Professional Lumberjack Erin LaVoie Leads The Road To Success

You are a record-holding professional lumberjack athlete, what inspired you to take this up as a career? Kindly elaborate on what is involved in this sport for WF viewers?

I started competing on a college team. I trained hard and placed in every event at my first competition. After the collegiate circuit finished I started competing professionally. There weren’t very many girls at the time, so I guess it was easier to win. Winning is fun and that might have been what kept me at it. Year after year, I was invited to Championships, and accepted a position on the USA Women’s Relay Team to compete in Australia. It was a snowball effect, and I just really enjoyed the ride and the experiences. Competing has taken me to 7 different countries and has introduced me to some amazing people along the way. The sport isn’t always easy….. The 15 to 30 seconds I am on stage is just the payout for hours upon hours of hard work. I have to find trees to cut down and turn into logs of the correct diameter for the best training. Keep my gear in good working order. And keep in shape to train and compete year round. You can’t just go to the local sporting goods store and pick these things up. My best competition gear (Saws and Axes) can take 1-2 years to order, and then hours to make sure it suites me.