Before competing in her first Powell River Logger Sports event in 2016, Rosalea Pagani, a local forestry worker with deep roots in the community, hadn’t heard of logger sports.
Throwing an axe and sawing through logs for sport had never crossed her mind, until she was approached by Powell River Logger Sports board president Bob Marquis. Pagani was working for BC Ministry of Forests at the time while Marquis was one of the road building contractors.
“He walked by my office one day and asked, ‘have you ever thrown an axe before?’” said Pagani. “I said ‘no.’”
Marquis invited Pagani that evening to practice and learn how to throw an axe. Three days later she was competing in her first logger sports event. That year was the first logger sports event Powell River had hosted in 11 years.
“There were no women competing and [Marquis] wanted some local females from Powell River in the competition,” said Pagani.
Excitement for the 2023 logger sports is ramping up, as the event approaches this weekend, Saturday, July 15, and Sunday, July 16, at Loggers Memorial Bowl at Willingdon Beach. Carvers will start Friday, July 14.
Pagani has been on maternity leave for the last three months and recently changed jobs. She went from working for Powell River Community Forest to a job with BC Timber Sales.
Despite those life changes, Pagani said she feels good and will compete in axe throwing and the stock saw challenge this year.
When she is able to take a break caring for her three-month-old baby, Pagani practices with an axe and target in her backyard.
The axe throwing event is scored on accuracy. The stock saw challenge, which is a chainsaw event, is timed.
“Usually competitors make a cut as fast as they can; you have to be quick with your hands,” said Pagani.
After competing in 2016, she quickly made friends with the logger sports community and started competing on Vancouver Island and Squamish.
She travelled to Australia to compete but had to return early because of the COVD-19 pandemic.
Pagani is proud of placing first in the Campbell River axe throwing event in 2019.
As for her work in forestry, she said she took a summer job with the ministry of forests a while back and realized she could see herself doing it for the rest of her life.
“I like walking around in the bush all day,” she added.
Pagani emphasized that it doesn’t bother her to work or compete in more male dominated sports and industries, as that’s what she is familiar with. She also sees more and more women in the field, and in competition.
“I love the pressure of having an audience watching you [compete] and the atmosphere of the logger sports,” said Pagani.
Admission to Powell River Logger Sports is free, but organizers are hoping to fill a gravel truck each day with donations of non-perishable food items, or cash, for Powell River Action Centre Food Bank
