STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Team format

Team competitions comprise four disciplines that need to be completed back-to-back by four athletes in a relay. All athletic levels and genders may participate in these competitions, and mixed teams are allowed.

STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® athletes from Sweden at the Team World Championship 2019 in Prague.

Disciplines
Team format
Rundown of a Team competition
Background
Top teams

Disciplines

Team format

In this format teams of four athletes compete head-to-head against each other in a knockout system with only the fastest team qualifying for the next round. The disciplines Stock Saw, Underhand Chop, Single Buck and Standing Block Chop are completed by the four athletes one after the other.

The teams of the USA and Poland competing at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® 2019 Team World Championship.

Jason Lentz of the USA is already competing in Single Buck while Krystian Kaczmarek of Poland has to wait for his teammate to complete the Underhand Chop.

Rundown of a heat

Teams enter the stage and have one minute to prepare their setup: placing their tools at the stands, making an incut in the wood for the Single Buck and taking up positions at their respective discipline. After the minute is up, the first athlete has 15 seconds to warm up the Stock Saw. On the starting gun, the first athlete grasps the running Stock Saw to make one downward cut, severing a cookie from the block. The second athlete then starts with the Underhand Chop. Once that log has been severed, the third athlete follows up with the Single Buck and saws one cookie from the block. When that cookie has been cut, the last athlete begins with the final discipline, the Standing Block Chop. Only after the Standing Block Chop is completed does the clock stop for the team.

Rundown of a Team competition

Each Team competition starts with a Time Trial where each team in the competition takes on the course on their own in a race against the clock. The results of the Time Trial determine the seeding for the first elimination rounds with the fastest teams facing the slowest teams in reverse order.

Die STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Weltmeister-Team von 2019 aus Australien während der Staffel an der Disziplin Stock Saw.

At the Team World Championship, a Last Chance round is added where the slowest teams have another chance to set a time and qualify for the next round. The slowest teams in the Last Chance round are eliminated from the competition.

Depending on the number of participating teams, some teams receive a bye in the first elimination round. In the elimination rounds, the teams square off against one another in knockout duels, with only the faster team progressing to the next round until the strongest two teams face off in the final.

Background

The Team format was first introduced in 2010 at the inaugural Team World Championship. It is one of the fan favourites due to its dynamic pace, split-second decisions and national pride involved.

The most important and prestigious team competition is the Team World Championship. All teams from around globe participate and fight for the coveted Team World Champion title. Until now only the teams from New Zealand and the Chopperoos from Australia have managed to claim this title.