Athletes urged to gear up for Sussex tree throwing championship
25th October
Catsfield Christmas Tree Farm owner Clive Collins is reminding competitive sportsmen and women from across Sussex that now is the time to start training for the 2022 Sussex Christmas Tree Throwing Championships.
The event is scheduled for 3pm on Sunday 20th November at Catsfield Christmas Tree Farm near Battle, East Sussex. It’s the second year the event has been held.
Competitors are required to throw a large Norway spruce as far as possible. There are prizes for the best male and female with each winner receiving £100. Competitors will have three attempts and entrants must be aged 18 or over.
Catsfield Christmas tree farmer Clive Collins has some words of advice to those planning to participate: “The first thing to say is – be careful! Tree throwing isn’t for the unprepared. You need to be ready to deal with the weight and the needles. We recommend practising from now on and if you have an old tree from last Christmas, try to perfect your technique. Using a javelin-throwing approach seems to get the best distance.”
Top tips for Christmas tree throwing:
- Get some gloves – Christmas trees can be prickly
- Find your balance – make sure the tree is correctly balanced in your hand
- Choose the right run up – you want to make sure you can get to your optimal speed before release
- Consider trajectory – your tree needs to arc in the sky to go further
- Don’t step over the line – we don’t want any foot faults!
Last year, David Elias from St. Leonards won the competition with a massive throw of 9 metres.
Clive added: “We had a lot of festive fun last year and it became quite competitive. I understand the world record currently stands at 12 metres and while David was a worthy winner we are hoping someone will smash the record this year.
“Practise makes perfect and if you don’t have an old tree you could always try using a brush or mop to sharpen your technique. But if you just want to turn up and just have a throw you are more than welcome.”
Catsfield Christmas Tree Farm has been operating in East Sussex for over 30 years and has one simple mission – to provide the best-quality trees in Sussex at the best possible prices. At the farm’s festive shop you can buy everything for on and around your festive tree. The team understands the importance of good customer service and delivering the complete Christmas experience to customers.
Catsfield Christmas Tree Farm opens on Friday 18th November and is open every day (8am on Saturday and Sunday and 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday). Clive Collins is an expert grower with over 30 years’ experience and offers a range of trees including: Norway Spruce, Nordmann Fir, Balsam Fir, Fraser Fir and Blue Spruce. The farm will donate 25p for every tree that’s sold to the local scouts who are in desperate need of funds.
Make choosing a tree an extra special experience by coming to the farm early to reserve your tree in the plantation between Friday 18th and Sunday 27th November (daylight hours only).
Trees can be delivered to your door for just £13.50 to postcodes BN20-24, BN26-27, TN19, TN21, TN31-40. We trim the butt when we deliver your tree so it lasts as long as possible.
