ESPN TIMBERSPORTS

COLUMBUS, Ga.—STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Collegiate Series competitor Matt Bolton has prepared for his semifinal appearance at these Aflac Outdoor Games since he first won the Northeast Conclave at the University of New Hampshire in April. But the Paul Smith's College senior hasn't trained anywhere near the New York campus after qualifying for the finals in Columbus, Georgia.

Instead, the 24-year-old made Alaska his home, and began working in Rob Scheer's Great American Lumberjack shows in Ketchikan.

On Saturday, Bolton's time in the Last Frontier State paid off.

"I think the training up there has definitely helped me," the dominant, collegiate lumberjack said. "And the tree climbing has definitely increased my endurance."

The Canandaigua, New York native finished in first place in all three Collegiate Series events while moving on to Sunday's Collegiate Series finals. Five other student-lumberjacks, winners of additional conclaves from across the country, competed in the stock saw, underhand chop and single buck events in the semifinal round on Saturday.

With only the top two contestants from each event advancing to compete head-to head, only Corey Christians, Adrian Flygt and Matt Slingerland will join Bolton on the final day for a chance to gain additional points. Sunday's overall winner in each of the three disciplines will claim the Collegiate Series championship title and earn the right to join the ranks of the STIHL Professional Series.

"I've been trying to train more aggressively for this," said Flygt, the Western Conclave winner representing Colorado State University. A former football player in high school, Flygt advanced to Sunday with an 11.15-second, second-place finish in the stock saw.

"I was happy with the stock saw but didn't read the block too well in the underhand chop," he said.

In the underhand chop, 21-year-old Corey Christians from the University of Connecticut, finished 5.1 seconds behind Bolton. Christians' second-place performance secured his date to compete on Sunday.

"I did a lot of lifting over the winter and have been working at Mountain Workshops this summer," Christians said, smiling about his results in the event. "I've been helping kidsgoing rock climbing and caving, too."

"I feel like I can do much better," the Montgomery Community College student said about his day before he headed for his last event. "I'm trying to block out the crowd as much as possible and just focus on my cuts."

Once onstage and in his element with his saw, Slingerland shined. With his famous father shouting encouragement and serving as his wedge-man, Matt sliced through the white pine in 17.53 secondsjust three hundredths of a second behind the event's winner. Both Slingerlands looked immediately at the unofficial time as the severed cookie fell upon the wooden floor, then nodded to confirm their belief the younger Slingerland would compete on Sunday.

But the day clearly belonged to Bolton. And facing three different competitors again in the same three disciplines on Sunday, he was asked if he would seek for any tips from the pros before the final competition begins.

"I might pick their brain a bit," Bolton said. "But I've watched them enough now to know what to ask and not ask them."

Unfortunately for Louisiana Tech University's Justin Jacobs and Ben Vandermyde from Southern Illinois University, Columbus represented the end of the road for the Southern and Midwestern Conclave winners, respectively.

After he had missed his introduction while sharpening an ax backstage, Jacobs had predicted his eventual outcome even before the first blade touched wood.

"I guess I'm just not with the rest of them today," he said.