Logrolling

Logrolling, or occasionally referred to as log birling [this term is seldom used anymore], is the favorite sport of the American, Canadian, Japanese, and Finnish Lumberjacks. In the United States and Canada the sport originated from the work done on the river drives during the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Log drivers (known as "river pigs" or "pond monkeys") would stand up on floating logs with nothing but a pike pole or a peavey to guide the logs, and break up jams, down the rivers, until they reached the sawmills. This was dangerous work, as in some circumstances, if they were to fall, they could easily drown. The log drivers developed high amounts of balance and skill from this work, and during their free time, and when in calm waters, they would mess around on the logs, and even compete against each other, with one "birler" (or "roller", as they are often referred to as today), standing on each side of a floating log, attempting to knock each other off. However, the idea began as a much more aggressive game compared to the sport we know today. Usually, there were no explicit rules as to how one would force their opponent off of the log. Much like canoe jousting, sometimes the birlers would attach pads to the end of their pike poles and swing at each other, until one of them fell. This was often performed on very long logs, with up to three people on each side. There are stories that claim the birlers would even spit juice from chewing tobacco at their opponents eyes. But as the sport of logrolling became more widely popular, some basic rules were adopted such as adding a line in the center of the log that could not be crossed, and outlawing the spitting technique. (This is a joke) Tournaments open to the public were held, and many of them became annual in cities of northern Wisconsin and Michigan. Often held on the Fourth of July, or other holidays, these contests brought together some of the greatest log birlers in the Midwest, many of whom were from Eau Claire. Another interesting part of these events was the trick and fancy contest, which has recently fallen into oblivion. The contest usually consisted of two partners on one log, performing tricks and stunts in front of judges for a certain time limit. The first unofficial (but later sanctioned by the ILRA) world championship was held in Omaha, Nebraska, and thousands of spectators watched as Tom Fleming was crowned first logrolling world champion. A world championship was held almost every year throughout the early 1900s. In 1960, the championship was held in Hayward Wisconsin, alongside the Lumberjack World Championships, started by Tony Wise. This is where the competition has been held ever since.

In 1926, the National Roleo Association was founded in Washburn, Wisconsin, to establish rules and regulations for the sport, to sanction competitions around the country, and to promote birling in general. It became the International Roleo Assn. in 1957 and the International Log Rolling Association in 1964. The United States Logrolling Association became the first nation member of the ILRA in 2004. Some of the rules established included replacing the pine or fir logs originally used with western red (or northern white)cedar, establishing specific log sizes with their own respective time limits, among other things.

During the 1970s onward, programs and schools were started to teach the next generation of logrollers. A difficul soon