“World Champion Lumberjill”
By Stephanie Regalado
Reproduced with permission from:
All Sport Magazine
Spokane, WA
It is amazing how the roads we choose can send us on a journey we had never anticipated. . . .
There are many competitive athletes on top of their game who dream of being the best in the world. When you look at the numbers, however, it is a dream not easily attained. Today we meet a young woman from Spokane who ranks within the top three competitors in the world of her game.
Sporting brains, brawn, beauty and a buck saw, Erin LaVoie has taken the Lumberjill world by storm. She earned Rookie of the Year recognition in 2002, became an “Ironjill World Champion” in 2003 and 2004, and she hasn’t looked back since. Pretty impressive considering she had only just discovered the world of timber sports in 2001. In a sport often dominated by men and family legacy, how does a successful gymnast from Ferris High School find her way down a path filled with bow saws and throwing axes?
Graduation had signaled an end to gymnastics, so early into her studies in Forestry and Natural Resources at Spokane Community College (SCC), Erin, once again, began longing for a competitive sport. Classmates she met through her program suggested that she sign up with SCC’s Gyppos. The first competition was less than one week away when Erin joined the Loggers Sports Team. She immediately began training five hours each day leading up to the event. Erin placed so well that she decided to continue competing with the Gyppos. However, it wasn’t long before she qualified for professional-level competitions, began winning more than the Gyppos allotted for prize money, and was released from the program. That signaled the beginning of an exciting path she could never have foreseen.
Up against world-class challengers from as close to home as Idaho and as far away as Australia, Erin carved her name into a game that had rarely seen youth and good looks succeed. For this, she has been receiving a lot of attention, attention which just may give timber sports a rightful spot on the sporting world map.
Speaking of maps, a great deal of her time has been spent on the road, traveling to timber shows and returning home to Spokane just long enough to pack a fresh suitcase. Her stints have taken her all the way to China for an international road show. Erin, along with other world renowned Lumberjills and Lumberjacks, performed timber events three times a day at a safari park.
“The exhibition was amazing,” explained Erin, “we would ride in on an elephant!”
Perhaps it was a trip closer to home that put her name on the map. In Madison, Wisconsin, Erin achieved one of her goals on national television. ESPN had invited the world’s top eight women timber sports contenders to its Great Outdoor Games. The “GO Games” not only launched Erin into the limelight, but also served as an initiation into the sport as she took the Bronze in Women’s Endurance from veteran Penny Halvorson.
In spite of this, Erin’s most cherished adventure was making the U.S. National Women’s Team and competing in Sydney, Australia, at the Lumberjill/jack World Championships. Competing against the highest ranking women in the world in front of thousands of people was something that Erin will never forget. The highlight was standing with her team on the coveted top tier of the winner’s podium as they accepted a gold medal.
“This sport has been the best. People are always willing to offer you advice even if it may help you beat them later on,” said LaVoie. “Everyone is also so generous. I have always had a place to stay wherever I traveled.”
On a more personal note, Erin added, “The Groce family in Elk, Washington, has helped me out the most. They are my training and traveling partners and give me so much support. Robert Groce has always put me to work with Groce Logging when I needed the extra cash. I could call them family.”
Her experiences have proven to be a winning combination as she has conquered goals, one after the other. From hometown to jet set, she has enjoyed a very busy two years and is now benefiting from a bit of down time.
The 2005 season opens in April and will run show after show through September. Erin will begin the new season representing her hometown sponsor, Nick's Custom Boots. With the company’s motto - “New Standard of Excellence” - backing her , the two are sure to make an unparalleled team.
Look for Erin during televised timber events, representing her sport and Spokane with utmost class and a whole lot of heart.
Champion Lumberjill – Ferris High School graduate Erin LaVoie is the defending 2003 and 2004 Ironjill World Champion and is ranked among the top three timber sports women in the world. One of her goals is to be on the cover of a box of Wheaties, and she also wouldn’t mind paving the way for the first Lumberjill Barbie.
Photo: Mark Carter / All Sport