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Aflac Outdoor Games Come to Columbus |
by Borden Black Lumberjacks, boom runners and
DockDogs are coming |
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You’ve no doubt seen the events on ESPN while channel surfing…strong, athletic looking guys chopping through a block of wood in a split second or scaling straight up a pole. Now, thanks to Warner Neal and the Columbus Sports Council, your family can watch the action in person.
Neal is president of Outdoor Events, a Columbus-based sports marketing company that provides event management and planning. He took a look at timbersports, attended his first event and was “blown away with the entertainment value.”
Timbersports are a world-wide phenomenon, according to Neal, with competitors coming from as far away as Australia. The second round and finals of the STIHL Timbersports Series, which will be held at the Columbus South Commons, are considered to be their “Super Bowl.” The games, sponsored by Aflac, will be recorded for broadcast on ESPN.
“Big men with sharp axes going fast.” That’s how competitor Mike Slingerland describes timbersports. He’s been involved for about three decades and says it runs in his family. His father was world champ in the ‘70s and ‘80s and now his kids are involved.
He admits the sport can be dangerous. Despite that, Slingerland feels it is a great spectator sport that should go over well in the South. “It appeals to all ages. Eight-year-olds are the most excited and the next most excited are 80-year-old men,” he laughed.
Slingerland is currently seeded number three and since the top four competitors will be coming to Columbus, he hopes to make it here.
DockDogs and Agility Dogs competitions are also scheduled for the weekend as well as a national and local barbecue cook-off.
Your dog’s flying leap off your backwater dock to fetch a stick could be a championship dive. During the Aflac Outdoor Games, pooches from around the country will vie for Dock Diving (long jump) and the Extreme Vertical (high jump) in the DockDogs series. The dog with the longest leap off the end of a dock, the “Big Air Dog,” wins. Local pets will also be able to participate. In a similar vein, the Agility Dogs competition will involve handlers directing dogs through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy.
Columbus Sports Council Executive Director Janice Davis said, “Everyone we’ve talked to has been excited about the event.” Preparation has meant a lot of coordination with volunteers and city departments. “It’s a total team effort,” Davis explained.
The goal for timbersports is to create an outdoor event that area residents can look forward to every year according to Neal. Kent Illges, president of the Sports Council Board remembers the old Salisbury Fair and hopes the new Aflac Outdoor Games will continue the tradition of bringing people together with families enjoying outdoor activity.
“It’s great entertainment for the whole family,” Neal promises.
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