Wood chopping and events of this nature are common practice in rural towns and shows like Sydney's Royal Easter Show.
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On Saturday it will be Wollongong's turn to host an extreme sport where its athletes are treated like "rock stars" in countries such as the US and Germany.
The Breakwater Lighthouse will host the Australian Pro and Rookie Championships of the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® series.
This is the first time the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS ® series has returned to New South Wales since 2018.
Reigning Australian Pro champion Brad De Losa told the Mercury he was looking forward to defending his title in Wollongong.
Should he successfully defend his title, the 46-year-old will represent Australia in the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® individual World Championship in Stuttgart, Germany on November 3, 2023.
Last year De Losa captained the Australian Chopperoos team which took home a historic seventh world title in Gothenburg, Sweden.
"I had a successful TIMBERSPORTS® season last year and I would like to walk away with the title again this year," said three-time World Trophy winner and 2022 pro champion De Losa.
"There is nothing better than getting the chance to represent your country on the world stage. This year's World Championship is in Stuttgart, Germany, which is the home of STIHL, and the crowd will be like nothing I have ever experienced before.
'"They love it in Europe. It's usually held in indoor arenas with crowds of about eight to 10,000 people. It's like a rock star concert really. It's a really big event. The crowds are fanatical, they travel from all over to attend these events, it's a great atmosphere."
But first things first De Losa and his fellow professional athletes will compete in Wollongong in a series of wood chopping and sawing events.
The 12 Pro competitors will compete in six-disciplines. After the first three disciplines [Underhand chop, STIHL Stocksaw and Standing Block Chop] the top eight fastest athletes will progress to round two where they will take part in the single buck and the crowd favourite, springboard event.
The top six after this will shoot it out in round three with their custom-made chainsaws, with the athlete with the most points crowned Pro Australian Champion.
Those taking part in the Rookie Championship will compete in five of the six STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® wood chopping and sawing events, with wood sizes smaller than the Pro championship.
The international extreme sports competition series' roots lie in Australia and New Zealand, where workers in the timber industry would hold competitions to determine who was the fastest in a range of wood chopping and sawing disciplines that closely simulated their everyday work.
But De Losa said TiMBERSPORTS exploded in 1985 in the US and now athletes from about 26 countries compete in international competitions in Europe.
Entry to the Wollongong event is free.
Gates open at 11.30am with competitions starting from 12pm. The grand final is slated to be held from 4pm, with food trucks on hand until 8pm.
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
