J. R. Salzman

Last updated
Darrell Salzman
JR Salzman Learning SCUBA diving.jpg
Salzman (left) in 2007, learning diving at Walter Reed after his injury
Nickname(s)"J.R."
Born1979 (age 4243)
Hayward, Wisconsin, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States of America
Years of service2003–2007
Rank Sergeant
Unit Minnesota Army National Guard
Battles/wars Iraq War
Awards Purple Heart
Iraq Campaign Medal
Combat Infantry Badge
Other work Logroller
Website https://www.facebook.com/JR-Salzman-151734901536051/

Darrell "J.R." Salzman (born 1979) is a champion logroller and an Iraq War veteran. ESPN has called him "among the preeminent outdoors athletes" of the last decade. [1]

Contents

Salzman grew up in Hayward, Wisconsin. [1] His sisters, Tina Bosworth and Crystal Salzman, are also top logrollers. [2] He attended the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Wisconsin–Stout.

Career

Sports

Salzman was a competitor in log rolling and boom running, a sprint on floating logs, in all six seasons of ESPN's Great Outdoor Games, winning 14 medals (more than any other player). In 2005 he was awarded the Best Outdoor Sportsman ESPY. [1]

Between 1998 and 2015, he won ten world titles at the Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward. [1] Between 2010 and 2015, Salzman competed with the advanced effects of Lyme disease [3] but despite this, he managed to secure two more world titles, tying with Canadian logroller Jubiel Wickheim for most logrolling titles.

Salzman used his log rolling skills as a stuntman in the film Cheaper by the Dozen 2 . [4]

Salzman runs a small business by the name of Salzman Custom Sawing [5] which focussed on turning trees into lumber, slabs, furniture and various other products. [6] He has also spent his time working as a freelance journalist, specifically writing about his endeavors in the military as well as right-wing politics.

Injury in Iraq

Salzman joined the National Guard, enlisting shortly after the two-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. He was assigned to the Minnesota National Guard. His unit was activated as part of the 34th Infantry Division in the fall of 2005 [1] and in the spring of 2006, he was deployed to Iraq.

On December 19, 2006, his vehicle was struck by an Explosively Formed Penetrator. His right arm was severed below the elbow, his left hand was pulverized by the blast, and he suffered a traumatic brain injury. He recovered at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and a nearby Fisher House, learning to use a prosthetic arm and recover his physical skills. He is considered 100 percent physically disabled. [4] Nevertheless, after returning to Hayward, he successfully logrolled again, practicing with and without his prosthetic. Salzman returned to competition and won a log rolling world title in 2009.

Personal life

Salzman runs a milblog, "Lumberjack in a Desert", on which he has recounted his military life and his medical recovery. When he completes his education, he hopes to go into teaching. [4] Salzman married his girlfriend, Josie Salzman, on March 10, 2006, before he deployed to Iraq. They have since divorced. Together they have one son.

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

Logrolling is the trading of favors, or quid pro quo, such as vote trading by legislative members to obtain passage of actions of interest to each legislative member. In organizational analysis, it refers to a practice in which different organizations promote each other's agendas, each in the expectation that the other will reciprocate. In an academic context, the Nuttall Encyclopedia describes logrolling as "mutual praise by authors of each other's work".

Paul Bunyan Giant lumberjack in American folklore

Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore. His exploits revolve around the tall tales of his superhuman labors, and he is customarily accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox. The character originated in the oral tradition of North American loggers, and was later popularized by freelance writer William B. Laughead (1882–1958) in a 1916 promotional pamphlet for the Red River Lumber Company. He has been the subject of various literary compositions, musical pieces, commercial works, and theatrical productions. His likeness is displayed in several oversized statues across North America.

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Hayward, Wisconsin City in Wisconsin, United States

Hayward is a city in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States, next to the Namekagon River. The population was 2,318 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sawyer County. The city is surrounded by the Town of Hayward.

Logrolling (sport)

Log rolling, is a sport involving two competitors, each on one end of a free-floating log in a body of water. The athletes battle to stay on the log by sprinting, kicking the log, and using a variety of techniques as they attempt to cause the opponent to fall off.

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The Best Outdoor Sportsman ESPY Award was an annual award honoring the achievements of an athlete from the world of outdoor sports —understood as those related to outdoor recreation and nature-based occupation, including sport fishing, most especially of bass, and lumberjacking, most especially the logrolling, wood chopping, and high-climbing disciplines thereof—on an amateur or professional level primarily in the United States or Canada. It was first presented as part of the ESPY Awards at the 2002 edition after broadcaster ESPN purchased the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society in mid-2001. The Best Outdoor Sportsman ESPY Award trophy, designed by sculptor Lawrence Nowlan, was given to the outdoor sportsperson adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year. From the 2004 to 2008 ceremonies, the winner was chosen by online voting through choices selected by the ESPN Select Nominating Committee. Before that, determination of the winners was made by an panel of experts. Through the 2001 iteration of the ESPY Awards, ceremonies were conducted in February of each year to honor achievements over the previous calendar year; awards presented thereafter are conferred in July and reflect performance from the June previous.

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The Lumberjack World Championships are held annually in Hayward, Wisconsin. The event began in 1960 and is held at the Lumberjack Bowl. There are 21 events for both men and women to compete for over $50,000 in prize money. Contestants come from the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The events include sawing, chopping, logrolling, and climbing to test the strength and agility of over 100 competitors.

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References