‘Chainsaw mad’: Mum-of-three athlete’s incredible talent

Queensland nurse and mum of three Katrina Head is about to face off with some of the nation’s most skilled athletes.

A QUEENSLAND nurse will be swapping her scrubs for razor-sharp axes this weekend as she competes in Australia’s most notable Timbersports championship.

Moreton Bay’s Katrina Head has been training for the Stihl Timbersports Australian Women’s Championship every spare moment she had from her nursing job at Metro North’s Caboolture Hospital and raising her three children.

Katrina Head has been competing in timbersports since she was 16. Picture: David Clark

She would be the first to admit that working as a nurse was a stark contrast to her hobby as a timbersports athlete, but the sport has brought her love in many ways.

“It’s a bit of a diverse combination,” she said.

“I started in traditional woodchopping when I was about 16 and I started in that through my dad and then that’s how I met my husband Jamie, he’s a timbersports athlete as well.”

During the week Katrina Head is an ICU Nurse with Queensland health and on weekends she competes in Timbersports events along with her husband Jamie Head. Picture: David Clark

Mr Head will also compete in the Melbourne event this Saturday for the Australian trophy.

“He will be competing on the weekend as well in the men’s Australia trophy championship but he has been in the top eight of Stihl Timbersports for a number of years.”

“We actually have a training arena at home that we specifically train for timbersports on.”

Mrs Head will compete in the underhand chop, the single buck and a stock saw event after training since July last year.

“It’s a great whole body workout, it’s a lot of strength, core strength but it’s also a lot of timing and technique as well.”

Katrina Head will compete in the underhand chop, the single buck and a stock saw event. Picture: David Clark

She said her three children, Anabelle, 10, Archie, 9, and Darcy, 6, have all tried their had at the family sport of choice, with the “chainsaw mad” boys continuing the tradition while Anabelle opted for netball.

The Stihl Timbersports Australian Trophy and Australian Women’s Championship event will run at St Kilda Beach Reserve in Melbourne on Saturday 8 May.