Woodchopping I'd compare it to ballet.
It is so intense.
It's repetition, it's repetition.
And it's just drilled into you,
time and time again,
sweat, pain, anguish.
There is grace, it's just not all about brut strength,
it has to be accuracy and be precise.
It's just so effortless and poetic.
You have blisters, you have
toes bleeding,
with woodchopping, it's the same.
We end up with toes being removed, axe in our legs.
It is just sheer grit and determination.
They're two totally different sports.
But they're so common.
Except the diet.
Welcome to the Sydney show.
A beautiful day for woodchopping.
Give it up for the semi final ladies and gentlemen.
Okay timber look, I have a relationship, if I find a piece, I like it, I hug it, I cut it down.
G'day name's Glen Gillem, I'm 34 years of age.
Woodchopper here, yet again
at Sydney Royal Easter Show 2018
When it comes to woodchopping
we got the officials, we've got the ring stewards,
the clean up crew,
the competitors.
You've got the commentator.
I can’t start till they’ve finished the count.
For me, walking throughout the arena throughout the day,
the diehard fans you see if the family members are there,
kids, Dagwood dog in their hand, sauce on their face,
the old lady that's seen the bluff blokes all their life,
that are still sitting there watching in the stands,
you have the international people over here on holidays,
going wow we've never seen this in life before.
Yeah, you get ya show fans, yeah.
Some of em even follow ya to the bar and shout you a beer or something like that y'know,
they just follow you all round the place.
My wife goes ‘who are those people cheering for ya?'
and I said ‘Oh they’re my groupies, ya know like.’
What is the sharpest axe?!
Wanna see it?
I'll go and grab one for ya.
Everyone thinks they’re not very sharp.
They think "Oh if we hit our foot with it, it's not gonna cut it."
It's very unforgiving if it does slip.
You'd think I'd use it to shave my beard off, wouldn't ya?
It just how Australia was built,
with an axe and shovel and pick.
You see the country it's all about sheer grit and determination in life,
you go to a city, you see a gym,
you see shiny weights and mirrors,
you go to the country, you see sweat, tears, dust.
You just see passion.
There's the whistle, would all non competitors please clear the ring thanks.
My father chopped along with his 9 brothers,
and there was 22 of us cousins that chopped as well.
So it’s a big family thing.
Yeah he come from a family of 18.
It is a risky sport, it is a dangerous, it's risky going up the tree.
Some years ago here at Sydney I put an axe in my leg and hey I was off to hospital,
40 stitches later.
It's just one of those things that happens.
I put four hits in and then I turned around the back,
and as it hit the bark,
the bark lifted it, skewed the axe,
came across like that, it skewed the axe from going like that,
it went sideways and severed my toe virtually right off
it was about an inch of skin holding it on yeah.
I took all five toes,
scooped underneath and took all of them out .
Luckily I had the good old Dunlop volleys on,
didn't ruin an axe,
and I just kept on going forward.
They're starting to bring in steel mesh socks now.
So all the younger competitors wear steel mesh braided socks so you can’t cut ya feet.
You could be cooking tea at home and slip with the knife.
"Oh lost part of my finger."
No different here.
Ladies and gentlemen from Victoria, Mr Glen Gillam.
Today we're going to have a medley
and at the end they'll be a David Goliath battle,
Austin Sqruibner, 15 years of age,
ringing wet probably 60 kilos.
130, 40 maybe, I don't know.
He's at least 3 times the size of me.
I'm competing in the two board tree
and I'm up against World Champion Unhand Standing Block Cutter, Glen Gillam.
My mum often says before I'm climbing a tree
just not to fall out, really.
Don't fall off,
cause you'll hurt yourself.
The reason if Glen lost would because he's worn out
after climbing and chopping a block.
The way I can beat him is by cutting my port-holes right.
Saving the least amount of hits in my block on top
and climbing very well.
I take my hat off to young Austin today,
to saddle up beside me and have a go.
Here at Sydney, it bestows a certain power,
when you look around and see that the arena we've got,
it's like you're a God
back in the days with the amphitheatre.
You've got a crowd cheering you on,
and just to feel the pure vibrance and the roar of the crowd,
from the person starting first to the person finishing last.
It's fierce the competition out there,
and at the end of the day, sometimes all you have to do is blink and you can go from first to last.
But when you collect yourself and put it together, and then deliver through the axe,
and just show the extension of your body and focus, it's just an incredible experience.
Yeah we won.
I'm buggered.