David Moses has always wanted to compete in the final round of the Stihl Timbersports Series, but every year, something has gone wrong.

This year, during Stihl’s United States championship, the Great Smoky Mountain Lumberjack Feud, held June 7 to 9 in in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., Moses thought he would lose his chance all over again.

All he needed to do was make three clean cuts with his chainsaw in the Feud’s hot saw event, and he would have earned himself a spot in the finals. But his own hot saw died.

With sawdust flying through the air and Feud staffers, all clad in black polos, shouting back and forth, Moses figured he had lost his chance to compete in the finals again.

Miraculously, Moses got a working chainsaw, made his three cuts and advanced to finals. He placed third overall in the competition. He has been invited to travel with the U.S. relay team to take part in the international competition in Germany.

Established in 1985, the Stihl Timbersports Series assembles the world’s top lumberjack athletes. The series is seen by more than 20 million viewers annually in 60-plus countries around the world on networks like Eurosport, The Outdoor Channel and the ESPN networks. It is the second longest-running sports show behind SportsCenter’.

The events

Moses started competing with Stihl in 2005. He competes in six events: hot saw, single buck, standing block chop, stock saw, underhand chop and springboard chop, all events that test the comprehensive skill of a timber sportsman.

For example, in hot saw, the competitor uses a customized chain saw with a modified engine to make three wood cuts. In single buck, athletes make one cut through 19 inches of white pine using a single-person cross-cut saw. In standing block chop, the competitor mimics the felling of a tree and chops through a foot of standing white pine.

In the months leading up to competition, Moses spent more than 20 hours per week training. He strengthened his core by doing Crossfit and enhanced his skills by practicing each event on his property near Indian Hill.

After being seriously injured during the springboard chop last year, Moses has been patient as he healed and thorough in his conditioning.

“There is a lot of skill involved,” said Moses. “Physical conditioning plays a key role in what we do.”

Moses’ father, David Moses Sr., is his coach. When Moses competes in an event, his father watches his form.

At the end of the day, his father demonstrates Moses’ mistakes to him.

“He looks to see that I am not being too tense,” said Moses. “To make sure I am not straining too hard.”

Moses believes that his success belongs in part to his family. Without the support of his father, wife  Annette and children, Moses thinks he couldn’t have accomplished his goal.

“They were there for me,” said Moses. “They helped me make it.”

Learn more about the Stihl series at www.stihl.com/timbersports.