Draft:Nate Hodges
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 Nate Hodges at the North Fork Mid-Sierra Loggers Jamboree in 2025 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | 1984 (age 41–42) North Fork, California, U.S. |
| Sport | |
| Country | United States |
| Sport | Timbersports |
Nate Hodges (born 1984) is an American professional lumberjack. He is the 2024 STIHL Timbersports Individual World Champion,[1] becoming the first American to win that global title. Hodges is also a two-time U.S. national Timbersports champion (2024 and 2025)[2] and has won numerous regional logging competitions, including fifteen titles at the Mid-Sierra Loggers Jamboree in his hometown of North Fork, California.[1]
Early life
[edit]Hodges was born and raised in the mountain town of North Fork in Madera County, California.[1] He comes from a family of lumberjacks – his father Patrick, mother Cathey, brother Jerry, and sister Amanda have all competed in the North Fork Loggers Jamboree.[3] He received his first axe from his grandfather at age four.[4]
At 18, Hodges entered his first Jamboree competition, competing in the axe throw. He tied for first and won in a tiebreaker throw-off, which he described as the moment he became "hooked" on the sport.[4] By 2019, he had claimed eleven “Top Logger” all-around titles at the Jamboree,[4] and as of 2024 he held at least 15 local championships.[1]
Career
[edit]Hodges entered the STIHL Timbersports national circuit in 2019. That July, he finished as runner-up at the U.S. Pro Championship in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just one point behind Cassidy Scheer.[3] The same year, he qualified for Team USA at the World Championships in Prague.[5]
In 2022, Hodges helped Team USA win the silver medal at the Team World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.[6] He was again part of the U.S. squad that claimed silver in 2024 in Toulouse, France.[7]
Hodges won his first U.S. Championship in July 2024,[8] which qualified him for the Individual World Championship later that year. In Toulouse, he set three personal-best times and defeated rivals Jack Jordan (New Zealand) and Ben Cumberland (Canada) to claim the 2024 Individual World Championship.[1]
In July 2025, Hodges defended his U.S. title, becoming back-to-back national champion.[2] At the same event, he set a new world record in the Hot Saw discipline with a time of 4.28 seconds.[2] He will represent the United States at the 2025 Individual World Championship in Milan, Italy.[2]
Achievements
[edit]Media appearances
[edit]In November 2024, Hodges was profiled on ABC30's Good Sports segment after his world championship win.[1] He was also interviewed by NPR affiliate KVPR on The Central Valley Daily podcast.[9]
Personal life
[edit]Hodges lives in Cascadel Woods, near North Fork, California, with his wife and three daughters.[4] He has worked as a general contractor, building more than 50 houses in the Madera County region.[4] In 2019, he opened Yosemite Axe Throwing, a family-friendly axe-throwing venue in Oakhurst, California.[10]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 KFSN Staff (16 November 2024). "North Fork native Nate Hodges crowned Timbersports world champion". ABC30. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "U.S. Championships delivers world records, title defenses, and rising stars". STIHL Timbersports. 28 July 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 Chavez, George (29 July 2019). "Hodges Carves Out Runner Up Finish At 2019 Stihl Timbersports Championships". Sierra News Online. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chavez, George (3 July 2019). "Hodges Defends Title At 60th North Fork Loggers Jamboree". Sierra News Online. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ Chavez, George (23 October 2019). "Nate Hodges to Compete in STIHL Timbersports World Championships". Sierra News Online. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Australia dominate World Championships in Sweden". STIHL Timbersports. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Australia defend world title in Toulouse". STIHL Timbersports. 17 November 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- 1 2 "Nate Hodges crowned U.S. Champion". STIHL Timbersports. 28 July 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ Heinrich, Kerry Klein (20 November 2024). "Madera Man Becomes One of the World's Best Lumberjacks". Valley Public Radio. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Timber! New Axe Throwing Club Opening in Oakhurst". Sierra News Online. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2025.