Of all the competitors at Powell River Logger Sports, arguably no one looks happier to be there than Julian Welp. Radiating with energy and positivity, his excitement for the sport is abundantly clear, along with a sense of gratitude for the event’s resurgence in the community two years ago. The owner of Welper’s Tree Service fondly recalls competing in the original incarnation in the 2000s, crediting the coaching and encouragement of Bob Marquis, who brought it back in 2016. Now, it is Welp who many of Powell River’s newest competitors credit with supporting them through their first Logger Sports experience. The legacy continues.
You’ve trained several local competitors over the years. Is that important to you?
Guys like Bob Marquis and Karl Bischoff and Kevin Steward, those are the old boys. They encouraged my generation to get into it, and now I’m encouraging the next generation to get into it. It just goes on and on, right? People need to just get out there and try it. There’s so much potential out there.
Any advice for kids or novices just starting out?
Do it. Don’t be afraid, and don’t be afraid to lose. I’ve always said that I don’t want to be 80 years old sitting on the stoop of my house and wishing that I had [done something]; I want to be 80 years old sitting on the stoop of my house and knowing that I did. I don’t care if I come in last place, I’m going to compete.
What is the on-site atmosphere like among competitors?
All of the competitors that are here, we’re all friends and we all support each other. It really does seem to be a large family. Whether you need someone to watch your kid while you go and do a chop or a climb; whether you need to put someone up at your house; we trade gear, we buy and sell gear to each other according to who needs what. Win, lose or draw, we’re all in the game and we really enjoy it.
How has your strategy evolved over the course of your experience in Logger Sports?
At the end of the day, my strategy is to get out there and have a good time. I used to try and pick every event I could, but you’ve only got so much in the tank and if you want to spend some of that on an event that you might not be good at, maybe you want to hold off on that one so you can practise a bit more.
How realistic is a Logger Sports event compared to what a faller might do in the bush on any given day?
What you’re looking at as a spectator, in my opinion, is the days of old. The crosscut saws, the chopping, the running with the chainsaw; if you pull a stunt like that on the job site today, you’re fired. This is going back to the days when people were out there chopping and sawing by hand and living in camps. To watch someone put a notch in a log and put a springboard in and stand on it, that’s the stuff that they did back then. You can still look at all the old stumps in the bush and see those notches.
How does Powell River Logger Sports compare to other events on the circuit?
Our hometown crowd here in Powell River is absolutely phenomenal. Powell River and Squamish are the two shows, in my opinion, that have the largest crowds. Look at our venue, though. Look where we sit on the waterfront. It’s incredible. The only thing we’re lacking is real estate; we don’t have nearly as much room for the grounds as they do at Squamish. But then again, they don’t have the ocean views that we have.
Powell River Logger Sports begins on Friday, July 13, at Loggers Memorial Bowl. Competitions at the Willingdon Beach venue continue through Sunday, July 15.
