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Tree climbers reach for the sky
  
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By Linda Le Park - Citizen Staff Writer
With their tree climbing gear in tow, competitors from four different states all gathered at Elk Grove Regional Park from June 13 to 15 for the 2008 Tree Climbing Championship.
Onlookers at the park watched while more than 30 arborists and certified tree workers competed for the championship title for the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (WCISA), which includes California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona.
The competition moves from place to place each year, with last year’s competition in Arizona and in Southern California the year before that.
Rose Epperson, executive director for the WCISA, said that several things are taken into consideration before selecting the competition’s location.
First, the trees need to be examined to make sure they have the right height requirements, then they look at the park’s amenities and whether it is easy to get to.
“Elk Grove Regional Park was just beautiful,” Epperson said. “The oak trees were just the perfect setting.”
Competitors graced the trees, flying from limb to limb, looking like Spiderman.
The event started on Friday, June 13 with a workshop on climbing instruction and safety, and then took off on Saturday when the competition began.
The competition brought people from all of the chapter’s states, with 30 men, three women and seven “Old Timers.”
The Old Timers division is for competitors more than 45 years old who participate in just one climb.
The other competitors participated in five different stations on Saturday.
Two of the events were timed climbing stations, the Secured Foot Lock and the Work Climb. There was also a target event called Throw Ball, where the entrant had to throw a ball at aimed targets on a tree, the higher the target, the more points it was worth.
The last two stations required the participant to actually climb through the trees. There was the Aerial Rescue, where competitors had to safely “rescue” a 147-pound dummy from the top of the tree.
The most interactive and entertaining to watch was the Work Climb Station which had competitors harnessed and flying, at times even up to 80 feet, through the giant oak tree.
The competition’s coordinator Jose Mercado said that participants are given five minutes for this station, but completing it in less than three minutes is considered very good.
For the Work Climb Station, the competitors have to travel to different locations on the tree, simulating things they would do on the job, staying properly harnessed and ringing bells to show they have completed the activity.
Much more is taken into this competition than just time. Finesse and control of the harness is something that also earns the competitors major points.
A thin tree limb has a buzzer attached that rings if too much weight is placed on it, causing the participants to lose points if they do not exhibit good control of their harness. There were also bulls eyes painted onto the ground for competitors to aim sticks at and for them to land in at the end.
Dropping any piece of equipment would cause automatic disqualification from the event.
There were also two local climbers who participated, Elk Grovian Arturo Samayoa from Tree Tech Services and Miguel Angel Sotelo, a certified tree worker from Fallen Leaf Tree Service, Inc. in Sacramento.
This is Samayoa’s first time in the competition and Sotelo’s third. Neither advanced to the finals on Sunday, although Sotelo has made it in the past.
Sotelo, said he entered the competition because it “looked fun” and he enjoys the height.
“I figured if they can do it, I can do it too,” he said. “I can be in the top five, it just takes time.”
Perhaps the most well-known competitors were father and son Gary and Jared Abrojena from Antioch, Calif. who have a family business as arborists called Evergreen Tree Care.
Gary is a five-time champion for the Western Chapter and Jared is a three-time winner who first began competing at just 16 years old.
“From growing up around it, I just got into it and love it. I am caring for trees and this is just a bonus,” Jared said. “Competition-wise, you are just in a zone. No fear or nervousness.”
He has even made it to third place his first time to the international finals in Seattle. Last year in Arizona, he made it to the Western Chapter’s finals, but left before competing because his wife went into labor.
“Leaving did not bother me at all,” Jared said. “I was actually mad at my wife because she made me go.” He made it home in time for her to give birth to their son, Austin.
Linda Abrojena, Gary’s wife and Jared’s mother said that her husband had the children in trees shortly after they could walk.
“Gary has an incredibly competitive nature,” Linda said. “He still climbs like he is 30. He still enters probably because he wants to climb with his son.”
Jared made it to the top five in the men’s division and advanced to the finals on Sunday, where he won the Men’s Masters Challenge, completing it in just 18.5 minutes, at least four minutes sooner than the other competitors.
The other top finalists were Daniel Stevens, Jeff Denier, Chad Brey and Jacob Claassen. Stevens came in second and Denier came in third.
The three women competitors were Jessica Petrini, Lori Kunkle and last year’s Western Chapter’s winner Rhonda Wood.
This year, Petrini took the top women’s spot and will advance to the international finals with Jared in St. Louis, Mo. on July 28 to compete against climbers from all over the world.
This was Petrini’s first time competing. She works at University of California, Santa Cruz where she has been climbing for about a year.
“I actually feel fine. I am trying not to be too nervous,” she said before competing. “I am trying to stay calm and learn from the people competing before me.”
Last year’s women’s winner is Disneyland employee Rhonda Wood, an arborist and certified tree worker. She said she is hoping the competition will encourage more women to compete since the women’s division just started last year.
“I love the challenge, adrenaline and just being out and enjoying tree structure,” Wood said. “It’s just fun, great people to be around, family oriented and great camaraderie.”
Epperson said once the Master’s Challenge was complete, Wood climbed the tree and took down all of the equipment.
“She just wanted to do it for fun,” Epperson said about Wood. “She said, ‘I just want to try it because it was such a big tree.’”
Epperson said all of the people who traveled out to Elk Grove for the event loved the community and the park.
“It was lovely. I have to tell you, so many of my attendees complimented the city,” she said. “People came from all over for the competition, and so many people commented on how clean the city looked.”
Onlookers at the park watched while more than 30 arborists and certified tree workers competed for the championship title for the Western Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (WCISA), which includes California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona.
The competition moves from place to place each year, with last year’s competition in Arizona and in Southern California the year before that.
Rose Epperson, executive director for the WCISA, said that several things are taken into consideration before selecting the competition’s location.
First, the trees need to be examined to make sure they have the right height requirements, then they look at the park’s amenities and whether it is easy to get to.
“Elk Grove Regional Park was just beautiful,” Epperson said. “The oak trees were just the perfect setting.”
Competitors graced the trees, flying from limb to limb, looking like Spiderman.
The event started on Friday, June 13 with a workshop on climbing instruction and safety, and then took off on Saturday when the competition began.
The competition brought people from all of the chapter’s states, with 30 men, three women and seven “Old Timers.”
The Old Timers division is for competitors more than 45 years old who participate in just one climb.
The other competitors participated in five different stations on Saturday.
Two of the events were timed climbing stations, the Secured Foot Lock and the Work Climb. There was also a target event called Throw Ball, where the entrant had to throw a ball at aimed targets on a tree, the higher the target, the more points it was worth.
The last two stations required the participant to actually climb through the trees. There was the Aerial Rescue, where competitors had to safely “rescue” a 147-pound dummy from the top of the tree.
The most interactive and entertaining to watch was the Work Climb Station which had competitors harnessed and flying, at times even up to 80 feet, through the giant oak tree.
The competition’s coordinator Jose Mercado said that participants are given five minutes for this station, but completing it in less than three minutes is considered very good.
For the Work Climb Station, the competitors have to travel to different locations on the tree, simulating things they would do on the job, staying properly harnessed and ringing bells to show they have completed the activity.
Much more is taken into this competition than just time. Finesse and control of the harness is something that also earns the competitors major points.
A thin tree limb has a buzzer attached that rings if too much weight is placed on it, causing the participants to lose points if they do not exhibit good control of their harness. There were also bulls eyes painted onto the ground for competitors to aim sticks at and for them to land in at the end.
Dropping any piece of equipment would cause automatic disqualification from the event.
There were also two local climbers who participated, Elk Grovian Arturo Samayoa from Tree Tech Services and Miguel Angel Sotelo, a certified tree worker from Fallen Leaf Tree Service, Inc. in Sacramento.
This is Samayoa’s first time in the competition and Sotelo’s third. Neither advanced to the finals on Sunday, although Sotelo has made it in the past.
Sotelo, said he entered the competition because it “looked fun” and he enjoys the height.
“I figured if they can do it, I can do it too,” he said. “I can be in the top five, it just takes time.”
Perhaps the most well-known competitors were father and son Gary and Jared Abrojena from Antioch, Calif. who have a family business as arborists called Evergreen Tree Care.
Gary is a five-time champion for the Western Chapter and Jared is a three-time winner who first began competing at just 16 years old.
“From growing up around it, I just got into it and love it. I am caring for trees and this is just a bonus,” Jared said. “Competition-wise, you are just in a zone. No fear or nervousness.”
He has even made it to third place his first time to the international finals in Seattle. Last year in Arizona, he made it to the Western Chapter’s finals, but left before competing because his wife went into labor.
“Leaving did not bother me at all,” Jared said. “I was actually mad at my wife because she made me go.” He made it home in time for her to give birth to their son, Austin.
Linda Abrojena, Gary’s wife and Jared’s mother said that her husband had the children in trees shortly after they could walk.
“Gary has an incredibly competitive nature,” Linda said. “He still climbs like he is 30. He still enters probably because he wants to climb with his son.”
Jared made it to the top five in the men’s division and advanced to the finals on Sunday, where he won the Men’s Masters Challenge, completing it in just 18.5 minutes, at least four minutes sooner than the other competitors.
The other top finalists were Daniel Stevens, Jeff Denier, Chad Brey and Jacob Claassen. Stevens came in second and Denier came in third.
The three women competitors were Jessica Petrini, Lori Kunkle and last year’s Western Chapter’s winner Rhonda Wood.
This year, Petrini took the top women’s spot and will advance to the international finals with Jared in St. Louis, Mo. on July 28 to compete against climbers from all over the world.
This was Petrini’s first time competing. She works at University of California, Santa Cruz where she has been climbing for about a year.
“I actually feel fine. I am trying not to be too nervous,” she said before competing. “I am trying to stay calm and learn from the people competing before me.”
Last year’s women’s winner is Disneyland employee Rhonda Wood, an arborist and certified tree worker. She said she is hoping the competition will encourage more women to compete since the women’s division just started last year.
“I love the challenge, adrenaline and just being out and enjoying tree structure,” Wood said. “It’s just fun, great people to be around, family oriented and great camaraderie.”
Epperson said once the Master’s Challenge was complete, Wood climbed the tree and took down all of the equipment.
“She just wanted to do it for fun,” Epperson said about Wood. “She said, ‘I just want to try it because it was such a big tree.’”
Epperson said all of the people who traveled out to Elk Grove for the event loved the community and the park.
“It was lovely. I have to tell you, so many of my attendees complimented the city,” she said. “People came from all over for the competition, and so many people commented on how clean the city looked.”
Karen Fggetter wrote on Jun 28, 2008 5:18 PM:
I am very proud to say she is Family, and God Bless Her for that.
Karen "