Too hot to saw
The 100 degree Georgia heat takes its toll on competitors, but they have been through worse
COLUMBUS, Ga. — There's a thermometer leaning up against the boom run pool at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Pro Series final presented by Carhartt, close enough for the competitors on stage to read before they start their event.
At its worst on Friday, the needle was beating against the 120 degree mark, which is as far as it could go.
There are 16 TIMBERSPORTS competitors (eight competing on Friday) at the Aflac Outdoor Games and 14 spent most the day huddled under a 10 foot by 10 foot tent. The only two not hiding from the sun were the two competing.
"It's boiling on the stage," said emcee Kevin Holtz.
The heat is tough on the endurance and the sun drains the competitors' energy, but according to professional Mike Sullivan, who competes on Saturday, it's sweaty hands that cause the most concern.
"Nobody likes slippery hands when you're swinging a 6-pound ax," Sullivan said. "It's like if it rains. It makes the ax hard to hold and makes it hard to get a feel."
Defending champion David Bolstad said these are the most dangerous conditions you can have at a STIHL TIMBERSPORTS event, but professional Dave Jewett said it's not anything new.
"We've been competing in conditions like this for years," Jewett said. "We're used to it."
And that's a good thing because it doesn't look to be getting any better. The second pool of the semifinals on Saturday, according to weather.com, have more hundred degree heat to look forward to.
But it's not the worst STIHL TIMBERSPORTS has seen. Jewett, Bolstad and Slingerland all agreed that Lake Charles, La., August 26-27, 2005 was the hottest. It was a qualifying event that ended literally hours before Hurricane Katrina ravished the area.
"That was absolutely the worst," Jewett said. "The heat and humidity just made it miserable."
