By Ian Ritz

While the adventures of Paul Bunyan figure might be tales of fancy, his lumberjack persona and rugged facial hair are an ideal image for the third annual Lumber Jack and Jill Competition at Macalester.

Most people are familiar with the tales of Paul Bunyan and Babe, his beloved blue ox. The larger than life lumberjack and his faithful friend have become mythologized in the state of Minnesota and the United States as a whole. Legendary for his size and strength, Paul Bunyan felled entire forests with one swing of his axe and Babe stamped out Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes with his massive feet. While the adventures of this legendary figure might be tales of fancy, his lumberjack persona and rugged facial hair are an ideal image for the third annual Lumber Jack and Jill Competition at Macalester.

Sponsored by the Geology Club, the Lumber Jack and Jill Competition is simply a competition that showcases Mac students’ ability to cultivate leg and facial hair. A somewhat non-traditional sporting competition, the four week long endeavor in which guys compete at growing beards and girls grow the hair on their legs, the event is open to students of all departments.

The contest concludes with a final judgment by a panel of expert Geology professors, during which entrants are evaluated on a number of criteria. Guys are rated 50 percent on style, 25 percent on length and 25 percent on thickness, while girls are judged 25 percent on style, 25 percent on length and 50 percent on thickness. Winners receive gift certificates from local businesses such as Grand Olde Creamery and REI.

The Lumber Jack and Jill competition also serves as a fundraiser for natural disaster relief. Entrants solicit money from sponsors, and this year the proceeds go to aid hurricane Katrina relief efforts. “It is a cool event because the donations collected by entrants go directly to the charity,” Geology Club President and event coordinator Cara Harwood ’06 said. “Last year we raised between 500 and 600 hundred dollars. This year we have about 30 people participating and hope to raise about the same.”

As you can imagine, students have produced some interesting looks for the final competition. Though the event is ultimately geared toward donating to disaster relief, participants get particularly excited about getting a chance to express their more creative side. “The girl who won last year took blue eye mascara and put it on her leg hair,” Harwood said. Not quite the spitting image of Paul Bunyan, but at least the enthusiasm was there.

The final judging will take place on April 30 in Kagin Ballroom at 3:30, so don’t be surprised to see some hairier than normal looking people walking around campus.