The Texas Chapter International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) organized the Texas Tree Climbing Competition that took place in Austin, Texas at Richard Moya Park from May 19-20, 2023. J.L. Matthews was proud to sponsor this event that provides a competitive learning environment for arborists to exhibit their skills, safety techniques, and innovative equipment.
J.L. Matthews' Kyle Stephenson and Jeff Chastain attended the event and they brought our fully-stocked trailer to support competitors with any last minute equipment needs. Kyle and Jeff especially enjoyed building new friendships in the arborist community. We want to extend a special shout out to a friend of J.L. Matthews, Jimmy Prichard, who finished third out of 42 competitors.
In case you didn't know, here's some information about ISA's tree climbing competition. The preliminary rounds of competition include five different events: ascent, throwline, aerial rescue, work climb, and speed climb. In the Master's Challenge, the top competitors are evaluated on their knowledge and their ability to demonstrate mastery of different climbing techniques, use of climbing equipments, poise in the tree, and safe working practice. And this competition isn't just a Texas thing; tree climbing competitions under ISA rules are held around worldwide!