ESPN TIMBERSPORTS

COLUMBUS, Ga. — In the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Professional Series presented by Carhartt, there are six individual disciplines.

New Zealander Jason Wynyard holds the record in three of those six disciplines. He has won the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Championship a record seven times, and in the opening rounds of the 2009 Series notched 46 out of 48 possible points in his pool — the most dominating performance of the event.

On paper, Wynyard is the best lumberjack in the world. But his last STIHL TIMBERSPORTS title was in 2006.

As for 2008, well that's a competition Wynyard would like to forget after finishing a full 11 points behind countryman David Bolstad.

In the world of STIHL TIMBERSPORTS, that's the equivalent of a serious whoopin'.

"No one likes getting beaten, it's a tough thing in any sport," Wynyard said. "I don't take it too well. I think anyone at the top of their sport doesn't take to losing very well, and I'm no different. I definitely want to win."

Wynyard said he was plagued with injuries last year at the finals, not to mention a faulty hot saw and a difficult pool draw that forced him to compete on back-to-back days. But Wynyard isn't making any excuses.

"I'm not really a vengeful person, but what I want to do is put my best out there, and I feel I wasn't able to do that last year," he said. "This year I really want to do that … I know I'm capable of world records in just about all of the events, so it'd be a nice time to put them up in the finals, hopefully if everything goes well."

Wynyard's potential to unseat reigning champ Bolstad is boosted by a new hot saw that allowed him to post the fastest time of any pool in the opening round in Utah, a blistering 5.99-second run. The fact that Wynyard even has a hot saw to compete with is a load off the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder's shoulders. Last year his machine, his "Achilles heel" as he called it, was so unreliable that he was forced to rely on a friend's saw to stay afloat in the competition.

"My hot saw problems have been probably about a seven-year thing for me," Wynyard said. "I've had just a lot of bad luck and haven't been able to have a machine that's able to keep a chain on for a few years now.

"I really decided after last year that I wanted to build my own and try and eliminate some of the stuff that was going on. It took me a while, really it took me two years to build the machine, and I think I've come up with something that's really consistent and is going to do the business for me I think, as long as I'm up to operating it. It's definitely got the capabilities of breaking some world records."

But machines aside, Wynyard has one very human obstacle to overcome — a more driven than ever David Bolstad. A quick comparison of the fellow New Zealanders' performance in Utah reveals them to be in a dead heat, with Bolstad posting top times in the springboard, stock saw and standing block, while Wynyard was quicker in the underhand, single buck and hot saw.

There are also several competitors who could play spoiler by winning their specialty event and thereby stealing points from either Wynyard or Bolstad. Brad DeLosa, a top chopper from Australia, is one of those competitors. He bested Bolstad in the underhand chop in Utah and narrowly missed doing it again in the standing block.

"Ever since I was younger I grew up cutting against [Bolstad] and Jason and them sort of guys," DeLosa said. "You sort of think when you're younger that they're unbeatable, but then once you get up and do actually beat them in a few events, your mental attitude changes."

As for Bolstad's dominating performance in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS finals last year, DeLosa chalks it up to a combination of mental fortitude and the misfortune of Wynyard.

"[Bolstad] just seemed to be very focused last year compared to normal," DeLosa said. "I think he was just pretty hungry to win it and just rose to the occasion. Jason had a few problems and sort of had a few hiccups, but David was definitely focused all the way."

Other competitors who could raise a challenge to the dominance of Bolstad and Wynyard include Justin Beckett, who took Pool D in Utah; Dale Ryan, the winner of Pool C; Australian chopping champion Laurence O'Toole; and perennial third-place finisher Dion Lane, whose newly svelte figure (he has dropped approximate 150 pounds since last season) has yet to prove either helpful or hindering to his performance.

But as far as Wynyard is concerned, there's only one performance that matters — his own. "I'm more concentrated on my own performance," he said. "I'm not really too worried about who I'm coming up against. [Bolstad] is a top competitor; it's not like last year was the first time he's won the championship.

"It just shows you what he's capable of, and I'm here because I want to go up against him, and I want to prove myself against him. That's why I'm back to the USA and trying to make the finals."

The Aflac Outdoor Games get under way Friday, June 19 in Columbus, Ga. Stay tuned to www.stihltimbersports.com and www.espnoutdoors.com for full coverage.