Chain Saw Carving Champ Bob King Captures the ECHO Cup - Championship Raises $34,700 for Make-a-Wish Foundation®
The results are in! Pro-carver Bob King captures the ECHO Cup for the third consecutive year at the ECHO Chain Saw Carving Series Championship held October 3-5, 2008 at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®. Mark Colp won the People’s Choice category.
Eight world-class chain saw carvers competed in the 4th ECHO sponsored Championship after placing in the top rankings of one of four qualifying events. They competed in New Mexico to raise money for the Make-A-Wish® Foundation of New Mexico and to win cash/ prizes totaling more than $75,000. Event photos
The carvers had 20 hours over three days to produce masterpiece sculptures based on their interpretation of the theme “Launching Dreams”. The pieces were judged and ranked on how well the carver interpreted the theme, the difficulty of the design, and craftsmanship. Scroll below to view the beauty of each piece and the unique style each carver chose to build a competitive advantage.
WISHES GRANTED
Here are capsules of the seven children’s wishes that will be granted as a result of the auction.
Completed Wishes
Samuel M., age 11, from Albuquerque wished to have a portable gaming system. The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of New Mexico was able to provide him with a PSP, a Nintendo DS and a portable DVD player, plus a ton of games and movies to keep him busy on November 22, 2008. Samuel had a wonderful wish day with lots of pizza and soda and a great day with his family!
Jessica F., age 13, from Farmington, NM wished to meet Emily Osment from the Hannah Montana Show. Jessica and her family traveled to California to hang out on the set with her family. Jessica had a great wish and loved meeting Emily; she also had the chance to meet the star of the show Miley Cyrus!
Ashley T., age 7, from Los Lunas, NM wished to be a Dolphin Trainer for a day in Florida. Ashley had a perfect time in the Florida Keys with her family! She was able to experience Dolphin Training up close and personal as she worked with a trainer for an entire day! Ashley loved her experience with the Dolphins and cannot wait to give back to the Make-A-Wish Foundation!
Still Pending Wishes
Sierra G., age 17, from Albuquerque, NM wishes to work on a wildlife refuge! Sierra will have her wish granted in the summer of 2009. Sierra is passionate about wild animals and cannot wait for the experience of working with them on a reserve or other open space.
Rhianna D., age 11, from Thoreau, NM has changed her wish from meeting Michael Jordan to meeting Sharon Osborne. Rhianna loves the music of Ozzy and thinks that is wife is a Rockin’ lady. Rhianna will hopefully meet Sharon sometime this year. When a child wishes to meet a celebrity we work on the celebrity schedule.
Mariana C., age 3, from Albuquerque, NM wishes to have a princess bedroom makeover. She loves Cinderella and everything that is Disney Princess related. We hope to grant her complete bedroom makeover in March or April of 2009.
Fernandez B., age 8, from Jemez Pueblo wishes to go to Disney World to meet Mickey Mouse. Fernandez and his family are hoping to travel to Florida in the fall of 2009.
The final sculptures were judged on Sunday, October 5th and then auctioned with all proceeds benefiting the Make a Wish® Foundation of New Mexico. The event raised $34,700 for Make a Wish® Foundation. The organization grants “wishes” for children who have a life threatening medical condition.
RANKINGS
1st Place: Bob King of Edgewood, WA with his piece “Innocent Dreams”. Bob says his piece represents the childhood innocent view of the future. The piece includes a little girl kissing a frog, a boy climbing a tree and see if you can find the little dog. And check out the detail on the rope. Photos
2nd Place: Terry Ahola of Grands Pass, OR with his piece “Make a Wish”. Terry explains that his piece includes a Make-A-Wish child hoping for a wish to swim with dolphins. Her wish comes true and the dolphins become a balloon, lifting her to health. Photos
3rd Place: Dayton Scoggins of Heidelberg, MS with his piece “Soaring Dreams”. Dayton explains that man has wanted to fly as long as he has witnessed birds. Look at the determination on the Indian’s face and the beautiful detail of the hawk. Photos
4th Place: Hiromu Kurita of Ichihara City, Chiba, Japan with his piece “Future in the Sky”. Hiromu says he wanted to capture the carved figures that made the greatest impression on him when visiting our country for prior carving events. Through the figures of the Indian maiden, the hawk and the bear, he says his wish to make the carving finals has come true. Photos
ADDITIONAL COMPETITORS
Zoe Boni of Ridgway, PA with her piece “Dream Launcher”. Zoe explains that her piece recognizes that each person’s dream is unique. The chair she carved is a balloon. If you sit in it and speak your dream, the “echo” will reach the peacocks that will fly your dream upward. Photos
Mark Herrington of Wilkeson, WA with his piece “Sacred Calling”. Mark explains that his piece represents humanity reaching out for help in fulfilling a dream. Notice the details in the feathers, hair and the classic facial features. Photos
Jeff Samudosky of Columbia, CT with his piece “Sweet Dreams”. Jeff’s piece is an actual king size bed carved out of one redwood log. He choose this difficult task, he says, since the bed is where most dreams are launched. This one is safeguarded by the image of a dream catcher protected by wolves and a family of owls on watch. Photos
Mark Colp of Lakeport, CA with his piece “Sky Dreamer”. Mark’s Indian on his horse is a Native American motif of wish making. The realism of both figures impressed the crowds who voted this piece their favorite in the “Peoples Choice” category. Photos
THANKS TO JUDGES & SPONSORS
We’d like to thank our panel of judges who had the extremely difficult task of ranking the pieces. As you will see when you view the sculptures, we’re talking about a very talented group of artists. Thanks to lead judge Maryann Weems -artist and Weems Gallery owner; Carla Aragon - TV news personality; Thelma Domenici - local art critic; Bob Gerding - outdoor sports show host; and Dan Mayfield - Albuquerque Journal art critic.
The judges were coached on the art of chain saw carving by Albuquerque carver Mark Chavez. Mark’s regional carving event takes place at the Balloon Fiesta October 9 through 12 with 6 pro carvers and an auction, once again benefiting Make-A-Wish® Foundation of New Mexico.
We’d also like to thank our sponsors, particularly Bosch Power Tools and Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA. The prize list for the carvers was great…click here to read about the prize packages.
The results are in! Pro-carver Bob King captures the ECHO Cup for the third consecutive year at the ECHO Chain Saw Carving Series Championship held October 3-5, 2008 at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®. Mark Colp won the People’s Choice category.
Eight world-class chain saw carvers competed in the 4th ECHO sponsored Championship after placing in the top rankings of one of four qualifying events. They competed in New Mexico to raise money for the Make-A-Wish® Foundation of New Mexico and to win cash/ prizes totaling more than $75,000. Event photos
The carvers had 20 hours over three days to produce masterpiece sculptures based on their interpretation of the theme “Launching Dreams”. The pieces were judged and ranked on how well the carver interpreted the theme, the difficulty of the design, and craftsmanship. Scroll below to view the beauty of each piece and the unique style each carver chose to build a competitive advantage.
WISHES GRANTED
Here are capsules of the seven children’s wishes that will be granted as a result of the auction.
Completed Wishes
Samuel M., age 11, from Albuquerque wished to have a portable gaming system. The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of New Mexico was able to provide him with a PSP, a Nintendo DS and a portable DVD player, plus a ton of games and movies to keep him busy on November 22, 2008. Samuel had a wonderful wish day with lots of pizza and soda and a great day with his family!
Jessica F., age 13, from Farmington, NM wished to meet Emily Osment from the Hannah Montana Show. Jessica and her family traveled to California to hang out on the set with her family. Jessica had a great wish and loved meeting Emily; she also had the chance to meet the star of the show Miley Cyrus!
Ashley T., age 7, from Los Lunas, NM wished to be a Dolphin Trainer for a day in Florida. Ashley had a perfect time in the Florida Keys with her family! She was able to experience Dolphin Training up close and personal as she worked with a trainer for an entire day! Ashley loved her experience with the Dolphins and cannot wait to give back to the Make-A-Wish Foundation!
Still Pending Wishes
Sierra G., age 17, from Albuquerque, NM wishes to work on a wildlife refuge! Sierra will have her wish granted in the summer of 2009. Sierra is passionate about wild animals and cannot wait for the experience of working with them on a reserve or other open space.
Rhianna D., age 11, from Thoreau, NM has changed her wish from meeting Michael Jordan to meeting Sharon Osborne. Rhianna loves the music of Ozzy and thinks that is wife is a Rockin’ lady. Rhianna will hopefully meet Sharon sometime this year. When a child wishes to meet a celebrity we work on the celebrity schedule.
Mariana C., age 3, from Albuquerque, NM wishes to have a princess bedroom makeover. She loves Cinderella and everything that is Disney Princess related. We hope to grant her complete bedroom makeover in March or April of 2009.
Fernandez B., age 8, from Jemez Pueblo wishes to go to Disney World to meet Mickey Mouse. Fernandez and his family are hoping to travel to Florida in the fall of 2009.
The final sculptures were judged on Sunday, October 5th and then auctioned with all proceeds benefiting the Make a Wish® Foundation of New Mexico. The event raised $34,700 for Make a Wish® Foundation. The organization grants “wishes” for children who have a life threatening medical condition.
RANKINGS
1st Place: Bob King of Edgewood, WA with his piece “Innocent Dreams”. Bob says his piece represents the childhood innocent view of the future. The piece includes a little girl kissing a frog, a boy climbing a tree and see if you can find the little dog. And check out the detail on the rope. Photos
2nd Place: Terry Ahola of Grands Pass, OR with his piece “Make a Wish”. Terry explains that his piece includes a Make-A-Wish child hoping for a wish to swim with dolphins. Her wish comes true and the dolphins become a balloon, lifting her to health. Photos
3rd Place: Dayton Scoggins of Heidelberg, MS with his piece “Soaring Dreams”. Dayton explains that man has wanted to fly as long as he has witnessed birds. Look at the determination on the Indian’s face and the beautiful detail of the hawk. Photos
4th Place: Hiromu Kurita of Ichihara City, Chiba, Japan with his piece “Future in the Sky”. Hiromu says he wanted to capture the carved figures that made the greatest impression on him when visiting our country for prior carving events. Through the figures of the Indian maiden, the hawk and the bear, he says his wish to make the carving finals has come true. Photos
ADDITIONAL COMPETITORS
Zoe Boni of Ridgway, PA with her piece “Dream Launcher”. Zoe explains that her piece recognizes that each person’s dream is unique. The chair she carved is a balloon. If you sit in it and speak your dream, the “echo” will reach the peacocks that will fly your dream upward. Photos
Mark Herrington of Wilkeson, WA with his piece “Sacred Calling”. Mark explains that his piece represents humanity reaching out for help in fulfilling a dream. Notice the details in the feathers, hair and the classic facial features. Photos
Jeff Samudosky of Columbia, CT with his piece “Sweet Dreams”. Jeff’s piece is an actual king size bed carved out of one redwood log. He choose this difficult task, he says, since the bed is where most dreams are launched. This one is safeguarded by the image of a dream catcher protected by wolves and a family of owls on watch. Photos
Mark Colp of Lakeport, CA with his piece “Sky Dreamer”. Mark’s Indian on his horse is a Native American motif of wish making. The realism of both figures impressed the crowds who voted this piece their favorite in the “Peoples Choice” category. Photos
THANKS TO JUDGES & SPONSORS
We’d like to thank our panel of judges who had the extremely difficult task of ranking the pieces. As you will see when you view the sculptures, we’re talking about a very talented group of artists. Thanks to lead judge Maryann Weems -artist and Weems Gallery owner; Carla Aragon - TV news personality; Thelma Domenici - local art critic; Bob Gerding - outdoor sports show host; and Dan Mayfield - Albuquerque Journal art critic.
The judges were coached on the art of chain saw carving by Albuquerque carver Mark Chavez. Mark’s regional carving event takes place at the Balloon Fiesta October 9 through 12 with 6 pro carvers and an auction, once again benefiting Make-A-Wish® Foundation of New Mexico.
We’d also like to thank our sponsors, particularly Bosch Power Tools and Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA. The prize list for the carvers was great…click here to read about the prize packages.
Championship Results
Place
Name
Hometown
Carving Name
Galleries
1st
Edgewood, WA
Innocent Dreams
2nd
Grants Pass, OR
Make a Wish
3rd
Heidelberg, MS
Soaring Dreams
4th
Japan
Future in the Sky
5th
Ridgway, PA
Dream Launcher
6th
Wilkeson, WA
Sacred Calling
7th
Columbia, CT
Sweet Dreams
8th
Lakeport, CA
Sky Dreamer
People's Choice
Lakeport, CA
Sky Dreamer
Championship Qualifiers
Name
Hometown
Qualifying Event
Grants Pass, OR
Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Sculpture Championships
Ridgway, PA
Cole Chevy Mountain Festival Carving Invitational
Lakeport, CA
At-Large Qualifier
Wilkeson, WA
Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Sculpture Championships
Edgewood, WA
Cole Chevy Mountain Festival Carving Invitational
Japan
The Chetwynd International Chain Saw Carving Championship-Invitational
Heidelberg, MS
National Road Chainsaw Carving Festival
Columbia, CT
National Road Chainsaw Carving Festival
At-Large Standings
Place
Name
Hometown
Points
1st
Mark Colp
Lakeport, CA
10 pts.
2nd
James Denkins
Cooks, MI
5 pts.
2nd
Glenn Greensides
Seyward Island, BC, Canada
5 pts.
4th
Richard Austin
Wales
3 pts.
4th
Jason Emmons
Branchville, IN
3 pts.
4th
Don Etue
Hoquiam, WA
3 pts.
4th
Elmer Gunderson
Prince George, BC, Canada
3 pts.
4th
Kay Jackson
Branson, MO, USA
3 pts.
4th
Kenneth Packie
Otis, MA
3 pts.
10th
Matt Hambrook
Ridgfield, WA
1 pt.
10th
Tim Klock
Altoona, PA
1 pt.
Tie-Breaker: The first tie-breaker for at-large contestants is head-to-head -- the person with the higher finish at the same competition will advance. If a tie still remains the second tie-breaker is total number of qualifying events attended. If a tie still exists a coin flip will determine who will advance.
Videos
2008 ECHO Carving Series
Watch the carving action, fun and excitement at
the 2008 event held at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®.
Watch the carving action, fun and excitement at
the 2008 event held at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta®.
2007 ECHO Carving Series
Watch the carving action, fun and excitement at
the 2007 event held at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, IL.
Watch the carving action, fun and excitement at
the 2007 event held at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, IL.
2006 ECHO Carving Series
See an overview of all the action and fun at the
Great Outdoor Festival in Oshkosh, WI.
See an overview of all the action and fun at the
Great Outdoor Festival in Oshkosh, WI.
2005 ECHO Carving Series
Watch the excitement at the inaugural ECHO Carving Series
Championship in Louisville, KY.
Watch the excitement at the inaugural ECHO Carving Series
Championship in Louisville, KY.
News
Cole Chevy Mountain Festival Carving Invitational
Date:
May 23-25
Location:
Bluefield, WV
Results:
1st Place - "Almost Heaven" by Zoe Boni (Ridgway, PA)
2nd Place - "Forging Ahead in West Virginia" by Bob King (Edgewood, WA)
3rd Place - "West Virginia Backwoods" by Mark Colp (Lakeport, CA)
4th Place - "Guests at Suppertime" by Jason Emmons (Branchville, IN)
5th Place - "Don't Mess with Momma" by Dayton Scoggins (Heidelberg, MS)
6th Place - "Morning Stretch" by Mike Bihlmaier (Marengo, IL)
7th Place - "The Last Pack" by Jeff Samudosky (Columbia, CT)
8th Place - "The First Mountaineer" by Ken Tynan (Des Moines, IA)
Photos:
National Road Chainsaw Carving Festival
Date:
June 12-14
Location:
Addison, PA
Results:
1st Place - Jeff Samudosky (Columbia, CT)
2nd Place - Dayton Scoggins (Heidelberg, MS)
3rd Place - James Denkins (Cooks, MI)
4th Place - Kenneth Packie (Otis, MA)
5th Place - Tim Klock (Altoona, PA)
6th Place - Rick Nasby (Columbus, IN)
7th Place - Ken Tynan (Des Moines, IA)
8th Place - Garland Swinney (New Caney, TX)
9th Place - Gregory Butauski (Columbus, OH)
10th Place - Jeff Pinney (Cheswick, PA)
Photos:
Videos:
The Chetwynd International Chain Saw Carving Championship-Invitational
Date:
June 12-14
Location:
Chetwynd, British Columbia, Canada
Results:
1st Place - "Dragon #8" by Hiromu Kurita (Japan)
2nd Place - "Helping Hand" by Bob King (Edgewood, WA)
3rd Place - "Lynx" by Glenn Greensides (Seyward Island, BC, Canada)
4th Place - "Katie's Dream" by Elmer Gunderson (Prince George, BC, Canada)
4th Place - "BC Bench" by Richard Austin (Wales)
4th Place - "Leave My Chicks Alone" by Kay Jackson (Branson, MO, USA)
5th Place - "Sand Trap" by Nyal Thomas (Washington, USA)
6th Place - "Bull Rider" by Dan Richey (Nanaimo, BC, Canada)
7th Place - "Mother and Baby Whale" by Gerry Strelioff (Campbell River, BC, Canada)
8th Place - "Swan" by Ken Sheen (Riske Creek, BC, Canada)
9th Place - "Wranglers Rest" by Blaine Brake (Chetwynd, BC, Canada)
10th Place - "Beak to Beak" by Bongo Love (Zimbabwe)
Website:
Photos:
Oregon Divisional Chainsaw Sculpture Championships
Date:
June 12-14
Location:
Reedsport, OR
Results:
1st Place - Terry Ahola (Grants Pass, OR)
2nd Place - Mark Herrington (Wilkeson, WA)
3rd Place - Mark Colp (Lakeport, CA)
4th Place - Don Etue (Hoquiam, WA)
5th Place - Matt Hambrook (Ridgfield, WA)
6th Place - Dave Tremko (Sequim, WA)
7th Place - Steven Higgins (Northport, WA)
8th Place - Jacob Lucas (Bonney Lake, WA)
9th Place - Akio Utsu (Japan)
10th Place - Gaylen Sharp (Eureka, CA)
Website:
Photos:
