Green is West's champion ax-man

The scent of chainsaw fumes, wood chips, and victory lingered in the California air as Sisters' own celebrity lumberjack, David Green, overcame an injured arm and fierce competition to win the Western Regional Finals of the Stihl Timbersports Collegiate Challenge presented by Carhartt.

The event took place March 20 at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California and will air on the ESPN Network. Green is a 22-year-old Sisters resident and Central Oregon Community College student who competes for the school timbersports team. He won last month in dramatic fashion to earn a coveted spot at the Collegiate Finals to be held in Columbus, Georgia, June 19-21.

He'll be joined by the other four regional finalists and one wild card entrant in a hacking, chopping, cutting frenzy to determine the 2009 National Collegiate Champion.

Stihl, Inc. is the creator and sponsor of the Timbersports series watched by millions on the ESPN Network. It's the world's premiere lumberjack sports event featuring the best Paul Bunyan athletes from over 50 universities and colleges around the U.S. The collegiate contests consists of four events: The Underhand Chop, Stock Saw, Standing Block Chop, and the Single Buck. Each event uses either a Stihl MS-460 chainsaw, seven-pound competition racing axe, or a seven-foot, old-style peg-and-rakers crosscut saw.

In preliminary competition two hours before the finals, Green got his axe stuck in a log and sub-located his deltoid muscle. He was told by officials to report to the paramedics but he refused, hoping it was a minor injury. But as time wore on, the pain increased, and going into the final event he was nervous.

"It hurt so bad, but I told myself I could do it. There was no way I was going to quit. Besides, it was the Single Buck, my best event," he said.

The Single Buck is long and brutal, nicknamed the "Misery Whip" due to its history "back in the day," when two loggers sawed through a massive tree trunk 6-7 feet in diameter. Competitors use a single-man crosscut saw to make one clean cut through 18 to 20 inches of solid white pine. Each competitor is allowed a helper to wedge the log and keep the saw blade lubricated. Time ends when the block is clearly severed.

Green's main opponent - and last year's Western Regional Champion - was Colorado State University's Adrian Flygt. Flygt plays the perfect part with his wild mop of dark hair and sinister Fu-Manchu moustache.

"He looks like he just walked out of the woods," Green said. "He's a beast."

They were head-to-head going into the final event when Green took his wounded arm out of the sling, got a good cut started, and breezed through the log in record time, winning the overall competition and collapsing to the ground in agony and ecstasy.

For his win, Green will receive air travel and lodging compensation for himself and a coach to the Columbus Finals, and a $1,000 scholarship check sent to COCC in his name.

Green was always interested in lumberjack events and remembers watching them on ABC's Wide World of Sports as a kid. About two years ago, in a World Geography class at COCC, a student did a presentation on the history and evolution of timbersports. Green later found out the college had a team, and Green went and signed up right away.

Nicknamed "Grizz," by his teammates, Green's success in local matches earned him the right to represent the school in the Stihl Collegiate Series. He makes up what he lacks in size and weight with laser focus and cunning technique.

When asked what he loves most about it, Green just grins, "I love being outside, the smell of the wood, and handling sharp objects."

In preparation for the finals, Green is trying to heal, going to physical therapy for his shoulder, and doing lots of isometric exercises. It will still be a few weeks before he can swing an axe, but he expects to be ready. In the meantime, he's been studying advanced technique from some of the top-ranking pros on Youtube and ESPN's Web site.

"The oldtimers say it's a dying art. I wish more people knew about it," Green said of his sport.

Green's future is looking very bright. In addition to his graduation this fall from COCC with a degree in Natural Resources, he's also getting married on August 15. And if that's not enough excitement, he's planning a trip to Australia next year with coach Tom Martin to enter the big Royal Melbourne Show and Royal Perth competitions.

"Down there lumberjack sports are huge, they're like the equivalent of the NBA and NASCAR, and the prize money is substantially more," he said.