I'll Try Anything Once: log rolling

Prior Lake American

Though it might seem obvious from the brown hair, brown eyes and doughy, English, peasant body, I’m not Scandinavian.

And though “Minnesotan” and “Scandinavian” aren’t directly related, there is a strong correlation, which means my lack of Scandinavian-ness means I am a transplant to the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Minnesota also has a strong history of logging, mainly in the 1800s due to the numerous rivers nearby used to transport the heavy trunks of wood, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

All of this is to say that I’ve never tried log rolling.

See what I did there? We went from Minnesota having a strong Scandinavian connection to having a strong logging tie to me not being Minnesotan by not being Scandinavian and therefore not having that familiarity with log rolling.

Anyway.

An activity that was once a necessity for lumberjacks who had to learn how to safely stay on top of the logs in the rivers became a competition for the loggers and has become a sport for enthusiasts (and those wanting jacked thigh muscles).

I was dared to log roll by way of the “I’ll Try Anything Once” suggestion jar in the Southwest News Media office, so I reached out to the Minneapolis Log Rolling Club.

The club, which currently has about 15 adult and 25 children log rollers, began in 2015 after a few of the founders had taken beginning log rolling classes but wanted to do more.

“You just want to keep figuring it out and keep getting better,” Minneapolis Log Rolling Club Member Gina Nelson said. “I was hooked and couldn’t stop.”

The club offers beginner rolling lessons and intermediate and advanced log rolling training, generally for members who would like to compete. The club rolls on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday nights at locations across the Twin Cities.

I joined them for a Wednesday night, which is considered an all-club rolling night, at Cedar Lake East Beach in Minneapolis — which used to be known as Hidden Beach and was once a nude beach, but that’s beside the point (just interesting).

The club uses Key Logs, a 65-pound synthetic log that is able to be transported easier than a regular log but can be filled with water on-site to make it the approximate weight of a tree trunk log.

The Key Logs can also be fitted with up to three trainers, which create resistance to slow down the rotation of the logs for beginners.

Nelson and Minneapolis Log Rolling Club member Julie Colby gave me a “land lesson” first to demonstrate the proper form. If you’re standing on the right side of the log, you throw your left arm back and right arm forward, squat down and take small steps on the top of the log, all while looking at the left side of the log.

If you feel yourself falling forward, you’re supposed to squat down more. If you feel yourself falling backward, you’re supposed to take much quicker steps.

It seemed like a piece of cake during the land lesson. On the log, not so much. Colby and Nelson would hold the Key Log (fitted with three trainers) at each end while I stepped on the log. As soon as I got on top of the log, Colby would yell “step, step, step” and the log would be rolling.

This would last for approximately 10 seconds (if that) before I would fall off one way or the other. It seemed I would always remember one of the instructions (look at the other side of the log, check) but none of the others (squatting down, not check, left arm back, not check, faster steps, not check).

Meanwhile, Colby’s log rolling world champion children competed against each other on a smaller log with no trainers.

“It’s a really cool individual sport,” Colby said. “There’s not a lot of individual sports for kids. If you have a kid that’s quieter, log rolling is the perfect alternative to team sports.”

After a few cycles of getting on the log, lasting for a few seconds, falling off then rinsing (literally) and repeating, a trainer was removed. Eventually, I was able to get on the log with Colby and Nelson holding it with a moderate success rate.

I was then paired with one of the girls for a small competition.

In log rolling, there are two types of competitions — the first is where two people are facing the same direction and attempt to roll the log so quickly that the other person is unable to keep up and falls off. The other is where two people face opposite directions on the log and try to trip up the other person by switching up the direction of the roll, kicking the log, splashing water at their opponent and other such tactics. The winner is the one who is able to stay in contact with one or both of their legs the longest.

The first bout I lost and as I stood in the knee-deep water, the girl splashed me so it was on. I won the second round and lost track after that point (but she probably won overall) and the girl and I mended our short-lived rivalry afterward by talking about baby ducks.

Would I do it again?

Of course — I want jacked thigh muscles. In addition, it’s a different (and fun) physical way to spend a few hours on the lake and in the sun. Time will tell if I’ll ever be able to do it without trainers or stay on for a while, but I’d definitely do it again.

Tune in next time to see what zany activity I’ll try next.