- Balance, either you got it or you don't.

Whoa.

Whoa!

Stick around.

I'm gonna take on a world champ.

Best of three, best of five, best of seven (rock music introduction) Picture this.

It's 1889, 21,000 people gathered in Minneapolis to witness a spectacle.

It's not a presidential speech.

It's not a parade.

It's not a baseball game.

You know what it was?

Log rolling!

In the world of water sports, motors, jets, and tech rein supreme./ But we're gonna try out this 130 year old low tech, motor-less sport to see if we can't get the same thrills they were getting back then We're here at the Minneapolis chain of lakes, not far from St. Anthony Main, where that original event took place.

So break out your red and black lumberjack with a hat to match and everybody get your roll on.

The premise of log rolling is and always has been pretty straightforward.

You wanna stay on the log longer than your opponent.

Now the history of this comes from when the lumber industry used to transport their logs just by floating them down the river and the lumber jacks using their spry skills agility and balance and obvious total disregard for their physical safety to dislodge these log traffic jams to continue those logs on their path, down to the mill.

Modern technology has replaced the need to float timber downstream, but competitions across Minnesota and Wisconsin pay homage to the logging industry that blossomed around these parts.

They include events that require agility like log rolling and boom running.

Boom running consists of athletes running across floating connected logs as fast as possible without taking a spill.

That's some north country ninja warrior stuff right there.

We're about to meet up with Abby Delaney a champion boom runner, and a very enthusiastic log roller.

I think she might be able to teach me a thing or two.

Hey, Abby, very stoked to be here.

It seems like you kind of know your way around this scene.

How did you get into it?

- I actually come from a family of world champion log rollers.

My mom is a seven time world champion.

She grew up in Northern Wisconsin and as a really active young girl in the late sixties with not that many opportunities for sports she just fell into log rolling.

- Whoa.

That's seven times, huh?

- Yeah.

- I heard you have a few championships under your - I have a few under my belt as well.

Yes, but it is a small world of log rolling.

And I will admit - That's awesome.

In this show, we don't like sitting around too long.

So how about we hop in these kayaks and see if we can keep the crew dry.

So what's it like being a world class log roller?

- It's just like doing any other sport.

It's a, log rollings an amazing athletic activity.

- I feel like injury is possible.

- No, you know, that's actually a common misperception with log rolling.

It's a very safe sport.

When you fall off, you just fall off into the water.

It's really rare to fall onto the logs.

Cause there's not a lot of injuries or anything like that.

- Low impact.

- Yeah.

Low impact.

- So log rollings probably come a long way from the 1800's.

What would be something that you'd point out as an advancement in the sport?

- Yeah.

Well actually, so I created the first synthetic log rolling log.

You know, log rolling has people have been really intrigued by it for a long time and it just never really was able to grow because of the equipment itself.

We were using 500 pound Cedar wood, log rolling logs and we're making it more accessible to people with a lighter weight, portable log.

- So someone like me, you know how to begin as usually fair.

- You know, when you first try log rolling, it's probably gonna be unlike anything you've ever done before.

It involves balance, foot speed, core work.

It's also like riding a bike.

Once you figure it out, you never forget it.

- All this talking has got me excited.

I'm ready to get my feet wet.

Luckily right across the way we got the Minneapolis log rolling club.

I'll race you there.

- Let's roll.

(upbeat piano) - All right, here we are.

Tell me a little bit about what we got going on here.

- Yeah.

So they are in a log rolling match.

See they're constantly moving their feet.

They're looking down at each other's feet to see you know what they're gonna do.

Log rolling is all about your core strength, your foot speed, balance.

And again the number one thing is to never stop moving your feet.

- What are these yellow things right here?

- So these are the training fins that slow and stabilize the key log for beginners to create a progression to learning.

So we'll get, you started with three.

- I need that.

- And then as you improve, you can just remove them one by one.

And the key log will spin a little bit faster.

- Is there any like competitive techniques that you use to throw up your opponents or anything like that?

- There is log rolling is a sparring sport.

So just like boxing, wrestling, or tennis there is strategy.

You know, you're trying to dislodge your opponent or to stay on longer than they are.

You're on one log with another person.

You can't touch them.

And there's a center line.

You can't cross the center line.

It's simple but exciting.

- I'm glad we got training wheels.

I need the water wings on there for sure.

Nice.

Well, let's get into it.

Are you gonna teach me how to do it?

- Let's do it.

Okay, now look down here look at my hands.

And now bend your knees, bend your knees.

There you go.

Look, move your feet really fast.

Like that.

That's it.

That's it.

That's it.

- All right.

Not bad for the first time.

- There you go.

Yep.

That's it.

There you go.

And you were starting to kind of fall off forward this way and then you sat back almost like in chair pose in yoga.

So drop your butt and keep your shoulders up.

- I've done a few chair poses in my life.

- I'm doing it.

- I think get rid of, I think we So you're almost getting to the point now where like you could like take a training pin off and it'll spin a little bit faster.

- Ooo we're already to that step?

All right, I'll take a fin off.

Definetely faster.

- Sit back.

- When it starts going then I'm like ah!

My steps get bigger.

- Whoa!

- Little steps!

Little steps!

Here we go.

- Nice!

There we go!

That'll get your feet going.

- I was just about to start talking smack.

(laughter) - So sit back into it and then you can keep your core.

Everything is kind of from the waist down.

There you go.

Nice.

- I was gonna try to kick.

Should we take one off?

I got this.

I got this.

Whoa.

Oh!

- Oh, look at this.

Skill!

Oh yeah.

- Yes!

Keep moving!

- Not every day.

You get to get on a log with a real champion.

No more finning around.

We're going for a no holds barred competition.

- Yeah.

- Best of three.

Best of five.

Best of seven Simple but not easy.

That's what I, I use that to describe a lot of things in my life.

Finding the simplicity in the challenge you know, that's it's, it's definitely here.

- Yeah.

- That is present in this sport.

Well, thanks again for teaching me.

It's great meeting you.

- Yeah, thanks for learning.

- Yeah.

Well, you know what?

I got a roll.

So that's log rolling.

Historic sport with a little modern take.

My legs are sore.

I was outta breath several times.

Now what I did expect was this is gonna be challenging.

Without struggle there's no growth, right?

What I didn't expect through all that chaos the kicking, falling, the splashing.

was those moments of Zen that show up when you're just in the flow.

Something just challenging enough to take all of your attention and put you fully in the moment, surrounded in nature, having a good time hope to see you next time.

Chance.

Signing off!