The Pennsylvania Lumberjack Championship and Outdoor Show closed out its three-day tournament Sunday, bringing thousands to Bedford County throughout the weekend.
Lumberjacking isn't easy to perfect. But to win these competitions, you got to have the chops.
"This is definitely one of the top competitions to go to in the United States at the moment," said professional timber sport athlete Matthew Cogar.
In its seventh year, Bedford County native and organizer Zach Brouse told 6 News the lumberjack championship had 51 competitors, with ESPN-caliber athletes. At least 2,000 people were there to watch athletes chop, split, and saw about 40 tons of wood throughout the three days of competition.
"We have about 15 different events we're competing in — men and women," he explained. "That pretty much symbolized the traditional methods of harvesting timber back in Pennsylvania in the Northeast United States."
"Today's the finals day, so we'll have the finals," Brouse continued. "So, which is the top 10 athletes overall in the standing block chop, the underhand chop, the springboard chop, the hot saw, and the three-board jigger."
The championship attracted athletes from all over, like West Virginia native Cogar, who's been competing for 23 years now. It was his third year at the championship.
"The thing that brings me back the most is just — like — the thrill, the competition, the people that you meet, and the places you get to go. That's really the top things that appeal to me in the sport."
Brouse, a professional timber sport athlete himself, said he started the championship for the community and is glad to see it grow.
"I wanted my community to see what I do and to host a show. And all the funds that we raised this weekend — the parking donations, the vendor spots, and the lodging from the athletes — is all basically a giant fundraiser for Camp Living Waters," Brouse recalled. "They use it for youth Christian camps and youth rally and just to keep the place afloat."