Jack Richardson of Ann arbor won the 2009 Michigan Tree Climbing Championship (MTCC) that was held recently on the East Campus of Oakland University in Rochester, MI.  Richardson competed with 30 of the state’s top professional tree climbers and 3 top climbers from Ohio and Indiana.  As the overall winner of the event, Jack received cash and prizes that were provided by ArborMaster, Samson, Vermeer, Husqvarna, Buckingham, Oregon, Silky, Sherrill Tree and ASM.  More importantly, Jack will now go on to represent our state at the 2010 International Tree Climbing Championship (ITCC) to be held in Chicago, Illinois next July.

The MTCC is an athletic event that is hosted by the Arboriculture Society of Michigan (ASM), the Michigan Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).  Jack competed in five preliminary events in order to qualify for the winner-takes-all “Masters Challenge” event at the end of the day .  The preliminary events include Secured Foot Lock, Belayed Speed Climb, Work Climb, Throwline, and Aerial Rescue.  The MTCC events test the professional tree climber under simulated work conditions based on accuracy, safety, speed, style, innovation, and endurance all in a safe environment. 

Read more about Jack and his win, here.