Wauconda siblings place in log rolling contest

Posted August 02, 2015 11:00 pm

The Magnone siblings, Emma, 13, Dominick, 11, and Libby, 7, of Wauconda took part in the 56th Annual Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward, Wisconsin. Emma and Dominick took third place in their categories, while Libby took first place. Courtesy of Shayna Magnone

Submitted by Shayna Magnone

The 56th Annual Lumberjack World Championships were held at the historic Lumberjack Bowl in Hayward, Wisconsin, July 23-25. Athletes, both professional and amateur, from around the world attended the event.

A large field of amateur athletes entered this year's log rolling portion of the World Championship competition, and Emma, Dominick and Libby Magnone once again reached the podium in their respective age categories; Libby as a the two-time world champion.

Libby Magnone, the 2014 U7 Co-Ed Log Rolling World Champion, held onto her title after a lengthy 31-minute championship match against Reese Sheehan of Hayward, Wisconsin, and was crowned the 2015 U7 Co-Ed Log Rolling World Champion for the second consecutive year.

Dominick Magnone, who was the 2014 U10 Boys World Champion, finished in third place in his first year in the highly competitive U13 Boys category. Emma Magnone, also bested her seventh-place finish in 2014 with a third-place finish in the U13 Girls category this year.

Amateur Log Rolling matches take place on carpeted western red cedar logs and involve two people standing on the log who are rolling against each other. The rollers can move the log forward or backward, or even kick water at their opponent, in an effort to knock them off the log. A match is considered complete when one competitor knocks their opponent into the water three out of five times or falls.

Emma, 13, Dominick, 11, and Libby, 7, reside in Wauconda and spend their summers at their cabin in Cumberland, Wisconsin. Emma and Dominick have been log rolling for six years and Libby has been rolling for four years.

The Magnone kids train at the Oconomowoc Log Rolling School in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, in the fall, winter and spring months and are coached by former professional log roller Dr. John Hallet. In the summer months, the Magnone kids train at their cabin on Beaver Dam Lake in Cumberland, Wisconsin, and with the Namekagon River Rollers in Hayward, Wisconsin, in preparation for the Log Rolling World Championships, as well as for several other amateur log rolling competitions around the Midwest.

In 2014, The Oconomowoc Log Rolling Team brought home five amateur world titles and four additional top three finishes. Libby and Dominick held two of the five world titles in 2014. In 2015, the Oconomowoc Log Rolling team boasts a similar success, with three world titles and five additional top three finishes.

Libby holds one of the team's world titles in 2015.

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Libby Magnone defends her title to become the two-time U7 Co-Ed Log Rolling World Champion. Courtesy of Shayna Magnone

Dominick Magnone takes out his opponent on his way to a third-place finish in his first year competing in the U13 Boys category. Courtesy of Shayna Magnone

Competitive log rollers attempt to change the speed and direction of the rolling log and even splash the other roller in an attempt to send their opponent into the water. The best three out of five falls wins. Courtesy of Shayna Magnone

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