The 2025 TIMBERSPORTS® season kicks off with a bang at the New Zealand Championships, happening March 7th-8th. This competition marks the first chance for athletes to secure a spot in the World Championship. Can Jack Jordan defend his title in the Pro Division or will a new champion rise?
Meanwhile, the Women and Rookies will battle it out.
Familial combinations at this year’s Stihl Timbersports National Champs extend to mother & son and husband & wife competitor combo’s and even a couple of sibling rivalries.
“That’s exactly what wood-chopping is,” says Raewyn Windley, a 28-year veteran of the sport and mum to son Lochie who’s competing in the Rookies Division this year for just his second time. “It’s all about family.” She should know. As a third generation competitive wood-chopper hailing from the West Coast, Raewyn started competing as a 12-year-old.
Although she still holds a world title for a Jack & Jill Double-Saw event from 2019 and has podiumed in the Women’s Division at the last two National Champs, her rookie son has actually been teaching her a thing or two recently.
“Lochie’s only 17 but like me he started competing at age 12 too. He’s being chopping for five years now and for many years women competitors were only allowed to participate in sawing disciplines not axe-chopping ones. So really I only have a few more years of chopping experience than he does."
“When we train together there can be a little bit of turmoil when ‘mum doesn’t want to listen’ or take his advice,” smiles Raewyn.
An ironic dynamic given Raewyn’s also a school teacher.
“Actually, it’s very special to be taught by my son. Although we don’t directly compete against each other it’s really wonderful to travel around all the shows and events as a family.” That tight-knit unit includes 16-year-old daughter Bri who according to Raewyn is ‘transitioning from horse riding to woodchopping’ and husband Joe – proudly bearing the status of ‘support crew’.
If you can't be there in person, you can watch the competitions on livestream here
