In the Timber Team Relay, lumberjacks and lumberjills take the stage together competing in a series of events that starts with the Speed Climb and then continues on to the Stock Saw, Underhand Chop, Single Buck and Standing Block.

A 1-year-old girl proved to be the key in Team Clarke's gold medal winning performance in the Timber Team Relay, which closed the 2002 ESPN Great Outdoor Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. on a Sunday evening.

Arden Cogar Jr. of Charleston, W.Va., was holding his baby daughter Saturday night when drafting for the five-person teams took place. In keeping the youngster happy, Cogar walked in and out of the tent during the eight-team draft.

"I happened to walk back in the tent, Dion (Lane) saw me and said, 'Pick him,'" Cogar recalled.

The result was a one-two Lane-Coger punch in the chopping events that was too much for the other seven teams to overcome.

Lane, of Auckland, New Zealand, the silver medalist in the Men's Endurance event, and Coger led the team to increasingly faster times, culminating with the fastest Timber Team Relay time of the day in the gold medal round, at 1:28.11.

"Adrenaline coupled with ignorance is a wonderful thing," said Coger. "Dion especially widened the gap for our team and I just finished it off."

Team Clarke was captained by Allyson Clarke of Dargaville, New Zealand. Eight women timber sports competitors were selected to lead their teams and draft the other four members.

The woman on each team was required to perform the Single Buck event. The other four events in a relay are Speed Climbing, Stock Saw, Underhand Chop and Standing Block Chop.

Timber terms

Birling
Log rolling

Boom
A long string of logs that are connected end to end, for easy storage & transportation.

Buck
To cut a fallen tree into smaller sections.

Cookie
The section of wood that is severed during crosscut or power sawing events.

Cut-out
To cut over the line marked on wood by the judge that indicates the width of wood to be sawed within.

Drive
Last portion of a chopping event when the axeman places his most powerful hits to severe the block. "he's going for the drive."

Drivers
Power hits in any chopping event used to severe the wood.

Jigger
a slang term (Australia & New Zealand) c meaning "up & down."

M Tooth
Saw with a distinctive pattern of its teeth forming an "M". Each tooth acts as a cutter & raker, with every other tooth reversed, so that both sides of the groove are cut. The chips produced are small & confetti-like. An M Tooth is very efficient in hard woods.

Peg & Raker
A saw with teeth that appear in two "pegs" which cut alternate sides of the groove, a "raker" rakes the cut wood out in long, single strands. With this saw, a single cut can run the entire diameter of the wood.

Pike
Pole used in the River drive competition

Pockets
Holes cut into springboard poles into which the springboard itself is inserted. A good pocket is cut in 4 hits.

River pig
A logger who runs out into jammed logs to open the flow of timber. Also used synonymously for a "river driver" competition.

Scarf
In chopping events, the portion of wood that has been removed from the block.

Slab
A portion of the log, which has been dislodged as a result of a split off to a foothold or running up, of the first chip in the standing event. May result in disqualification. Note: competitors prepare their competition blocks by using "slab nail" around the edges to prevent.

Slide-chop
Technique used primarily by Australian axemen where the top hand slides toward the axe head after the stroke as the competitor raises the ace for the next swing.

Wedger
Assistant used in the cross-cut sawing events who wedges the wood open & lubricates the saw.