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Live From...
Lisle, IL Celebrates Independence Day With Lumberjack Competition
Aired July 04, 2002 - 14:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: They are also celebrating in the heartland, and we've been keeping tabs on things from there with our own Jeff Flock. He's in Lisle, Illinois. And Jeff joins us now to give us an idea of what they're doing now.
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Fredricka. If you were watching last hour, of course you saw the lawnmower competition. Now I'm over here in Lisle at the lumberjack show. They are going to let us come over and interrupt the show.
Dave, hey, how are you?
DAVE WEATHERHEAD, LUMBERJACK: Hey, how is it going.
FLOCK: All right. Now, thanks for letting us come over and interrupt this. Good to see you.
WEATHERHEAD: Thank you.
FLOCK: What are you doing right here?
WEATHERHEAD: We're having a little lumberjack contest here. We have two professional lumberjacks competing in many of the events of the Old-Time Lumberjacks.
FLOCK: Well, let's go ahead and let them get going here. I'm going to get out of the way. Go ahead and tell us what we are seeing.
WEATHERHEAD: OK, well, what we are going to do first is the hot saw event. These guys are going to have a three-cut race with these stock modified chain saws. They start with the chain saw and we do a little engine work, makes them go a whole lot faster.
FLOCK: You souped them up?
WEATHERHEAD: Souped up chain saws!
FLOCK: All right, well, go ahead and let them do their thing.
WEATHERHEAD: All right, guys, three cuts now. First one down, second one up, third one back down. Here we go. Are you ready? One, two, go!
FLOCK: This is a real -- oh, it's getting loud now.
WEATHERHEAD: It's getting loud!
FLOCK: (UNINTELLIGIBLE). Unbelievable. That's amazingly quick.
WEATHERHEAD: Yeah, they'll go through a log like...
FLOCK: I know you're a lumberjack champion yourself, 1999 Ironjack champ.
WEATHERHEAD: Yeah, that's right, yeah.
FLOCK: And at least one of these guys is a champion and also a competitor.
WEATHERHEAD: That's right. Cassidy (ph) is 1999 Boomrun World champion.
FLOCK: OK. What's the next thing you're going to try?
WEATHERHEAD: We're going to have a little speed climbing race here.
FLOCK: Now, you say climbing, what are they going to climb?
WEATHERHEAD: They are going to climb these two polls on the end of the stage here. They are about 45 feet up to that red line way at the top. They are going to race up to the top and then back to the bottom.
FLOCK: They are going to race up and down?
WEATHERHEAD: Up and down. They have to throw their ropes so it hits that red line, and then race back to the ground.
FLOCK: All right. Now, are they about ready to roll here?
WEATHERHEAD: They are about ready to go. They're just getting tied into the tree. Looks like Cassidy (ph) is in there. Tyler (ph) is just getting hooked in.
FLOCK: They ever fall off of this thing?
WEATHERHEAD: As a matter of fact, there's been a few poll burns we call them where -- kind of an uncontrolled fall. That's why we have the crash pads on the bottom.
FLOCK: I'm thinking splinters, too, coming down.
WEATHERHEAD: Lots of splinters, yes.
FLOCK: All right, well, let's go ahead if he's about ready.
WEATHERHEAD: All right, here we go. Tyler (ph) is getting tied in there.
FLOCK: You want those gloves on. Boy, that's a splinter to come...
WEATHERHEAD: Yeah. You have to have the gloves. OK. They are basically wearing lineman's (UNINTELLIGIBLE) with a steel cord roll. OK. Are climbers ready? Here we go, guys, this one's for the points. Climbers ready. One, two, go.
FLOCK: What's the secret on this?
WEATHERHEAD: Very fast and big steps.
FLOCK: Oh, yeah. This guy has got a long way.
WEATHERHEAD: Here he comes right back to the bottom! And here he comes back down, here comes Tyler (ph). All right!
FLOCK: All right. Dave, that's great. A real -- and a great crowd out here, too. This is a real piece of Americana, in some sense, although you may sound like maybe you're north of the border, I don't know.
WEATHERHEAD: As a matter of fact, I hail from Canada. I've been living in Wisconsin for five years.
FLOCK: All right. Well, a happy Fourth to you anyway, Dave Weatherhead.
WEATHERHEAD: Thank you.
FLOCK: Thank you. We appreciate it. We're going to get out of the way and let you go on with the show.
There you go, Fredricka, another piece of Americana here...
WHITFIELD: I love that.
FLOCK: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Lisle, Illinois. Back to you.
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, Jeff. Very cool. I guess you definitely have an advantage if you happen to work for a utility company and climb those polls on a regular basis.
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