Welcome to The Side Hustle. Inspired by ESPN8: The Ocho — ESPN’s annual segment where the sports network highlights more obscure sports — this column highlights the sports that The Campus typically reports on less frequently… until now.
Log rolling’s roots can be traced back to the 19th-century Midwest’s logging industry. In the region’s rugged forests, lumberjacks faced a common challenge: they cut down so many trees that it caused log jams in rivers. Without modern machinery, these workers had to manually break up these jams by standing on the logs to move them. What began as a necessary occupational skill evolved into a competitive sport over time, as lumberjacks began challenging each other's log-riding abilities. Thus, the sport of logrolling was born.
Log rolling and Middlebury have a stronger relationship than most may think. Middlebury is the first college campus to have a log rolling club — and that club is still going strong today.
While no actual logs enter the school’s natatorium, the team has two 65-pound synthetic logs, each equipped with three adjustable resistance paddles. These paddles are like fins that wrap around the log to give it the user’s desired amount of resistance. The team meets every Sunday from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. this semester.
The sport requires an immense amount of balance and support from the core. Once the athlete steps on floating the log, it immediately starts spinning, and they must move their feet up and down to keep themselves balanced.
Hayden Laster ’25 has been rolling since his first year at Middlebury and has developed skills and techniques for the sport.
“Your head should be directly over the log while you balance with your hips,” Laster said.
A beginner might use the paddles to start off, but over time they can progress to rolling without them entirely. Laster said that this can be accomplished with as quickly as a semester’s worth of work if the roller is committed. Despite how the high velocity of the spinning log presents challenges in the sport, a beginner can gain experience quickly and join a strong community and team.
Once a roller has logrolled solo, they can progress to dueling. This is when two rollers stand on opposite sides and try to knock the other roller off their log. This activity is a favorite of the rollers, as it provides a great sense of friendly competition without being too serious.
Tyler Hadar ’25 is the club’s treasurer and has been with the team since spring 2023. He has become entranced by the sport.
“It is a great sport because not only is it an incredible sport, but also blends competitiveness with fun very well,” Hadar said. He added that he is looking forward to the J-Term workshop the team will offer this winter.
The team has a collaborative practice with the Timber Sports club at the University of Vermont coming up on Nov. 17 from 12 to 3 p.m. This event is open to the public participation and spectatorship.
