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 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 20, 2006
CONTACT:
Machell Phelps (607) 756-1864
CRSC 37 Church Street
Cortland, NY 13045
Second Annual Crown City Lumberjack Competition On May 20, 2006 will be Broadcast On Canadian Television
The Second Annual Crown City Lumberjack Invitational on May 20 in Cortland will be taped and aired in Canada this fall as part of the STIHL Lumberjacks Challenge, the Cortland Regional Sports Council (CRSC) announced today.
Featuring coverage of lumberjack competitions across North America, the STIHL Lumberjacks Challenge is a 13-episode television series that started in 2000. Airing annually in Canada on the Sports Network (TSN) and Outdoor Life Network (OLN), the series also appeared on OLN in the U.S. between 2001-04 and negotiations are underway to renew that arrangement.
Machell Phelps, the CRSC executive director, worked with Bill Deba, the producer and host of the STIHL Lumberjack Challenge, to secure international television coverage and exposure for the Cortland community.
"Bill has helped to bring his passion for lumberjack sports to millions of viewers for a number of years while also assisting in promoting the athletes and the sport in general," said Phelps, noting that Deba has been involved with lumberjack competitions since 1982. "We are honored to have him choose our event to be a part of the STIHL Lumberjacks Challenge.
Phelps said that two episodes for the 2006 series will be produced from the Cortland event and will air across Canada sometime this autumn.
Deba served as the announcer for the inaugural Crown City Lumberjack Invitational that drew a capacity crowd to the J.M. McDonald Sports Complex last year. Phelps said that the CRSC has chosen the McDonald Sports Complex as the host site again for the 2006 invitational.
"After spending time at the event and in the area last year, I was impressed with the quality of the Cortland event and this part of the Finger Lakes Region," said Deba.
"It is our hope that by partnering with the Crown City Lumberjack Invitational and the STIHL Lumberjacks Challenge, Canadian viewers will take notice of this superior event along with the beautiful landscape of the Finger Lakes Region of New York State," added Jim Dempsey, the director of the Cortland County Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
Tickets for the 2006 Crown City Lumberjack Invitational will go on sale on Friday, April 28. Seating is limited to 800 spectators. Interested persons should contact the Cortland Regional Sports Council at 756-1864 or the McDonald Sports Complex at 753-8100.
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