt.
Corey Christians will join Matt Bolton of Paul Smith's College, Colorado State's Adrian Flygt, Justin Jacobs of Louisiana Tech, Montgomery Community College's Matt Slingerland and Benjamin Vandermyde of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in a head-to-head battle trying to get a chop at the national title. The six amateur competitors will compete in three professional disciplines, the underhand chop, stock saw and single buck with the winner earning a spot in the 2009 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series.
"STIHL is proud to have Corey as the sixth competitor in the fifth STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series Championship," said Roger Phelps, promotional communications manager for STIHL Inc. "Corey will make an excellent contender in this national event. Along with the other competitors, he's a great ambassador for the lumberjack sport with great commitment to the sport."
The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series chose Christians because of his performance and evident talent displayed at the Northeast Conclave hosted by the University of New Hampshire. Christians placed first in the underhand chop and stock saw events but came in 10th in the single buck event, which cost him first place. His team's old M-tooth saw cost him the regional title; however, his recognizable talent landed him a spot in the Collegiate Series Championship despite his second place finish.
After earning his Associate's Degree from Paul Smith's College and transferring to the University of Connecticut, the 21-year-old philosophy major created the lumberjack club at his school in February of this year. Since its inception, the six people who attended the Northeast Conclave representing the Huskies have been searching for members just as thoroughly as they've searched for equipment.
The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series traveled to college campuses across the country to challenge amateur lumberjacks in a chopping and sawing match in front of ESPNU cameras with one competitor from each 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 Aflac Outdoor Games is a three-day event scheduled for June 27 &mdash 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 &mdash 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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