
Some of our very talented
2006 log rollers with Coach Nate Hare and Coach Kasey Swenson |
The
exciting sport of log rolling began
in the rivers of a burgeoning America. As settlers headed west, more timber was
needed for homes, businesses and pulp. The loggers of old would ride floating
logs down stream, pushing other logs down river to an awaiting saw mill. This
was called "birling". And loggers, being a competitive breed, would
often challenge each other to see who could spin a floating log fastest, or who
could stay on when sharing a log with a competitor.
As
time passed, birlers would travel from their camps to challenge other camps in
a variety of timber sports. Over time, birling became known as log rolling and
has since become one of the most popular events in lumberjack sports today. Rob
Scheer is a legend in lumberjack sports. A former World Champion Speed Climber
and the first man to hold the title of Ironjack, he has utilized his athletic
talents to bring this amazing sport to millions of people around the world. His
family has been instrumental in bringing timber sports to the forefront and the
next generation of Scheer's are no different. Even the youngest members are world
class timber competitors and are making their mark in the sport today.
 The
Cohos got in some practice time before the 2006 Lumberjack World Championships
thanks to the kind folks at Whiplash
Lake Resort near Hayward. | Rob
has long been an advocate of sharing the fun and challenging sport of log rolling
with kids. In 2000, he opened the first log rolling school in the state of Alaska.
The school is just one more step in his quest to keep memories of old America
alive, and to keep kids moving! The
Ketchikan Coho's log rolling School, located at the Great
Alaskan Lumberjack Show in Ketchikan, Alaska, continues to turn our Junior
log rolling Champions with coaching from some of the best in lumberjack sports.
Kasey Swenson, Nate Hare, Will LaValley, Brett McLeod, Robbie Miller, Andy Colle,
Dan McDonough, Tony Bush, Darren Hudson, Jacob Justus, Kyle Roberts, Nicole Shreeve,
Maggie Bulk, and Rob Scheer have all been involved in teaching the youth of Ketchikan
the great sport of log rolling. We
sent 8 of our top team members to compete in the Lumberjack
World Championships in Hayward, Wisconsin in 2006 and, again, brought home
top awards thanks to the dedicated lumberjacks that train our young athletes.

Practice makes
perfect! | Our
youth log rolling program is the only one of its kind in the state of Alaska.
Some of the best lumberjacks in the world lend their expertise to teach the youth
of Ketchikan the athletic art of log rolling. Kasey
Swenson and Nate Hare, two of the top 10 log rollers in the world, are our head
coaches. Training begins when school ends and our team is growing every year.
Check out our
photo albums. Stop
by the Great
Alaskan Lumberjack Show any day during the busy cruise ship season and watch
some of the greatest athletes perform timber sports including log rolling.
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