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Passion pays off.

The Annual Rick Russell Memorial Woodsmen Competition is not only the culmination of five grueling months of training and competing for the lumberjack sport, but is the event the Faculty of Agriculture is famous for each February.

A campus highlight for more than three decades, the Rick Russell Woodsmen Competition showcases one of our most unique and successful campus teams - our woodsmen.

This year, the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus woodsmen teams did not disappoint.

Both the women’s and men’s A teams secured top honors in the Rick Russell Memorial Woodsmen Competition and the Canadian Intercollegiate Lumberjacking Association (CILA). The ECHO Challenge (men’s) and men’s CILA MVP titles were also won by DAL AC ‘s Thomas Henderson.

These wins, however, took dedication, hard work and lots of practice.

Four teams at DAL AC, comprised of two women’s and two men’s teams, practice and train each day from the second week of the academic year in September until this final home competition.  After months of successful competitions in New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario, the woodsmen concluded their season with the much anticipated competition on home turf.  They weren’t alone- the stands of the MacMillan Show Center were packed on Saturday, February 6^th with cheering fans.

The competition kicked off with Dr. David Gray, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Professor Jin Yue sawing the first ‘cookie’ and the playing of national anthems for both the United States and Canada.

This year, BSc (Agriculture) students Jessie Swinamer and Connor Morse co-chaired the organizing committee under the Department of Athletics.

“Planning for the competition begins in the autumn with securing sponsorship,” explained Swinamer.  “Connor and I then followed up with businesses to add personal communication to show how important sponsors are to this event.  Sponsors help us pay for the competition wood, security, facility rental, food and trophies, and help make the woodsmen competition a success.”

Teams from eastern and central Canada representing Sir Sandford Fleming (Lindsay, Ont), Macdonald Campus – McGill University (Montreal Que) , University of New Brunswick and  Maritime College of Forest Technology (Fredericton NB)  , along with host DAL AC came together in Truro to compete for top honors, with more than 150 athletes competing.  Annual competitors from the US; teams from Unity College and Colby College (both in Maine) were scheduled to compete, but could not travel Friday due to weather and road conditions.

For Tom Henderson, captain of the men’s A team, competing at home has its advantages.

“All of our friends and families are present, cheering us on, giving us that adrenaline rush as we compete.  At the Rick Russell competition, the best times and most impressive performances happen- it’s the best woodsmen competition all year round.”

Henderson took full advantage of the home competition, leading his team to victory and securing CILA’s MVP for men.

Kathleen Glasgow, a third year BSc (Biology) student from Dalhousie University in Halifax, drove to Truro to take in her first woodsmen competition.

“Everybody in this building is in such great spirits,” said Glasgow.  “It’s a fun atmosphere, and this is one of the coolest sports I’ve ever seen!”

Promoting the event and making sure the stands are packed are all part of Swinamer’s and Morse’s responsibilities as co-chairs.

“We have to promote the event as much as possible, through phone, TV, newspaper interviews and social media,” said Swinamer.  “Filling the stands with a good crowd is really important to get the athletes hyped up and to create a great competitive experience.”

This competition is what the teams have worked toward all year.

“We have never stopped training, even during the off season,” explained Henderson, a Plant Science Diploma student.  “We get up every morning for a 6 am workout and event training, and have another 2 hour practice each evening.  It’s what gets us the results we are looking for.”

Events included team sawing, horizontal and vertical chop doubles events and single saws, axe throws, water boils, pole climbs and chainsaw heats.

The competition was a huge success, in large part due to volunteers.

“Finding judges and timers can be a challenging task, as we need 20- 30 people who are willing to volunteer their time for the whole day,” explained Swinamer.  “This year we have chosen AC woodsmen alumni for judges, as they have a strong working knowledge of the competition and rules.  Other volunteers to handle statistics and admission all help to make things run smoothly.”

The Rick Russell Woodsmen Competition is an event the team takes pride in, and comes together to organize.  In the days leading up to the competition, Woodsmen Coaches Scott Read , Geoff Larkin , Janet Walker,  Caitlyn Carroll and the entire team help to set up MacMillan Show Center.

“The competition takes a lot of work, but in the end it is always worth it to see the stands packed with aggie spirit filling the air,” shared Swinamer.

For the campus, this woodsmen competition is a time to honor Rick Russell, for whom the competition is named after.  Russell coached the woodsmen team for 24 years and upon his passing in 2004 from cancer, the event was re-named to remember his passion and dedication to the sport and its athletes.

The DAL AC woodsmen players certainly honored Rick Russell this weekend, and they have the hardware to prove it.