'That's Wisconsin': Looking for a study break, these stressed-out UW-La Crosse students try logrolling

LA CROSSE - Fleet-footed Gabriella Zaemisch took a study break before finals at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse to try a vintage Wisconsin sport that's as tough as it looks.

Imagine running on top of a spinning log while trying not to fall off in the water. Like the lumberjacks on the nearby mighty Mississippi in the late 1800s as they broke up logjams while “driving” logs to sawmill towns.

"My dad always said I should try logrolling because I'm fast and athletic," said Zaemisch, a UW-La Crosse freshman from Stoughton who's majoring in biology and ran both track and cross country in high school.

"You've gotta keep your feet moving fast and, so you don't fall off, you have to keep your balance at the same time," she said she learned. "You get a feel for which direction the log turns."

Zaemisch stayed upright longer each time she got on the log, which was steadied by a fellow student, Shane Burns, who — get this — is a world-ranked, competitive logroller. At UW-La Crosse, he's a junior majoring in business management.

Learning the sport turned out to be a perfect study break for Zaemisch and fellow stressed-out UW-La Crosse students heading into finals that start Saturday. Students signed up for group lesson slots at the Mitchell Hall pool last week. 

As college de-stressors go, this unusual release is right up there with hugging a cow — an opportunity offered to students at Michigan State University.

RELATED:How spending time with cows helped Michigan State students de-stress before finals

"Students wanted to do something completely out of the ordinary in December — something in the water — and someone knew someone who's a logroller. It just took off from there," explained Brian Kumm-Schaley, the recreation management assistant professor whose class organized the pre-finals fun.

Northern Wisconsin and La Crosse, in particular, have remained true to their logrolling roots, and there are plenty of professional logrollers here.

Last summer, the Lumberjack World Championships, including logrolling, were held in Hayward. La Crosse has summer logrolling programs at the Great River Landing in Onalaska, several public swimming pools and the La Crosse YMCA.

Kumm-Schaley's recreation management class at UW-La Crosse has organized a "learn how to logroll" event for students each December for the past three years before finals. Think "escape stress" in a swimsuit and warm pool while trying something offbeat that could parenthetically be mentioned later in a job interview.

"This isn't a sport out where I'm from," said Molly Heistand, a fifth-year senior from the San Francisco Bay area majoring in recreational management with an outdoor emphasis. "I'm an equestrian."

Heistad follows world champion logroller Burns on Instagram and is part of the recreational management class that organized the logrolling study break. Another UW-La Crosse student, sophomore sport and fitness management major Connor Birdsong, helped teach the class and also is a world champion logroller. 

"One of the tricks Shane suggested is pretend you're holding a beverage and you don't want to spill it, so hold it out, look over your shoulder and bend your knees," Heistad said.

'Beer, cheese, brats and logrolling. That's Wisconsin'

"This is such a cool, unique thing," she added, admitting that she didn't really know what logrolling was until she looked it up on YouTube. "Beer, cheese, brats and logrolling. That's Wisconsin."

Students learned on two different logs that are used in world competitions. One was a 12-foot long, 15-inch diameter western red cedar log, weighing about 400 pounds. The log is carpeted to create a grippy surface.

The other log is a portable, 60-pound synthetic log called a Key Log. It's filled with water, using a hose, to give it more weight. The synthetic log has been a hit at summer camps, colleges and community recreation programs since it was developed in La Crosse by the company Key Log Rolling.

"I can put that one on top of my car by myself," said Leah Burns, a three-time world champion logroller from La Crosse who helped teach students how to stay upright.

"You just keep running," said Jim Pettinger, a junior majoring in English education from Racine who took advantage of logrolling study breaks his freshman and sophomore years, too.

Pettinger described it as a good time with friends. "You don't get a lot of opportunities in the dead of winter to be in the water and have fun," he said. 

On this particular evening, Pettinger was thinking about returning to a paper for an introduction to literature class. The first draft was due the next day.

Shane Burns' sister, Leah, was the first in the family to get hooked on logrolling.

It happened in fourth grade when she saw logrolling in a textbook and found a class in a community recreation program. She earned a recreation degree from UW-La Crosse in 2016.

The whole Burns family is involved with logrolling and has owned the La Crosse Area Log Rolling Association for years.

The key things to remember in logrolling, Leah Burns explained:

• Keep moving your feet. 
   
• Look at the other side of the log or your competitor's feet. It helps with balance and turns your upper body.
   
• Put your arms out for balance, sink your hips and keep your chest straight up.