Team USA Shows Off Professional Lumberjack Chops at Stihl Timbersports Series World Championships

The world’s top lumberjacks representing 24 countries converged on Lillehammer, Norway for the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series World Championship Sept. 7-8.  In front of 10,000 international fans, Arden Cogar Jr., a civil defense attorney from West Hamlin, W. Va. placed fourth in the World Championship individual competition. Along with Arden Cogar, Matt Cogar (Arden’s cousin) from Diana, W.Va., Warrick Hallett from Glencoe, Minn., Dave Jewett from Pittsford, NY and Branden Sirguy from Port Angeles, Wash. represented the U.S. in the third-annual team relay competition. Team USA took the silver finishing 2nd overall. This year’s Collegiate Champion, Tim Benedict from Penn State University also represented the U.S. in the relay competition as a part of the international rookie relay team.

After taking the top U.S. spot in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS U.S. Championship presented by Ram Trucks for the fifth time in June, Arden Cogar advanced to the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS World Championship for his fourth consecutive appearance in this top-notch lumberjack competition. In Saturday’s individual competition finals, Cogar started strong in the springboard discipline and placed first overall in the standing block chop. However, he struggled to post competitive times in the stock saw and hot saw events which ultimately landed him in 4th place overall.

“The 2012 STIHL TIMBERSPORTS World Championship highlighted the most skilled woodsmen from around the world, representing 24 countries and more than 100 competitors,” said Brad Sorgen, producer of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series. “With the most countries competing than ever before, Lillehammer, Norway, home of the 1994 Winter Olympics, served as the perfect host for this world-class event.”

In the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series World Championship, 24 national champions chopped and sawed through six professional lumberjack disciplines, the hot saw, single buck, springboard chop, standing block chop, stock saw and underhand chop to determine the world’s best lumberjack athlete.

Jason Wynyard from New Zealand took his fifth consecutive World Championship title, and his 12th overall STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series title. Martin Komárek of the Czech Republic placed second, Laurence O’Toole of Australia placed third and USA’s Arden Cogar came in fourth.

In the third-annual relay competition, four representatives from participating countries faced off in a four-discipline race featuring the single buck, standing block chop, stock saw and underhand chop. The U.S. competitors who advanced were determined based on who posted the best times in the respective disciplines at the U.S. Championship. The U.S. team placed third in the world in the 2011 team relay competition.

Team New Zealand took first-place honors in the relay competition with the fastest time of the day. USA placed second and Australia took third. Full results are available at STIHLTIMBERSPORTS.US.

Established in 1985 by STIHL, the number-one selling brand of gasoline-powered handheld outdoor power equipment in America*, the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series, billed as the Original Extreme Sport, attracts the world’s top lumberjack athletes in a competition based on historic logging techniques. The Series is seen by millions of viewers annually in more than 62 countries on networks such as ESPNU, Eurosport, Outdoor Channel and TUFF TV.

Get the latest information, stay up to date on news and competition and access behind-the-scenes photos and videos by joining the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series community online and on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series World Championships Final Results:

Individual Competition 

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