To many, an axe is a tool for hard manual labour.
However, in the hands of Koonoomoo’s William Hoyle, the axe is equipment for competition.
Mr Hoyle, whose day job is land clearing and tree work in Bendigo, is a competitive wood chopper and he recently returned from the Sydney Royal Easter Show Woodchopping Competition, where he competed for 11 days.
For him, the Sydney show was a chance to show what he’s made of, and he didn’t disappoint.
Competing in the Open Event, which meant going up against competitors with years of experience, the 19-year-old finished the Sydney show with two wins, a second placing, two third placings and a fourth placing.
Events included Underhand (between competitors’ feet); standing blocks where competitors chop down a vertical log; single sawing, which uses a competition saw; and springboard events, which use planks to get up to the top of a pillar, which is then cut down by.
“It was really good,” Mr Hoyle said.
Asked whether competing against people with more experience than him was intimidating, Mr Hoyle said he doesn’t let it bother him.
“I run my own race, and I’ve gotten used to it with experience,” he said.
Mr Hoyle uses two types of axes for both practice and his actual events, a Tuatahi axe and a brute forge axe. He said he prepares by practising on competitive logs at home.
The 2024 Sydney show is certainly not Mr Hoyle’s first rodeo.
His first competition was in Shepparton when he was eight years old.
“I’ve competed in all the local shows and all the shows across Victoria, as well as all the royal shows except for Brisbane,” he said.
Mr Hoyle said his favourite was the Royal Melbourne Show, which he described as like competing in his backyard and surrounded by family and friends.
And it’s not just Australia which has seen Mr Hoyle swing his axe.
The competitive wood chopper has also shown New Zealand what he can do.
He recently competed in the New Zealand Stihl Timbersports Rookie series for the first time, placing fifth overall.
“It was great," Mr Hoyle said.
"I went a week early and did a lot of training and caught up with my wood-chopping friends.”
Mr Hoyle said competing in the various competitions wouldn’t have been possible without local sponsors, Brooks Logistics Barooga, Future Fitness, Bamfords Electrical, Joblings Excavations, and that he was grateful to them and everyone else who supported him.
As for anyone else thinking about picking up the axe, Mr Hoyle said nothing is stopping them.
“It’s a matter of commitment and passion,” he said.