To his colleagues on Capitol Hill, he’s Congressman Sean Duffy. To Generation X’ers, he’s that guy from MTV’s “The Real World.” But here in Wisconsin’s wooded northland, he’s “Sean Dog,” lumberjack world champion.
Duffy, a 43-year-old Republican, is a two-time winner of the Lumberjack World Championships speed-climbing competition, a far cry from his current suit-and-tie gig in Washington.
The sport pits two climbers with no protection beyond spiked boots and a hemp rope against each other in a harrowing race up and down towering 90-foot wooden poles. Once they reach the top, the racers face a virtual free-fall to a crash pad below. First man to the bottom wins.
“It’s kind of like the bull riding of the rodeo,” Duffy told CNN during his annual visit here to the Lumberjacking World Championships. “It’s one of the most exciting sports in lumberjacking.”
Duffy, who grew up in northern Wisconsin and is the descendant of Midwestern loggers, started competing at a young age. His brother, Ryan Duffy, is a logrolling world champion, and came in second in the competition in July.
Watch the video to see if “Sean Dog” can still make it to the top. (Trust us, it’s harder than it looks.)
