Timber!: The Story of the Lumberjack World Championships

JR Salzman on a Roll

In 2008, JR Salzman wanted to have the feel of the logs under his feet as he fought through his recovery after being wounded in Iraq. He had been a six-time logrolling titleholder at the Lumberjack World Championships and the 2005 ESPN outdoor sportsman of the year. But the Lumberjack in a Desert, as he dubbed himself after being sent to Iraq, fared poorly and he wondered if he would ever regain the innate sense of balance that had made him a standout in this popular event. “He wasn’t ready,” said his mother, Bonnie Salzman. “His attitude was, ‘If I do well, OK.’” That’s how Salzman talked, anyway. However, his riveting concentration, one of the attributes that made him a success, was out of kilter. In the past, when Salzman was on the log, spinning to dunk someone, he had been able to block out almost all sound. The one exception was his sister Tina’s voice. His logrolling mentor could always cut through the white noise with her words. “Last year,” Bonnie said in 2009, “he heard everything.” Salzman had not regained the power to block out distractions. But after another year of rehabilitation and regaining strength, he returned to Hayward in 2009 with a little bit more ambition. He won his early matches, and on Saturday night, the second day of the competition, he dispatched Brian Bartow, the preeminent pole climber, in three straight falls. Was JR back? 193 JR Salzman on a Roll JR Salzman on a Roll While Salzman was at war and during the aftermath, coping with his wounds, Jamie Fischer won the logrolling title in 2006 and Darren Hudson won the title in 2007 and 2008. They were the guys to beat in 2009. It was a lineup of champions. There could be only one winner, and one wouldn’t even make it to the finals. Nothing was guaranteed for Salzman. If the logrolling competitors are so evenly matched that no one takes a tumble into the water, officials blow a whistle and halt the proceedings. They then substitute a smaller, 12-inch log to increase the challenge. Twice Salzman and Hudson climbed on their starting log and pulled out every trick they knew. Yet neither stumbled, and time elapsed. On a new log, Hudson made a move, and Salzman tumbled into the water. They battled again, spinning the log, balancing with arms in the air, staring at one another’s feet, trying to detect weakness or a hint of slippage. Hudson attacked, and Salzman fell into the pond again. It was 2-0 Hudson with Salzman looking doomed. His supporters had to be thinking, “Well, nice run” with a sense of resignation. Even worse, Salzman’s artificial arm was giving him trouble. It loosened and appeared poised to fall off. He worried it would fly off into the water or the crowd. Salzman adjusted the arm, an unusual injury time out, to be sure. Back on the log they went, and this time Salzman made the critical move, dropping Hudson into the water. The suspense grew. It seemed unlikely that Salzman could rebound, but he did. Down went Hudson twice and the score was 2-2. Tina Salzman Bosworth could not contain her emotions. She yelled, “Put him down again!” In the next round, time elapsed for another draw. During a break, Tina came down to the dock and offered coaching advice. “I told him to be steady,” she said, “to keep his shoulders down and roll smart. I told him, ‘It will be alright.’” In what felt like an eternity ago by then, when Salzman was bleeding in that Humvee, he had given himself the very same message. She was right. It took eight rolls to decide the best three out of five, but Salzman prevailed. For him, it was a milestone victory in his newly revamped body. “Tina told me what I needed to hear,” Salzman said. “I was so hyped up. I was doing a lot of dances. She said to ‘Go out there and play the game and calm down.’” 194 JR Salzman on a Roll Given how close Salzman was to defeat, it was difficult to believe that he had advanced to the Sunday finale where he would face Fischer for the championship. Salzman kept to himself getting ready for the title match, with headphones on listening to a punk...