Davey Tree Flipbooks

19 July/August 2024 | THE DAVEY BULLETIN MINNESOTA Isaac Bries (pictured during the Aerial Rescue event), foreman, South St. Paul office; Mitchell Hall, trimmer, South Minneapolis office; Drew Iverson, foreman, South Minneapolis office; Josh Lapacz, tree care coordinator, North Minneapolis office; Matthew Paruzynski, foreman, South St. Paul office; Matthew Sharrow, arborist skills trainer, Davey Institute; Jake Shocinski, foreman, North Minneapolis office; Cole Thompson, trimmer, South Minneapolis office; and Andrew West, trimmer, South Minneapolis office, competed in the Minnesota Tree Climbing Championship at Baker Park Reserve in Maple Plain, Minnesota. For the men, Bries placed third in Belayed Speed Climb; and Paruzynski placed third in Secured Footlock. "I love the comradery and teamwork," said Sharrow. "Everyone is cheering for each competitor to do well. It is a great event that helps grow a community by focusing on safety and being professional arborists." PENN-DEL Brennan Kissman, trimmer, Youngstown office, and Jon Nigra (pictured), trimmer, North Pittsburgh office, competed in the Penn-Del Tree Climbing Competition held at Morrison's Cove Memorial Park in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. "This was my first year competing, and being in the ring was a great experience. Everyone has their game face on and maybe a little something to prove, but no one's success comes at another person's expense," Nigra said. "We're all cheering each other on, and when you climb back down, it's high fives all around." TEXAS First-time competitor Brandon Ponciano (pictured participating in the Work Climb event), foreman, Dallas office, competed in the Texas Tree Climbing Championship held at Getzendaner Memorial Park in Waxahachie, Texas. "There's so much to learn there. It's a competition, but no one is really competing. Everybody is there to do their best and cheer each other on," Ponciano said. "I'm grateful for the support I had. It's such a heartwarming thing." CONNECTICUT TREE CLIMBING COMPETITION The Connecticut Tree Protective Association held its 18th annual Connecticut Tree Climbing Championship in 2024. Four Davey climbers competed! Pictured second from left are Blake Duval, foreman, Chippers – Meredith office; Nick Carson, trimmer, Chippers – Meredith office; Eduardo Sanchez, trimmer, Stamford office; and Isaias Granados, trimmer, Stamford office, who competed in the Connecticut Tree Climbing Competition held at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, hosted by the Connecticut Tree Protective Association. For the men, Carson placed second in Aerial Rescue. "I had a great time competing. It was awesome to reconnect with people from other Davey offices that I've met in the past," Carson said. "Blake and I had been incorporating some of the events into our day-to-day work to practice, so it was a ton of fun to see that pay off." OHIO Evan Beck (pictured in the middle), arborist skills trainer, Davey Institute; Chase Bush, trimmer, West Cleveland office; Cody Cunningham, trimmer, Youngstown office; Brennan Kissman, trimmer, Youngstown office; Hunter Metheny, trimmer, West Cleveland office; and Andrew Steenberg, foreman, Northeast Cleveland office, competed in the Ohio Tree Climbing Championship held at Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. For the men, Beck placed second in Ascent and Belayed Speed Climb and won the men's Masters' Challenge; and Kissman placed second in Work Climb. "I've been fortunate to be all over the country doing tree climbing championships, and you tend to see the same people," Beck said. "It's very much like a family, and these competitions are heavily driven by camaraderie and sharing knowledge and passion. I hope we can do everything we can to keep it that way for the next generation of climbers."

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