Competitive logging actually started in Australia a long, long time ago.

back in the day in the logging camps, you know, a bunch of guys were standing around bored at night and they're like, hey, I think I can chop through that log faster than you, or I think I can cross-cut that faster than you.

And they were just racing the events are so cool, super niche.

When you tell people about it, they get excited and they're like, wow, you do that.

I've seen that on TV or ESPN or whatever.

It's like, yeah, I mean, I'm just learning, but it's super fun.

My name is Troy Ferguson, and I'm the president of CSU Logging Sports.

are really.

I grew up in a town called conifer.

It was just southwest of Denver and we had a lot of dying trees in our yard.

there's a constant, die off from beetle kill.

So even from a younger age than 15, I was out there helping my dad cut trees.

And, moving brush pile and using wood chippers and all that stuff.

I figured out that, you know, I really, really love being outside and spending my day in the outdoors and in the woods after I graduate here in a couple of months, I'm going to go up to Alaska an do some lumberjack performing.

And then as soon as I come back here, I'm going to try to find a jo with an urban tree care company.

I want them to teach me to climb and climb safely.

And at the same time, I' going to start my own business and I'm going to focus.

in rural tree remova and defensible space management.

I went abroad, to Spain, and I saw the most fit people I've ever seen on there like rowing out down a, canal.

And I was like, that's going to be me.

Next year.

I'm joining the team.

And then I realized how expensive the CSU rowing team was.

And so I talked t my roommate is she's a natural resource major.

She joined the like team, like, I think the year before.

And she's like, you know what?

You should just come out to practice.

You can drive me to see if you like it.

and the next thing I know, I'm driving to private practice.

So that's how I went little.

competing against other people, it just really made me want to be better at this.

like that adrenaline rush you have, like standing on your first block and like, like all of it coming out all at once.

It's just it's it's I don't know, almost euphoric.

And you just want to do it again.

You want to do it bette and you want to keep doing it.

It's addicting in a way.

Covid was a really big setback.

Our team dwindled down to like 4 or 5 members.

I think that's when people really started to worry about the sport you cannot find a community like this anywhere else on earth.

I've never met so many people that are willing to help others and, be mentors to other people.

It is really incredible.

Yeah, Here at CSU, though, our club is growing Our first spring comp is usually conclave We were the second biggest school at conclave this year, so we brought 29 people in the biggest, I think it was 32 and that was the hosts.

So just to be able to bring those numbers is really reassuring.

And to see people really also fall in love with the sport.

Like I did is, a huge kind of like a weight off my shoulders in a way to know that they're also being impacte by the sport in this community.

Just as much as.