STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® KICKS OFF 40TH SEASON WITH SECOND ANNUAL NORTH AMERICAN TROPHY EVENT

Milestone anniversary season promises intense competition between the world's most elite athletes as they chop and saw for a chance at glory on Italian soil

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., April 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Forty years after its inaugural competition, STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® is kicking off its 2025 season with the second annual North American Trophy event on May 3 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Last year's competition was dominated by seven-time U.S. Champion Matt Cogar, who's back to defend his title and return to the top of the podium after being defeated by rising star Nate Hodges at the U.S. Men's Championship. Hodges will be making his return after chopping his way to gold in the 2024 Individual World Championship, ready to go back up against long-standing rivals like Cogar and third-generation lumberjack athlete Jason Lentz.

The competition is also heating up in the U.S. women's division this year at the U.S. Championships in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this July. STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® powerhouses Erin LaVoie and Martha King – both three-time U.S. champions, with LaVoie conquering last year's competition – face off for the coveted back-to-back title.

The season culminates in October, with the grand finale at the World Championships in Milan, Italy:

• May 3: North American Trophy (Virginia Beach, Virginia). 
• July 25-27: U.S. Championships (Milwaukee, Wisconsin).  
  • July 25-26: U.S. Men's Semi-Finals.
  • July 26: U.S. Women's Championship. 
  • July 27: U.S. Men's Championship.
• October 24-25: World Championships (Milan, Italy).
  • October 24: Team World Championship.
  • October 25: Individual World Championship.

"Forty years ago, STIHL pioneered TIMBERSPORTS® as the Original Extreme Sport, giving axe wielders and wood choppers a stage on which to showcase their skills," said Adam Wolff, STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® USA Team Manager. "This season is sure to be one of the most thrilling yet, with athletes pushing the limits of strength, speed, and precision in every competition. Fans can expect epic showdowns and non-stop action as the athletes fight their way towards glory at the World Championships in Milan."

BATTLE AT THE BEACH WITH U.S. VS CANADA
May 3, Virginia Beach, Virginia
The highest ranked lumberjack athletes from the U.S. and Canada will go head-to-head in the North American Trophy event at the 24th Street Stage in Virginia Beach, right along the iconic oceanfront boardwalk. Sixteen competitors will push their limits in a rapid-fire, single elimination format as they race through four sawing and chopping disciplines back-to-back in under 90 seconds. The Trophy event is a true test of grit and endurance, and only one athlete will be crowned the winner in this intense showdown between two of the best nations in lumberjack sports.

SAWDUST & STEINS: STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® AT GERMAN FEST
July 25-27, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
For the third straight year, STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® is headed back to German Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 25-27 for the U.S. Men's and Women's Championships. With a $275K prize purse on the line, the stakes are high as the most elite lumberjacks and lumberjills in the nation battle it out for a shot at the podium.  

Set against the scenic shores of Lake Michigan, the three-day festival celebrates German culture and tradition, with STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® taking center stage as the headlining event. The weekend will initiate with 24 lumberjacks competing in all six disciplines in the U.S. Men's Semi-Finals on July 25-26, all vying for a spot in the championships. To culminate the evening on July 26, 12 fierce lumberjills will face off for the title in the U.S. Women's Championship. Then on July 27, the top-seeded men from the semi-finals will fight for the crown in the U.S. Men's Championship, and the winner will represent the U.S. at the Individual World Championship.  

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS HELD IN ITALY FOR THE FIRST TIME
October 24-25, Milan, Italy
The STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® 2025 World Championships will take place in Milan, Italy on October 24-25 at the Allianz Cloud Arena. It will be the first time the most prestigious competition in elite logger sports will be held on Italian soil, as 120 of the world's finest axe-men from 20 nations battle across two days of high-octane wood chopping and sawing. The excitement kicks off at the Team World Championship on October 24 as nations go head-to-head in a knockout format with four athletes on each team powering through four disciplines in a fast-paced relay race. Team USA will have their sights set on Team Australia, who won their fifth consecutive world title in 2024.

The Individual World Championship will occur on October 25, where the world's top 12 athletes will compete across all six TIMBERSPORTS® disciplines in a three-round elimination format. In each discipline, the competitors will accumulate points based on the time it takes them to slash through their blocks, with the lowest ranked athletes eliminated at the end of each round. When the sawdust settles, the athlete with the most points will be crowned the 2025 Individual World Champion.

TUNE INTO TIMBERSPORTS® AT HOME
Fans can livestream the North American Trophy, U.S. Championships, and World Championships on the STIHL website at www.stihlusa.com or the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® YouTube and Facebook pages. Results for all competitions, domestic and international, can be found on the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® database at data.stihl-timbersports.com.  

Want to relive some of the most electrifying moments from the 2024 season? Tune into FOX Sports FS1 on select dates to watch the top athletes duke it out all over again:

• 2024 North American Trophy – Friday, April 4 at 8:30PM EDT
• 2024 U.S. Women's Championship – Friday, May 9 at 10:00PM EDT
• 2024 U.S. Men's Championship – Sunday, May 25 at 12:00PM EDT
• 2024 World Championships – Sunday, June 29 at 10:30AM EDT

Additionally, fans can stay up-to-date on the U.S. season throughout the year on the U.S. STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® website at www.stihlusa.com/stihl-timbersports and follow U.S. STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® social media channels on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® is proud to welcome back returning sponsor John Deere for the 2025 season. 

About STIHL TIMBERSPORTS®
STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® is an international lumberjack sports competition series. Its roots lie in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States. Today the world's best athletes compete in national and international events featuring three axe disciplines and three sawing disciplines. Springboard Chop, Underhand Chop and Standing Block Chop are classic axe disciplines; Single Buck (single-man cross-cut saw), Stock Saw (STIHL MS 661 chainsaw) and Hot Saw (tuned, customized chainsaw with up to 80 horsepower) are sawing disciplines. Athletes compete against both each other and the clock. For more information on the sport, the tools and the wood management please visit: www.stihl-timbersports.com.  

SOURCE STIHL TIMBERSPORTS®