Meet the Competitors

Mike Slingerland
Living in Rockwell, NC with his wife and 3 children, Mike is currently President of the US Axemen's Association and also of the SAWA. He competes annually on the Stihl TimberSports Series on ESPN, is a member of the US National Team and is ranked among the top overall lumberjack sports athletes in the country. Mike works for the state of NC as a physical therapist, working with handicapped children.

Daryl Weakland
A high school biology teacher, Daryl is a graduate of Syracuse University and former captain of their nationally renowned Woodsmen's Team. Daryl is currently Vice President of the SAWA and is a founding member of the association. Winner of the National "Rookie of the Year" award in 2000, Daryl has already won multiple state and regional championships and is one of the top competitors in the SAWA.

Jim Bascio
Married with two children, Jim is the owner/operator of a fencing company in Rock Hill, SC. Jim is a graduate of the University of NH where he was a top collegiate lumberjack sports competitor. Jim competes annually on ESPN's Stihl TimberSports Series and is a nationally ranked competitor in the Underhand and Standing Block chopping events.

Daniel Carpenter
Married to his college sweetheart, Daniel works for Columbia Forest Products in western NC. He is a former captain of the NC State University Woodsmen's Team and, teamed with his wife Jennifer, is one of the top Jack and Jill crosscut teams in the southeast.

Jennifer Carpenter
Also a former captain of the NC State Team, Jennifer is one of the top women sawyers in the SAWA. A champion on the college circuit Jennifer, teamed with her husband Daniel, is part of one of the top Jack and Jill sawing teams in the southeast. Jennifer and Daniel celebrated the birth of their second child just as the 2005 season began.

Barbara Slingerland
A founding member of the SAWA and current secretary/treasurer, Barbara is one of the elite female competitors in the USA. A nationally ranked sawyer, Barb competes in the double buck, hot saw and axe throw on the SAWA series. Barb lives with her husband Mike and 3 children in Rockwell, NC where she works as a Speech Pathologist for the NC Schools.

Matt Slingerland
At 14 years old Matt is already one of the top Junior competitors in the United States. Matt has been competing in the Underhand chopping event for 6 years and was the Northeast Junior Axe Throwing Champion in 2001.  Matt and his brother Eric are also quickly becoming top competitors in the Two Person Sawing event.

Eric Slingerland
Also 14 years old, Eric is now in his fourth year of chopping and his handicap is already steadily increasing. Teamed with his brother Matt, Eric is a top Junior competitor in the Two Person Sawing event and also competes very well in the Axe Throwing event. Eric was the top overall competitor at the Northeast Junior Championships in 2003.

Jimmy Lawrence
Formerly an instructor in Haywood Community College's Wood Products School, Jimmy was a top collegiate competitor in the southeast. He now serves as an advisor to Haywood's Woodsmen Team while competing professionally on the SAWA Pro Lumberjack Series. Jimmy lives in Haywood County, NC with his wife and 3 children.

Chris Pilson
Chris is a former student at Haywood Community College and comes from a family of woods workers. Chris's father is the owner of Pilson Lumber in VA. Chris is now in his third year competing professionally and continues to place regularly in the two-man sawing, hot saw and underhand chop events.

Wayne Louya
Wayne is a former MVP of the Montgomery Community College Woodsmen's team and is a key member of the SAWA. Willing to put in the long hours of training necessary to become a top lumberjack sports competitor, Wayne has a bright future on the SAWA Pro Lumberjack Series. Wayne was named the most improved axeman on the SAWA series in 2004.

Dave Strother
Dave is now in his second year competing in lumberjack sports but has been training hard with veteran competitor Wayne Louya to prepare for the SAWA Pro Lumberjack Series. Dave competes in the two man sawing event with Wayne and is quickly becoming a threat to place in every event.

Ted Rogers
Ted is married and has one child, Teddy, who competes along side his dad in the axe throwing event.  Ted's favorite event is the standing block chop.  Ted has been competing for 3 years now and places regularly in the Double Buck event.

Jonathan Rhoney
Jonathan is a recent graduate of the Haywood Community College Fish and Wildlife Program where he also competed with their intercollegiate lumberjack team.  Rhoney's best event is the Double Bucking in which he and partner Matt Williams regularly place in the top 3.

Matt Williams
Matt is also a recent graduate of Haywood Community College and competes in virtually all of the events on the SAWA Pro Lumberjack Series.  Matt was the 2004 SAWA Rookie of the Year and the 2005 SAWA Most Improved Axemen.

Brandon Garrison

A rookie in 2005, we're all looking for big steps forward in 2006 for this HCC student.  Brandon came on strong at the end of 2005 and finished the year as one of the top 4 rookies in the SAWA.

Brenda Rogers

Married to Ted Rogers Jr., Brenda competes in the axe throw and two person sawing events

Jay Blackburn

Jay is quickly becoming one of the best young competitors on the SAWA Pro Lumberjack Series.  Joining a large rookie class of competitors relatively late in the year, Jay managed big point totals at the end of the year to win the 2005 SAWA Rookie of the Year award

Dan Bryson

Teamed with Patrick Nichols, one of the premiere collegiate sawing teams in the south.  Daniel finished 3rd in the 2005 Rookie of the Year race.

Patrick Nichols

An early leader for the 2005 Rookie of the Year award, Patrick suffered a season ending injury in a motorcycle accident with just 3 contests left.  Our hopes and prayers are with Patrick for a full recovery and a return to competition for the 2006 season.

Jason Jones

This forestry student at Haywood Community College only needs to polish his skills to become one of the top competitors in the SAWA.

Jordan Lawrence

The son of top SAWA competitor Jimmy Lawrence, and a high school wrestler, Jordan is excelling in the SAWA junior competitions.  He has recently begun placing regularly in the hot saw competition.

Hollie Warren

New to the SAWA in 2005, Hollie competes on the Haywood Community College lumberjack team.

Shane Felts

Teamed with Brandon Garrison in the two person sawing, the pair has made consistent improvements throughout the year with increasingly higher placements over the last the contests of 2005.

Jennifer Buckley

Jennifer competes on the HCC team and is a real go getter as one of the few female choppers competing on the SAWA Pro Lumberjack Series

Christopher Houston

New to the SAWA in 2005, Chris competes on the HCC lumberjack team.

Trey Hardison

The newest member of the SAWA and yet another in a long list of HCC competitors.