Team Halvorson, fronted by Penny Halvorson, basks in Timber Relay glory.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Penny Halvorson's strategy for the timber team relay was simple: Pick the best wood chopper available for the final leg of Sunday's five-event relay. That man was New Zealander David Bolstad, and he turned out to be the smart choice as Team Halvorson concluded the ESPN Great Outdoor Games with a gold medal.

Halvorson, the women's endurance champion, was no slouch herself. She evened the match in the fourth leg of the relay, and Bolstad took it from there, chopping through a 12-inch block of pine as if it were a miniature tree limb.

"David Bolstad in individual events is hard to beat, so I picked David," Halvorson said. "It was a good choice."

The timber team relay is occasionally used to cap lumberjack tournaments. It involves a more laidback atmosphere, as eight women competitors picked a team consisting of five people.

"It's for bragging rights, it's for more money," said Tina Scheer, who was the captain of Team Scheer. "There's a little less pressure, but nobody wants to lose."

Team Halvorson consisted of Chris Hughes, Gaston Duperre, Jerry Scutt, Bolstad and herself. The silver medal winner was Team Boulanger, which consisted of Brian Linville, Jenny Atkinson, Brad Turner, Dany Boulanger and Kerry Head. The Boulanger team was ahead through the first three events, but could not hold on.

	“	It's for bragging rights, it's for more money. ”
		— Tina Scheer

The timber team relay involves five events: climbing a 65-foot tree and descending it, using a chainsaw to cut twice through a log that is 16 inches in diameter, severing a 12-inch block with an ax in what is called the Underhand Chop, sawing through another 16-inch log, and finally severing a block placed vertically in a stand.

Even if some of the competitors considered the relay a less serious competition, Halvorson was not among them. After all, she had the responsibility of picking the team. Plus, the event will be watched on network television.

"This is total pressure. This is the biggest media event we have all year," Halvorson said.