The conclave, hosted in conjunction with the Redwood Regional Logging Conference, will occur at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds in Eureka, with competitions running Wednesday, March 13, through Saturday, March 16. The event is free and open to the public.
This is the first time in 10 years that Humboldt is hosting this event. Almost 200 students from 10 universities across the West will travel to the North Coast to compete in events like climbing, birling, and axe throwing, among others.
“I've gone to two conclaves, and it's so fun to be at this event. You get fired up with your team and excited to support them. We’re stoked that we'll be competing and showing off our skills and that we're getting to represent Humboldt, the redwoods, and our forestry practices. It’s awesome,” says Franziska Daumberger, a member of the club.
In addition to competing, the Logging Sports team learns to use traditional and modern logging equipment, and sustainable timber harvesting and management practices.
Since club president Zoey Cardoza, a Forestry student, and Daumburger, an Environmental Resources Engineering student, joined the team three years ago, it has grown exponentially, going from 20 participants to nearly 80, with more women joining the academic club. Now, the majority of the club’s board members are women.
“There's usually just a handful of women in this sport, but on our team, most of the time, we have more women than men competing, which is not common on other teams. I’m very proud to say I've seen a rise in women feeling more confident in the sport and coming out to compete,” Cardoza says.
Cardoza and Daumberger love the camaraderie and support that comes with being on the team and have formed great friendships through it. They are excited to be part of an uncommon sport for college athletes.
“The events themselves are really fun and just being able to say, ‘I swing axes on the weekends,’ that's really cool, and that makes me happy,” Daumberger says.
Any student can join the Logging Sports Club regardless of their major but will need to enroll in the course (FOR 170-Conclave: Logging Sports Competition).
The Logging Sports team has become a strong and influential group. So much so that in the Fall of 2022, its students, alumni, and supporters raised more than $25,000 to establish an endowment for the club—the first-ever endowment to support an academic club in the University's history. These funds support an annual Logging Sports student scholarship of $500 for continuing full-time students.
Support Cal Poly Humboldt’s Logging Sports team by cheering them on at the Logging Sports Conclave, March 13-16, at Redwood Acres Fairgrounds. For more information, email loggingsports@humboldt.edu.