She swings the ax the way some people do magic with a hockey stick or a tennis racket. Stéphanie Naud is an outstanding lumberjack and world record holder.
• Also read: Heavy for athletic reasons: Before coming to McGill University, she had never touched an ax
As he has every summer for the past seven years, Naud competes in a dozen professional lumberjack competitions, or “sport lumberjack” competitions in French. Her highlight of the year came in August in Chilliwack, British Columbia at the STIHL Timbersports Canadian Championships when she posted the best time in the women’s horizontal axe.
With both feet firmly planted on one block, in perfect balance and control, Naud multiplied the punches between his legs at breakneck speed to split the wood in 28.62 seconds.
“It was a surprise because I didn’t know the old world record. I wanted to go there to win the event, but I wasn’t thinking about the record,” she told the Journal as she drove to New Brunswick for an event.
“It wasn’t an exceptional cut when I think about what I’m capable of. But a STIHL world record is a little bonus! »
Not a premiere
The 28-year-old Quebecer set a new record with a time of 24.25 seconds on the horizontal ax at the individual world championships in Wisconsin last year and finished tied for points in the overall standings.
As with boxing, there are several organizations that host lumberjack events, although the timing can vary. The models in the STIHL series are the most renowned in the world. In addition, Naud was crowned champion in the four women’s events in Chilliwack (see table below), which secured her a place at the World Championships to be held in Europe in the spring.
She wasn’t the only Quebecer at the Nationals. Andréanne La Salle, a former athlete who coached Naud and now trains at McGill University, placed fourth out of eight participants.
Stéphanie Naud (right) broke the women’s horizontal ax record and was crowned champion at the STIHL Timbersports Canadian Sport Logging Championships in Chilliwack, British Columbia in August 2023. Photo provided by Kayla Roy Photo provided by Kayla Roy, STIHL TIMBERSPORTS
Long distances
Despite the history of forestry, the discipline is not very popular in Quebec. It is also attracting attention elsewhere in Canada and the United States. That’s why Naud covers thousands of kilometers in the summer, accompanied by her trainer Jean-Pierre Mercier, “the best saw sharpener in the world,” as she says.
“We drive an average of eight hours to go to a competition,” calculates the Brigham in Estrie resident. In Wisconsin it was a 20 hour drive. Because of our extensive equipment, we do this by car [haches, scies, pièces de protection, etc.]. We arrived in Chilliwack by plane [45 heures en auto], but I only had a saw and three axes with me, the bare essentials. »
And despite what you might think, it’s not difficult to cross the Canada-US border with such sharp tools.
“Customs officers are sometimes surprised when they find out that I take part in lumberjack competitions. They think it’s cool and ask me questions about the tests. Sometimes they want to see our equipment, but it’s out of curiosity,” says Naud.
Stéphanie Naud in action with the horizontal ax at the Canadian Championships. Photo provided by Kayla Roy, STIHL TIMBERSPORTS
Beat men
The latter doesn’t often take part in mixed events, but can hold her own against men.
“I can’t beat the top players because I can’t keep up physically, but I can do better than beginners or those with only a few years of experience. »
At the Saint-Pamphile Log Festival in Chaudière-Appalaches, the almost 1.80 meter tall woman achieved the third best time among men and women combined.
“Everyone saw it in the same forest!” she says proudly.
“Guys often think it’s dead, they don’t talk about it much. I think it’s hard on pride,” claims Naud.
The four women’s sports lumberjack disciplines
■ Cutting with a horizontal axe
■ Cutting with a vertical axe
■ Cutting with a Godendard saw
■ Cutting with a chainsaw
Men also compete in springboard ax cutting as well as chainsaw cutting in the open class.
“I’m glad I don’t work with the modified chainsaw [classe ouverte]because these saws are worth between $10,000 and $15,000 and also weigh about 50 to 60 pounds,” says Stéphanie Naud.