HOWARD, Wis. (WFRV) – It’s probably not the first sport you’d think of, but it’s one with a long and rich history that goes back to the late 1800s — Professional Log Rolling.
On Saturday, Katie Burke and her husband, Ryan, organized the 17th Annual Three Rivers Roleo, a professional log rolling competition at the Duck Creek Quarry in Howard.
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Burke, who’s lived in De Pere for the last six years, is a professional log roller herself and teaches log rolling at the YMCA in Howard.
“It’s so awesome to have people I know come out and watch,” Burke said. “And, it’s even better that we get to have the tournament here [in Howard], and get the youth program going at the Howard YMCA.”
What started in 2008 in Onalaska, hence the name ‘Three Rivers Roleo’ (the Mississippi, the Black and the La Crosse River), has since grown into a nationally recognized tournament.
Held for the third time in northeast Wisconsin, the field included several of the country’s top professional log rollers and the reigning men’s world champion, Marcus Heineck.
Aini Anderson was the winner on the women’s side, and Heinick took first place on the men’s side.
Next Thursday, July 17, through Saturday, July 19, the annual World Log Rolling Championship returns to Hayward, Wisconsin, one of the many competitions taking place at the Lumberjack World Championships.
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The amateur log rolling competition will begin Thursday morning, July 17, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., with the professional log rolling preliminaries scheduled for noon that day, according to the Lumberjack World Championships website.
For more updates about future events, check out @kricklogrolling on Instagram and Facebook.
