For many, chopping firewood is a chore. For Rotorua's Kyle Lemon it is a sport and one he excels in.
Lemon was part of the New Zealand Stihl Timbersports team who crushed Poland in the final to win the Timbersports World Championships this weekend.
It has been a long time coming for the New Zealand side. Lemon was in the team that last won the annual world championships, in Germany in 2013, before a dominant Australian side won three in a row.
It was a particularly poignant moment for the Rotorua man, standing atop the podium, as he dedicated the win to his father, Rusty Lemon, who died in September. It was Rusty who got Kyle into the sport and helped him become the wood-chopping force he is today.
"I quietly dedicated this win to him. He was the only reason I am a wood chopper. He was my biggest supporter and would have been proud of this achievement. I am not usually emotional but directly after the win, while still on the stage, I had a tear in my eye. Dad would have been watching over me," Lemon said.
He said over the last three years the New Zealand side had worked hard, tried different combinations and had had some bad luck.
"This time we changed it up. We went over earlier and set up a training camp at an indoor venue. We also took an extra team member which provided different options.
"We all knew what we had to do. Each of us had certain things we had to concentrate on and we knew a mistake-free run would put us in a good place.
The New Zealand men's STIHL Timbersports team celebrate a first-place finish at the Timbersports World Championships in Norway. Rotorua's Kyle Lemon is on the left. Photo/Supplied
"We all get on very well. Our team spirit has been exceptional this year and when you all enjoy what you do it makes the job easier. We joke around and give each other a bit of stick but when it's game time the switch flicks and our attitudes change.
"The atmosphere at these events is like no other. Timbersports is huge in Europe and they love it. The crowd gets right into it and the noise is just short of deafening at times. When you walk out on to the stage the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The pressure can get to you if you don't get things right but I enjoy those high-pressure moments," he said.
His wife Neroli watched the championships from New Zealand with their children, and said the whole family was proud of Kyle and his efforts.
"Last year they didn't make it to the quarter-finals, they got knocked out, so this year they definitely had something to prove.
"We watched it live and the kids scream and shout. My little fella is 10 and he chops as well, he sat there just watching, proud of his dad."
She said the whole team was "over the moon" with the victory.
"They were ecstatic to get it back and then Jason Wynyard [of Auckland] turned around today [Sunday] and won the individual for New Zealand. So it was a double gold for the weekend.
"It's a four-man team. Kyle was on the stock saw, which is a chainsaw, and then it went to underhand, then single saw and standing block. They do one each, as fast as they can, and New Zealand achieved the fastest overall time for the night too."
All four members of the world champion New Zealand team will be in action at the Rotorua A&P Show at the Agrodome in January.
