Loggers’ competition still a popular event

The loggers’ competition has become an annual attraction at the Rainy River Valley Agricultural Society’s fall fair in Emo that many people return for each year.
Starting in 1985, this annual event always has provided the crowd with what they’ve come to expect—a serious display of competitiveness and exceptional skill.
The weather co-operated this year and a large crowd was on hand at the grandstand Friday morning to see six experienced loggers vie for the prestigious title of “Champion Logger.” There were no rookie loggers this year, so the pressure was on the experienced guys to show what they could do.
This year’s competition consisted of nine events: the chainsaw speed buck, the two-man cross-cut, pole felling, chair carve, bucksaw, axe throw, pulpwood toss, axe chop, and (toughest of them all) the tea boil.
There were no clear favourites this year. Kelvin Caul had won the competition many times but his son, Jason, always was in the running. Duane Loveday, grandson of legendary logger Gaston Godbout, also was a potential winner.
Still, the other loggers, on any given day, also could surprise the crowd with enough points to win.
As each event was completed and the scores accumulated, a pattern slowly began to emerge. The Cauls certainly were racking up the points, but Loveday also was winning his share of the points.
Randy Vandenberg and the Smiths, meanwhile, were accumulating points in various categories, as well.
The pressure was definitely on—and the tension was mounting.
Probably the toughest competition came during the pole-felling event. Poles (representing trees) were placed in metal stands along the track. The purpose of the activity was for each logger to cut his tree down so that it fell on a stake which had been driven into the dirt a short distance from the pole.
In the first round, there was a five-way tie for first place with each logger hitting the stake dead-on. The second round, however, clearly established Curtis and Waylan Smith as the winners of this event.
Then came the chair-carving contest—an annual favourite with the crowd. Each man, armed with his personal chainsaw, sized up his piece of timber deciding what shape the chair would take.
This is an event where any mistake can end in disaster. Within minutes, however, most of them had fashioned a miniature chair.
Some of the designs were really amazing. The crowd usually gets to vote on their favourite chair, but because of time constraints, the winner this year was decided solely by the judges.
The final event for the morning was the infamous “tea boil.” This is the event, the loggers will tell you, where anything can happen.
The loggers are given one small piece of wood, a can of water, 10 matches, and a stick from which to hang their can. The objective is to be the first to get your water to boil over.
Curtis and Waylan Smith soon had their fire going and quickly claimed first place in this event, with Vandenberg and Loveday finishing a close second.
Kelvin and Jason Caul had a little trouble getting things going, but managed a third-place finish. Eventually, everyone managed to finish this challenging activity.
While the judges tallied up the scores, emcee Robin McCormick thanked the volunteers from AbitibiBowater for taking the time to organize and run the competition. She also thanked the numerous businesses from across the district for donating so many great prizes.
Finally, it was time for the eagerly-anticipated decision. Despite having problems with the tea boil, Kelvin Caul had accumulated enough points early in the competition to hang on to win the coveted awards of both “Safe Logger” and “Champion Logger” for 2008.
While sitting in the shade after the competition, Caul was asked if the heat had bothered him.
“No,” he replied with a grin, “it’s been hotter.”
Whether he was talking about the weather or the challenge from the other competitors, Caul no doubt will be ready to defend his championship next year.
Here are the top three finishers in each event:
•Cross-cut (two-man)—1. Jason/Kelvin Caul 2. Randy Vandenberg/Duane Loveday 3. Glen/Orville Smith
•Chainsaw speed buck—1. Duane Loveday 2. Jason Caul 3. Randy Vandenberg
•Pole felling—1. Glen Smith 2. Randy Vandenberg 3. Duane Loveday
•Buck saw—1. Jason Caul 2. Kelvin Caul 3. Curtis Smith
•Axe throw—1. Kelvin Caul 2. Orville Smith 3. Curtis Smith
•Axe chop—1. Kevlin Caul 2. Jason Caul 3. Duane Loveday
•Pulpwood toss—1. Kelvin Caul 2. Glen Smith 3. Jason Caul
•Chair carve—1. Duane Loveday 2. Kelvin Caul 3. Jason Caul
•Tea boil—1. Curtis/Waylan Smith 2. Randy Vandenberg/Duane Loveday 3. Jason/Kelvin Caul