2017 Gold Rush Days

JUNE 17 . 18, 2017

FREE ADMISSION

S aV i K K o P ar K

JUNE 17 . 18, 2017

FREE ADMISSION

S aV i K K o P ar K

A FAMILY CELEBRATION MINERS & LOGGERS COMPETITION Saturday, June 17 - Mining Events Sunday, June 18 - Logging Events Opening Ceremonies: Sat, June 17; 9am Registration Opens at 7:30 am Sat. & Sun. Food, Craft & Informational Booths: 8am - 5pm Ruth Roberts Children’s Carnival & Gold Panning: 1-3pm; Sat & Sun. Children’s Event Sat. 11am-1pm; Sun. 1-2pm Teens’ Event Sat. & Sun. in regular Schedule Location: Savikko Park in Douglas For more information: email: juneaugoldrushdays@gmail.com, phone: 523-3325 or find us on Facebook

How do you throw an ax?

Just ax the experts.

By James Brooks Juneau Empire There’s one key rule to throwing an ax: “Just be careful. You don’t want to hit yourself with it.”

Those are the words of Alea Oien, and if anyone in Juneau knows how to throw an ax, it’s her. For the past 20 years, she’s taken more “Babe of the Woods” titles at Golden Days than anyone else (according to the Empire’s records), and while she hasn’t always been the top women’s ax thrower, she usually does pretty well.

A former AJ mine employee, Oien remembers the first time she tried to throw an ax.

“It looked like fun,” she said. “I just wanted to see if I could do it.”

It’s a fair bet that plenty of Juneauites will be in Oien’s shoes when this year’s Gold Rush Days arrives.

Fortunately, there’s an expert who can provide some advice.

Ray Geist teaches tourists to throw axes at Ketchikan’s Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show.

He’s the boss of the performers who put on shows daily to the thousands of cruise ship tourists that sail through Ketchikan.

He said by phone that there’s three things to keep in mind: grip, positioning and the release.

Throwing axes are double-bitted (a blade on both sides) and, when thrown, should make one complete rotation between release and the target.

A right-handed person should put his or her left hand at the bottom of the ax handle; the bottom of the hand should be even with the end of the handle. The right hand should be just above that, and reverse the order if you’re left-handed.

Stand with your dominant foot forward and line the ax vertically in front of you. Your hands should be at your belly button, the blade even with your nose.

Bring the ax over your head and transfer your weight to your back leg.

“Load your back leg with all your body weight, then push off with your back leg and release as the ax comes back over your head,” Geist said.

The release point will vary from person to person, and both Oien and Geist said it’s as much about feeling as anything else.

“I just look for the bullseye, and it goes where it goes,” Oien said.

Geist added that if the ax goes below the target, you’re releasing it too late. If it goes above the target, you’re going too early. If it misses to either side, you’re missing something on your grip or stance.

“I see a lot of people will have their hands separated on the ax handle. If you can keep them together at the bottom of the ax handle, that really helps with your rotation,” he said.

“Seven out of 10 people do very well,” Geist said. “Some people pick it up right away; some people can’t seem to get it at all.”

Gold Rush Days takes place June 17-18 at Savikko Park. Logging events, including ax throwing, take place between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday. Mining events take place Saturday. Registration for both kinds of events opens at 7:30 a.m.

Contact reporter James Brooks at james.k.brooks@juneauempire.com or call 419-7732.

SCORES TO BE BEATEN The 26th Annual Gold Rush Days

26th Annual Gold Rush Days - June 18 and 19, 2016 2016 Competition Competition Results Results 1st Place

Time/Score 2nd Place

Time/Score 3rd Place

Time/Score

Mining Competitions, June 18, 2016 Men’s Jackleg Drilling Men’s Spike Driving Women’s Spike Driving Men’s Hand Mucking Women’s Hand Mucking Men’s 12B Overshot Mucking Team Drilling-1 Team Drilling-2 Children's Hand Mucking Teens' Spike Driving Teens' Hand Mucking

Jared Williams Jesse Alsup Alea Oien Bryce Tyler Alea Oien Kirk Ziegenfuss Jason Cameron Ryan Friend Joshua Quintal Vespasia Whitmore Dalton Hoy

2:07:81 0:54:87 0:27:16 0:56:65 0:42:13 0:38:06 2:14:78 2:14:78 0:13.81 2:31:46 0:45:44

Kirk Ziegenfuss Jared Williams Andrea Petrie Eddie Petrie Veronica Friend Jared Williams Jesse Alsup Jared Williams Brysen Haynes Allison Hoy Hayden Bryson

2:16:03 0:58:31 0:59:82 1:00:74 0:53:56 0:40:34 2:16:44 2:16:44 0:16:78 3:51:00 0:59:25

Jesse Alsup Eddie Petrie April Hoy Al Morrison Ursula Whitmore Mike Martin Eddie Petrie Jeremy Whitmore Allesandra Friend

2:19:53 1:05:53 1:08:81 1:02:69 1:09:78 0:44:57 2:17:65 2:17:65 0:16:90

Jakob Rosenbruch

1:04:31

Logging Competitions, June 19, 2016 Women’s Axe Throwing Men’s Axe Throwing Women’s Team Hand Bucking-1 Women’s Team Hand Bucking-2 Men’s Team Hand Bucking-1 Men’s Team Hand Bucking-2 Women’s Stock Power Saw Bucking Men’s Stock Power Saw Bucking Women’s Speed Climbing Men’s Vertical Chopping Men’s Speed Climbing Team Cable Splice-1 Team Cable Splice-2 Jack and Jill Team Hand Bucking-1 Jack and Jill Team Hand Bucking-2 Women’s Choker Setter Race Choker Setter & Hook Tender Relay-1 Choker Setter & Hook Tender Relay-2 Women’s Obstacle Pole Buck Men’s Obstacle Pole Buck Men’s Horizontal Chopping Women's Horizontal Chopping Women’s Log Rolling Men’s Log Rolling

Courtney McNaughton Mark Tobacco Andrea Petrie Courtney McNaughton Eddie Petrie Jeremy Whitmore Alea Oien Bryce Tyler Veronica Friend William Tonsgard Jr. Talon Lobaugh William Tonsgard Jr. Will Tonsgard Ryan Friend Veronica Friend Veronica Friend Scott Devlin Bryce Tyler Veronica Friend Bryce Tyler William Tonsgard Jr. Veronica Friend Alea Oien Bryce Tyler

6 13 0:13:28 0:13:28 0:11:19 0:11:19 0:17:31 0:32:00 0:22:90 0:16:37 0:18:19 6:00:93 6:00:93 0:11:54 0:11:54 0:21:56 1:00:22 1:00:22 0:31:37 0:16:56 0:22:04 1:13:78

Andrea Petrie Bryce Tyler Alea Oien Jan Trigg Dominic Hoy Bryce Tyler Courtney McNaughton Ralph Austin Courtney McNaughton Mark Tobacco Ralph Austin Wes Tyler Bryce Tyler Jeremy Whitmore Ursula Whitmore Alea Oien Jeremy Whitmore Eddie Petrie Alea Oien Robert Chernikoff Dominic Hoy Alea Oien Veronica Friend Ralph Austin

4 13 0:13:75 0:13:75 0:16:53 0:16:53 0:21:25 0:34:78 0:27:37 0:22:31 0:22:69 7:00:53 7:00:53 0:11:96 0:11:96 0:24:50 1:15:47 1:15:47 0:36:13 0:17:38 0:22:78 1:14:53

Alea Oien Ralph Austin Ursula Whitmore Veronica Friend Robert Chernikoff David Young Veronica Friend William Tonsgard Jr. Alea Oien Ralph Austin Bryce Tyler Mark Tobacco Scott Devlin Rob Rich Courtney McNaughton Calvina Wilson Dominic Hoy Rob Rich Courtney McNaughton Jacob Woodel Bryce Tyler Courtney McNaughton Ursula Whitmore Eric Bookless

3 12 0:18:60 0:18:60 0:18:40 0:18:40 0:20:96 0:40:87 0:37:62 0:25:87 0:23:87 9:52:94 9:52:94 0:12:06 0:12:06 0:27:72 1:17:72 1:17:72 0:45:72 0:22:59 0:22:85 2:04:97

Children's Choker Setter Race Teens' Choker Setter Race

Harrison Holt Spencer Holt

0:15:69 Hayden Devlin 0:16:56 Dalton Hoy

0:17:59 0:16:87

Allison Hoy Abigail Hoy

0:19:15 0:17:78

Best Female Miner Best Male Miner Babe of the Woods Bull of the Woods All-Around Resource

Alea Oien Jared Williams Veronica Friend Bryce Tyler Alea Oien

Tug of War

Loggers vs. Miners

Miners