«The Axe Factor»: STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® launches «the world ́s toughest talent competition» in Norway
Lillehammer, Norway: The Norwegian national team in STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® is going new and dramatic ways to discover future axe and chainsaw-wielding superstars.
February 22-23, amateur men and women between 16 and 30 years old will test their TIMBERSPORTS® skills in front of a jury, in an intense new talent competition called “The Axe Factor”.
The winners will advance to a professional STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® training camp to further develop their skills.
The world ́s toughest talent competition
STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® consists of the six disciplines: Hot Saw and Stock Saw (chainsaw), Single Buck (crosscut saw), Underhand Chop, Springboard and Standing Block Chop (axe).
In the city that hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics, the contestants will compete in three of these disciplines. The aim is to complete the tasks in shortest possible time.
“TIMBERSPORTS® is much bigger than cross-country skiing world-wide, but not yet in Norway. We came up with “The Axe Factor”, because we wanted to create something dramatic that will give the sport more attention to help us find new talent for the Norwegian national team.”
“You need a good physique and great technique to win. That ́s why we think of it as the world ́s toughest talent competition, looking for the absolute best rookies in Norway,” says “The Axe Factor” jury member, Benedicte Movik.
The rest of the jury consists of member of the Norwegian STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® national team, Ole Ivar Lierhagen and Olympic rowing champion and former STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® athlete, Olaf Tufte.
Thousands of athletes worldwide qualify for or compete in STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® competitions each year. The sport is most popular in the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand, but is rapidly growing. In Europe, more than 500 athletes compete in international competitions.
