New Zealand lumberjack Anne Paterson. Photo / Included
The New Zealand Timbersports National Championships will feature female lumberjacks alongside men for the first time.
The winner of this weekend’s event will book a ticket to the first Women’s World
Trophy event in the Netherlands.
Anne Paterson is aiming for this title, which she says would be “a dream come true”.
“It took a long time,” she said. “There have been so many more women competing in wood chopping since I started and the opportunity to go overseas and represent my country would be one of the best things I could do, especially with the sport I love .”
The 31-year-old, born and raised in Greymouth, entered the niche sport at a casual invitation from a friend eight years ago.
“We were having a beer in the pub and he said, ‘You should come and try it.’
“I found out later that my grandfather and his brothers used to be competitive wood choppers and worked in the lumber industry. That was pretty cool.
“I’ve basically been hacking ever since.”
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Paterson moved to the Gold Coast seven years ago and used her passion to make friends in the new town, eventually becoming one of Australia’s top axe women, winning multiple state and regional titles.
In September, she topped the Queensland rankings after winning the Ladies Champion of Champions trophy in Brisbane.
Heading back to her home country to compete in her first national title tournament, Paterson is excited for the “unreal” opportunity and hopes to bring a new perspective to her code.
“A lot of people think you have to be really strong to be able to do that, and we’re a little crazy because we’re using really sharp instruments.”
However, Paterson explained how safe the sport can be.
“You look at some of the people who compete, men and women – they differ in size and strength and they are all as good as each other.
“You could be a petite, tiny little woman, or you could be big and strong, but people win the day based on how good their technique is.”
Paterson said there’s a lot of training that goes into the sport. “It’s not common to go to the gym or run.
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“You use a lot of muscle and it’s a very abnormal technique … you can’t just pick up an ax like you’re chopping firewood, there’s a lot more to it.”
She also said it can be an expensive sport. “The gear is pretty niche, you don’t go to Bunnings and buy an ax or a chop saw.”
The equipment can cost up to $3000.
Costs can become harsher for competitors not inheriting equipment from family members as it is common for generations of families to fill the sport.
“We may not have as many competitors as mainstream sports, but that’s because it tends to be more of a family sport.”
Paterson will compete against family and friends for this national title starting Friday.
“We all get along pretty well, but at the end of the day we’re not there to have a cup of tea, we’re there to win.”
