Today@Dal

Scott Read has been a fixture of the Woodsmen Team for over a decade. Heavily involved with the sport while a student, Scott now uses his passion for lumberjacking to train and mentor student athletes to the best of their ability.

When longtime woodsmen coach Rick Russell passed away in 2004, Scott stepped up to take over coaching duties. Rick’s were big shoes to fill, having contributed tremendously to the sport over his 23 year tenure as head coach, but Scott has managed to fill them. Rick would be proud of the hard work Scott puts into the team and all they have accomplished.

The woodsmen season runs from September to November and January to February. Two men’s and two women’s teams compete in the Canadian Intercollegiate Lumberjacking Association at four different competitions, the last of which is hosted by the Agricultural Campus. The teams practice every night of the week during the season and occasionally first thing in the morning in preparation for upcoming competitions. Scotty, as he is known by the team, attends every practice and will devote as many as four hours a night to work with the athletes. The accomplishments of the team show just how much time Scott spends coaching and mentoring the students.

Coming off an undefeated season, the Men’s 1 Team traveled to New Hampshire in April of 2012 to compete in the 66th Annual Woodsmen Spring Meet. Under Scott’s guidance, the team finished seventh overall in a field of 22 men’s teams. Along with his coaching commitments, Scott finds time to compete in the Maritime Lumberjack Circuit himself.

Along with his work with the Woodsmen Team, Scott is an indispensable member of the Department of Engineering. He trains staff and students on the safe use of machinery, builds and maintains equipment for precision agriculture and bio-fuel research and passes along ideas on how the function of equipment can be improved.

If you ask Scott for help, he will gladly lend a hand. Many major events on campus, including the Rick Russell Woodsmen Competition, Orientation and Open House would not be possible without his experience, stamina and keen eye for detail. He is the “go-to guy” for all Students’ Union events and he never looks for anything in return.

The Faculty of Agriculture is lucky to have Scott as part of the family.