Jube Wickheim had many outstanding contributions to logger's sports and CANLOG. He was a founding member of CANLOG and served on the executive committee for years. He also had the distinction of being the most winning log roller in Canadian history.

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Jube and his older brother Ardiel began log rolling in the 1950's on Vancouver Island. Soon they were traveling across North America to the biggest shows of that day. Jube is featured in the Guinness World Book of Records as he won the World Championship Log Rolling Competition 10 times (to this day, no other log roller has surpassed this feat). Also during his prolific log rolling career, he also won the US open championship, Canadian Championship and Vancouver Island championship several times.

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Jube is gain featured in the Guiness Book of World Records for the longest log rolling match in a competition. In 1956, he was rolling against Russ Harris, a US Marine from Kelso, WA, for first place at the Albany Timber Carnival. Russ proved to be a very tenacious component, as the two men ran out the one hour time limits on the 18 and 14 inch logs. After rolling for more than two hours on a 13 inch log, the first fall in the match occurred. Russ eventually won the match 3 falls to 2.

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The Wickheim brothers were very much in demand; soon they started a log rolling exhibition act, and travelled to many countries. This blossomed into the formation of the "Wickheim Timber Shows". Many competitors from Canada and USA had the privilege of working with this elite group that exemplified the professionalism and atheticism of the sport. Audiences around the world were entertained with the red and green teams of lumberjacks as they demonstrated popular logging sport events such as sawing, chopping, log rolling and tree climbing. The following is an excerpt from a poem written by Bob Waibel, from Sweet Home, Oregon. He shares his wonderful memory about being part of the Wickheim Timber Shows (featured in 1979 at the Sea World in San Deigo, California).

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Meet the men who created their own sport and folklore, 
witness their skill in dangerous events like you've never seen before. 
From the big cedar country, hemlocks and tall firs, 
a land of timbered mountains, where only wildlife stirs. 
From Wickheim Timber Shows, eight men come marching out, 
meet a group of modern Paul Bunyans, great men beyond doubt. 
Four loggers to a side, march around the show ground to do events like this, 
the horizontal block chop, chips fly to the ground. 
A logroller gives a demo across the pond, 
two double-bladed axes hit the target with a thudding sound. 
Two double buckers against a chain saw race...............

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Jube worked hard throughout his career in logger's sports to offer his expertise to CANLOG and other executive committees. Jube has since retired from the sport, and lives with his wife Mavis on Vancouver Island. A true "gentleman", Jube's positive attitude and level of professionalism has helped develop our sport into what it is today. CANLOG is truly indebted to Jube, and wishes to honour his contibution by making him our first "Hall of Famer". Thanks Jube!

 

Submitted by Alan Boyko, Port Alberni, BC