Rules
Tournament Format
The La Crosse Open Logrolling Tournament follows a Championship-style, Double Elimination Bracket. Athletes are "seeded," or placed on the bracket, based on their World Ranking. Last year's Women's brackets are used as an example (2026 Brackets will be published approximately 5 days before this year's tournament):
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As seen above: The winner of the first match, Caity Birdsong vs. Maggie Bulk, will move on to compete against Livi Pappadopoulos. The winner of Allie Duclos vs. Emma Magnone will move on to compete against Katie Burke. The winner of Jenny Atkinson vs. Liberty Benson will move on to compete against Claire Keech. The winner of Aini Anderson vs. Tess Stumvoll will move on to compete against Shana Verstegen.
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As seen above: The winners of each match will move forward in the bracket until there are only two competitors left standing (in this bracket, Livi Pappadopoulos and Aini Anderson). Livi Pappadopoulos wins the final match, solidifying her in first place and Aini Anderson in second place.
WHAT ARE THE SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS? The Semi-Finals are the matches that determine the two athletes who will face off for first and second place. In the bracket above, the Semi-Finals matches include Livi Pappadopoulos vs. Katie Burke and Claire Keech vs. Aini Anderson. The Finals Match is Livi Pappadopoulos vs. Aini Anderson.
This year's Semi-Finals and Finals matches for both men and women are scheduled take place at approximately 12:00 PM CST on Saturday, June 20th, 2026.
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After the first and second place winners have been determined, the remaining competitors will be placed into a "Back Bracket" to determine the remaining results. When a competitor loses a match in the "Back Bracket," they are out of the bracket for the remainder of the tournament. The final competitor standing in the "Back Bracket" will earn third place. In this bracket, Shana Verstegen wins third place and Claire Keech earns fourth place.
The Back Bracket is scheduled to begin immediately after the Finals Match, around 1:00 PM CST on Saturday, June 20th.
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Finally, the last competitors who lost to the third and fourth place finishers will be pulled to compete against each other to win fifth place. The competitors who lost to the fifth and sixth place finishers will be pulled to compete against each other for seventh and eighth place.
Logrolling Match Rules
Logrolling Matches are measured in best three out of five rolls, or "Falls". First to three points wins.
Two athletes, wearing spiked cleats, will step off of the dock onto a floating Western Red Cedar Log. Judges will hold poles parallel to the top of the water for the competitors to push themselves away from the dock.
There are three judges for each logrolling match. The head judge will yell, "TIME IN!" as soon as the athletes have released their poles. If an athlete falls before "TIME IN" is called, the fall will not count toward the score.
Athletes can't make physical contact with their opponent or cross the center line painted on the log. Other than that, just about anything goes. Competitors might kick or pull the log in different directions, rock it by hopping side to side, sprint to build momentum, or even splash water toward their opponent's eyes with a well-timed foot. Bigger, stronger athletes often use more aggressive skills to wear their opponents down, while lighter competitors roll defensively, remaining loose and stable as they wait for their opponent to make a mistake.
Regardless of rolling style, the smallest mistake can cost an athlete a fall. You'll notice the competitors looking in the direction of their opponent's feet, so they can prepare for their next move.
If both competitors go down at close to the same time, the judges will meet. The head judge will count, "One, Two, Three;" on "Three," the judges will point to the competitor that they believe had the last sole of the foot on the log. If a majority vote is not in favor of one competitor, the fall will be determined a "draw," and neither athlete will receive a point.
Log Sizes
Competitors start each match on a specific sized log. When time expires on the first log, they will move on to a smaller (by diameter) and faster log. Time starts after each "Time In" is called, and is stopped when a competitor falls. Time does NOT start over after a fall, but rather resumes as soon as the athletes begin their next roll. Time limits and log sizes are different for men and women, as men tend to be heavier and more aggressive on larger logs:
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