Above: Wellesley Howard-Larsen (left) placed second, losing to Anjali Krongard of the Hudson logrolling team. Connor Birdsong of LaCrosse stands behind the girls.
Two young North Shore Rollers got their feet wet in their first competition at the Rusty Ankle log rolling tournament held on Sunday, May 4 in LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
Alessandra “Ali” Duclos and Riley Goettl each medaled, placing in 3rd in their age groups.
Ali rolled in the U7 division while Riley rolled in the U10 bracket. Riley and Ali also got to see first hand how the log rolling community works together when one of its own faces a problem. The event was dedicated to Kathy Kobitz, a mother of one of the LaCrosse rollers who was recently diagnosed with cancer.
Each roller—boy or girl—was given a pink shirt to wear and Kobitz was honored at the medal ceremony. Leah Burns, event coordinator and LaCrosse YMCA log rolling coach told local TV station WKBT, “We’re going to get him [Kody Koblitz] to class. We’re going to continue to help bring them meals as a community and make sure their family runs just as it did before Kathy’s cancer.”
Above: Dominick Wilson, arms flailing, battles Andrew Serpico of the LaCrosse team.
After some early jitters both Goettl and Duclos showed great technique, skill and sportsmanship. It will be fun to see them as they get better and better.
Dominick Wilson fought hard all day long in the U13 boys’ division, placing 4th in a deep, stacked field of very talented log rollers.
Wilson was undefeated last year in the U10 Division, winning the World Championship for his age group at the international world championship meet held in Hayward, Wisconsin.
Wilson, 11, is now the youngest roller in his division and he is rolling against bigger, sometimes stronger athletes, but he is still beating the majority of kids he rolls against. A great young roller, Wilson knows he will have to pay his dues in this division, but the older kids better watch out because Dominick is blessed with great balance, fast feet and is quickly picking up the nuances of the sport. He’s on the cusp of already being a medal contender at Worlds again this summer.
Far left: Riley Goettl (left) concentrates on her competitor’s feet as the log spins rapidly.
Wellesley Howard- Larsen rolled against her main rival Anjali Krongard of the Hudson team in the U17 Division. Wellesley took the first fall but lost the next three in a hotly contested match. Both girls rolled against the boys’ U17 field, and acquitted themselves quite well.
There will be a twomonth break in competition and all of the upcoming events will be held outside on lakes or rivers. This is a return to the original venue where long ago lumberjacks would compete against each other on their free time to see which logging camp could claim bragging rights that they had the best log roller in the area.
Left: Alessandra “Ali” Duclos (left) rolled a great match against Libby Magnone in the U7 girl’s division.
Leave a Reply