Spring Meet is coming! April 23-24 - 2010-04-06

The best woodsmen’s teams in the country are coming to Paul Smith’s College
Spring Meet on campus April 23-24; ESPN to tape STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® event

CONTACT: Kenneth Aaron, Director of Communications, Paul Smith’s College
(518) 327-6297 / kaaron@paulsmiths.edu

PAUL SMITHS, N.Y. – Some of the nation’s best collegiate lumberjacks and –jills will gather at Paul Smith’s College this month for the 64th annual Spring Meet competition, the biggest collegiate event in the sport.

About 45 teams from 15 colleges and universities are expected for the two-day competition, which will take place on Friday, April 23, and Saturday, April 24. More than 1,000 spectators are expected on campus for the event.

In addition to the Spring Meet competition, the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® Northeast Collegiate Challenge will be held at Paul Smith’s on Saturday, April 24, and taped for future broadcast on ESPNU.

“Our traditions in lumberjack sports go back a long way at Paul Smith’s College - some of the first college competitions were held on this campus,” said Brett McLeod, coach of the Paul Smith’s College woodsmen’s team and an organizer of the competition. “We’re excited to bring some of today’s best collegiate lumberjacks and lumberjills to campus. These are incredible athletes, and these events are a great way for spectators to get a sense of just how fast and strong they are.”

The action begins at 7:45 a.m. both days and continues into the afternoon. Events are free and open to the public. Competitions will be held on the lawn in front of the college’s Joan Weill Adirondack Library, as well as Lower St. Regis Lake.

Paul Smith’s has fielded a woodsmen’s team since 1948, the year of the first Spring Meet. Men’s, women’s, and mixed (jack-and-jill) teams will compete in events including sawing, chopping, axe throwing, log rolling, speed climbing and canoeing.

Paul Smith’s is a perennial contender among the nation’s best teams. It holds the record for most consecutive Spring Meet victories (10), and its men’s team is the defending champion. The defending women’s team is from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

The winner of the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® events will move on to the collegiate finals, from which a competitor will earn the chance to compete on the STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® professional tour.

For more information:

www.paulsmiths.edu/athletics/timber/competition.php
www.stihltimbersports.com

Photos available at http://bit.ly/dk4ez2

About Paul Smith’s College

At Paul Smith’s College, it’s about the experience. The college, whose campus is on the shores of Lower St. Regis Lake, is the only four-year institution of higher education in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park of New York State. Our programs, in fields including hospitality, culinary arts, forestry, natural resources, entrepreneurship, the sciences, and many others, draw on industries and resources available in our own backyard while preparing students for successful careers anywhere.

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