Sawing to the finish

TROUT CREEK – Wood chips flew through the air as saws cut through lumber and shots rang out as competitors tested their accuracy at the shooting range at the Pentathlon in Trout Creek during the annual Huckleberry Festival last weekend.

The Huckleberry Homesteader Pentathlon took place throughout the day on Saturday, Aug. 9 in the park at Trout Creek.

“The competition includes five different events,” said Barb Madsen, who assisted in the running of the pentathlon.

Pentathlons have occurred since the first Olympics held in Ancient Greece, but the events at the pentathlon differed a bit from the traditional javelin and discus throw accompanying Olympic events.

The homesteader pentathlon’s events were nail pounding, casting a fishing lure, pumping water, shooting and sawing firewood.

All of these events incorporate skills necessary to survive in the homesteader era of western Montana.

Dressed to compliment the era where these events were common day to day chores, Don Manning and Bob Raines were on hand to assist competitors as they made their way through events and tally their scores at the end of the athletic competitions.

The competition was split into four distinct groups. Manly men, hardy women and above average children, split into boys and girls groups, competing for prizes and bragging rights during the challenging competition.

Fishing poles and camping equipment were some of the items up for grabs to competitors.

Additionally, those brave enough to compete in the homesteader events were awarded an “I survived” button denoting their accomplishment in rising to the challenge to take part in the pentathlon competition.  

Those who did partake in the events were a mix of local residents and visitors traveling significant distances.  

A couple young men who hailed from Virginia participated in the challenge, joining competitors from the area during the afternoon events.

Of the five events of the competition, three of them are timed competitions where speed is critical to victory.

The timed events include driving five 16d nails into a tree stump, using an old fashioned well pump to fill a large bucket with crisp, clean water and sawing through a timber log with a handheld crosscut saw.

The remaining two events of the pentathlon were scored competitions, where accuracy was the name of the game.

These events were shooting five shots with an air soft gun at a small target and casting a few lines with a fishing rod at a target in the grass, several feet away from the contestant.

At the end of the five events the contestants’ accuracy scores were combined with their timed scores to create an aggregate score.

As another souvenir for completing the unique events, competitors also had the option of taking home the piece of lumber they sawed off during the competition as a memento from the day’s challenges.

Over the course of Saturday afternoon crowds formed around the competition areas as competitors of all ages tried their hand at the competition.

Don Manning has run the event for the last several years.