{"id":94014,"date":"2018-06-01T17:32:24","date_gmt":"2018-06-01T21:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=94014"},"modified":"2018-06-01T11:37:42","modified_gmt":"2018-06-01T15:37:42","slug":"member-of-suny-morrisville-woods-sports-team-heads-to-national-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=94014","title":{"rendered":"Member of SUNY Morrisville woods sports team\u00a0heads to national competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Member of SUNY Morrisville woods sports team\u00a0heads to national competition<\/h3>\n

Andrew O\u2019Connell wants to add top collegiate lumberjack to his list of 2018 achievements.<\/p>\n

The 20-year-old member of the SUNY Morrisville woods sports team has proven himself as one of the best lumberjacks in the country after earning a ticket to the national STIHL TIMBERSPORTS\u00ae\u00a0Series Championships,\u00a0July 27-29<\/span>\u00a0in Milwaukee, Wis.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connell will compete in the collegiate championship, which features eight elite collegiate athletes going head-to-head in four disciplines: standing block chop, single buck, stock saw and underhand chop.<\/p>\n

\"\"Along with United States collegiate, other contests are men\u2019s professional, featuring 20 of the top male professionals, and women\u2019s professional, featuring the best eight female athletes.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connell\u2019s journey to the nationals was earned by his performance at the Northeast Collegiate Qualifier held at Dartmouth College in April, where he finished an impressive third, and took home a new, high-quality axe and a wild card berth to the championships.<\/p>\n

The months leading up to the July competition will be spent practicing \u2013 namely perfecting his form and concentrating on his swing. \u201cI plan to go through as much wood as possible and get myself as prepared as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seth Carsten, head coach of Morrisville\u2019s woods sports team, plans to help O\u2019Connell train this summer. A former professional woodsman, Carsten will also accompany him on the championship trip, which is being funded by STIHL.<\/p>\n

\u201cAndrew is an outstanding athlete and a natural at competitive lumberjacking as we know it in our current environment,\u201d said Carsten. \u201cI am excited for the opportunity to travel with him to Wisconsin in July.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heavily favoring the standing block chop contest, O\u2019Connell wants to improve his skills in single buck, a sawing event. \u201cI just need to focus on doing well in all four events,\u201d he said of his overall strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cNervous\u201d isn\u2019t a word that describes O\u2019Connell\u2019s mindset leading to competition. \u201cDetermined\u201d is more fitting for the tall, lean and deceptively strong athlete. \u201cI really want to win,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

A victory would give him the opportunity to represent the United States at the 2019 Rookie World Championship.<\/p>\n

Long before he came to SUNY Morrisville, O\u2019Connell was wielding axes in his hometown of West Falls, a hamlet in the town of Aurora, in Erie County, cutting down trees and splitting fire wood for fun.<\/p>\n

Precision and a power-packed swing come from years of playing baseball. \u201cIf you can hit a fast ball, you can hit a spot you are aiming for,\u201d he said about chopping wood.<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connell came to Morrisville to study natural resources conservation, with plans to become an environmental conservation officer or a state trooper. His vision still on track, he would like to add champion to his lifetime feats.<\/p>\n

The STIHL championships will air on ABC in October, with re-airs on ESPN2, and original programming on the NBC Sports Network in the spring, according to the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS\u00ae website.<\/p>\n

About O\u2019Connell and the SUNY Morrisville woods sports team:<\/strong><\/p>\n