That is a wrap on the 2021 WAA TCC. The event was held on September 17th and 18th at Erb Park in Appleton, WI. We had a total of 33 volunteers, 24 male competitors and 2 female competitors over the 2 day event. A special thank you to Dave Graham for performing the National Anthem for us on Saturday morning.
About one third of the competitors this year had competed in one TCC or less. In addition about one quarter of our volunteers were also new to this year’s event. Welcome! It was wonderful to meet all the new faces and thank you to those who took the leap. We look forward to seeing you at future events.
The event began on Friday with gear check at noon and a threat of thunderstorms. We ran the Belayed Speed Climb in a shagbark hickory and the Ascent Event in a beautiful red oak. With the bur oak being so tall and wide, we were able to do the Ascent Event as a head to head event where 2 climbers ascended at the same time. This gave us the ability to get through both events in good time and gave the competitors a little added fun. The thunderstorms broke up and we stayed dry for a successful first day.
Saturday’s events were Work Climb in a red oak, Throwline in a red oak, Aerial Rescue in a white oak, and the Master’s Challenge in a white oak. Overall the day was behind schedule and went wonderfully! “The trees were challenging but a lot of fun,” was a phrase I heard from a few competitors.
Our Master’s Challenge men’s competitors were Jordan Boyd, Colin Bugg, and Thomas Schumacher. Our women’s competitors were Johanna O’Boyle, our 2019 champion, and Lydia Bruning, first time competitor. In the end, Thomas Schumacher came in first place for the men and Johanna O’Boyle was our women’s champion. Second place men’s was Jordan Boyd and second place women’s was Lydia Bruning. Our first and second place champions received ArborMaster packages.
At our awards announcements we gave the Spirit of the Competition Award to Lazaro Romero for his positive attitude and his willingness to power through events even though things were not going as smooth as they should for him. Our Team Champions with the most average points was group A which included Colin Bugg, Colton Davis, Jordan Boyd, and Everette Anderson.
We want to thank our event sponsors ArbSession, Hoppe Tree Service, Gollnick and Sons Tree Service, ArborRisk Insurance, Altec, M&M Tree Service, Stephenson Tree Care, and Crawford Tree. Thank you to Jason’s Tree Service for the use of the lift. Thank you to ArborMaster for the top competitor prize packages. Thank you to American Tree Experts and Bassett Inc. for lunches and beverages for the volunteers and competitors. Thank you to the City of Appleton for the use of the park, its amazing trees, and beautiful facility. A HUGE thank you to the volunteers and competitors for coming out, putting on a great show, and helping make the TCC a successful networking and learning event.
Overall and events standings will be posted on the WAA TCC Facebook page and the WAA website. We hope to see you all at the awards banquet at the Annual Conference!
