Crowds gathered to take in the action as the Canadian Stihl Timbersports took over Memorial Park July 12-13 and Canada’s best went head to head.
Cheers could be heard down the block at the mention of any of the local boys’ names.
While some matches came down to mere seconds, others were won by a landslide.
At the end of the day, it was hometown boy Mitch Hewitt who took home the trophy once again. Hewitt has claimed the title of Canadian champ a number of times, but this year there was a little added incentive that made his victory even more triumphant.
This was the first year the Peter Colliver Memorial Trophy was given out in the name of the late Chase lumberjack.
The trophy, which stands 40-inches tall, was created by B.C. artist Keith Berens. The award portrays the three tools used in the Stihl Timbersports worldwide – the chain saw, the axe and the single buck saw.
The trophy was unveiled Friday, July 12 and was presented for the first time Saturday.
It is fitting that Hewitt was the first to win the trophy, said many in the crowd, as the star lumberjack spent many years by Colliver’s side.
Another person close to the Colliver family said Peter would be smiling to know that his best buddy won it.
It was the final event, however, that brought tears to the eyes of many competitors and audience members.
Cheers could be heard when Brock Colliver won the event, which was named after his father. Brock had competed with his dad since he was 15.
Members of Stihl’s Team Canada, which includes Hewitt, Donald Lambert, Marcel Dupuis and JP Merceir, will be heading to Stuttgart, Germany to compete in the World events.