STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® BRINGS THE HEAT TO THE U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (July 29, 2024) – In front of an impassioned crowd, elite male and female
STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® athletes went head-to-head this weekesnd at the 2024 U.S.
Championship, providing fans with thrilling performances. Athletes chopped their way to victory
through various competitions, including the underhand chop, stock saw, standing block chop,
single buck, springboard chop, and the hot saw. When the sawdust settled, two champions
were crowned: Erin LaVoie and Nate Hodges.

LaVoie Locks in Title with Third Championship Win

The U.S. Women’s Championship kicked off on Friday, July 26, with the top 12 U.S. lumberjills
in the nation. Erin LaVoie, of Spokane, Wash., took home the title, narrowly defeating reigning
champion Martha King, of Chadd’s Ford, Pa., by one point. Heading into the underhand chop,
LaVoie and King were neck-and-neck – tied with 30 points. However, LaVoie reigned victorious,
breaking a new world record with a time of 23.61 seconds – more than five seconds faster than
the previous world record set by Canadian athlete Stephanie Naud in 2023. Rounding out the
podium was Hanna Quigley, of Honeoye Falls, N.Y., who secured a bronze medal.

LaVoie celebrates her third U.S. Championship victory; she previously won in 2018 and 2022. It
took extra vigor and determination to come back this year and take home the top prize.

"I’m really proud of myself," said LaVoie. "I went into this just telling myself to be cool and calm,
have fun, and do what you’ve been training to do."

King also broke a world record in the single buck with a time of 14.24 seconds. LaVoie and King
are now tied with three U.S. Championship wins each.

Hodges’ Historic First U.S. Championship Win
The U.S. Men’s Championship concluded on Sunday, July 28, featuring the top 24 U.S.
lumberjacks. Nate Hodges, of North Fork, Calif., took home the title in a narrow victory against
Matthew Cogar, of Grafton, W. Va., by only one point, beating out both Cogar and reigning
champion, Jason Lentz, of Diana, W. Va. After several nail-biting podium finishes over the last
few seasons, Hodges finally clinched his first gold medal.

Initially trailing Cogar by eight points, Hodges came out victorious in the final discipline, the hot
saw, with a personal best time of 4.79 seconds — the 0.23-second lead that he needed to
solidify the win. He placed in the top three in five of six disciplines, with the standing block and
hot saw as his best performances.

“It ultimately came down to the hot saw,” said Hodges. “Five years ago, I gave my heart and
soul into building that saw, and it’s paid off.”

This year, the competition was the fiercest it’s ever been. Matt Slingerland, of Sevierville, Tenn.,
put up a good fight to seal a bronze medal. While Lentz placed fourth, he secured a national
record in the single buck at 11.57 seconds.

Next Up: The World
Hodges will travel across the world to showcase his skills in Toulouse, France, on November 9
where he goes head-to-head with the top lumberjack athletes around the world at the STIHL
TIMBERSPORTS® Individual World Championship. LaVoie will head to Klingenthal, Germany,
to defend her title at the International Women’s Cup where she’ll compete against the best of
the best on August 25.

“We have our eyes set on international gold medals this year,” said USA Team Manager, Adam
Wolff. “Both Erin and Nate are extraordinary athletes at the top of their game and ready to
represent the United States against an intense field of international competitors.”

U.S. PRO CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RANKINGS (TOP THREE)
1. Nate Hodges
2. Matthew Cogar
3. Matthew Slingerland

U.S. WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL RANKINGS (TOP THREE)
1. Erin LaVoie
2. Martha King
3. Hanna Quigley

Full results from this weekend’s competitions can be found at http://data.stihl-timbersports.com.

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About STIHL TIMBERSPORTS®

STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® is an international extreme sports competition series. Its roots lie in
Australia and New Zealand as well as in 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, Underhand Chop and Standing Block Chop are the classic axe
disciplines; Single Buck (single-man cross-cut saw), Stock Saw (standard chain saw) and Hot
Saw (tuned, customized chain saw with up to 80 horsepower) are the sawing disciplines. Athletes
compete against each other and the clock. For more information on the sport, the tools and the
wood management please visit: www.stihl-timbersports.com.