FRYEBURG – Seven records were broken at the 41st Saco Valley Woodsmen’s Field Day at Fryeburg Fair that attracted 143 competitors and featured some late-day drama in the infield.

Jerry Gingras of Errol, N.H., captured Champion Woodsman and Nancy Zalewski of Manitowoc, Wis., again won the women’s title. Veteran competitor Charlie Woitkun of Preston, Conn., earned the Master’s Championship while John Wescott of Hollis came away with Champion Logger honors and Dale Mills of Parsonsfield won Champion Trucker.

Drama and human interest emerged near day’s end in the hydraulic loader competition. Mills, a longtime competitor, had just started his run when what were thought to be hydraulic problems developed with the loader he was using. Unable to continue, he shut down.

At a meeting of officials, it was learned that the equipment hadn’t broken down. Mills, unfamiliar with the newer truck, had pushed the wrong lever that powers the hydraulics. Truckers often share equipment. After officials discussed the situation, event Chairman Toby Hammond told Mills that normally competitors aren’t given a second chance when equipment breaks down or fails to run.

“If a chain saw fails to start, you don’t get to try it again,” Hammond said of the field contests.

But because of the unique situation, Hammond said he would leave it up to his fellow truckers to decide if he could try again.

“But if just one says no, then you’re done,” Hammond said.

As it turned out, all agreed to let him try again. He finished third, which gave him enough points to win the championship and earned him an additional $320.

“They knew when they voted that there was a good chance that could happen,” Hammond said. “But to me it was a case of them putting their pride before their pocketbook and I think they knew that he would have done the same thing for any of them. It’s things like that that restore your faith in human nature.”

Mills said he had been first and second in two events and was posed to win the championship if he had a good time in the loader contest.

“I was pretty depressed when it happened, especially after I was told that I couldn’t try again,” Mills said. But after Hammond offered a solution, Mills said he felt greatly encouraged.

“These are really a great bunch of guys,” said Mills of his 16th competition in the event. “We are all pretty good friends and some of us have been doing this for a long time.” Hydraulic loader tests the skill of the operator not only with logs but dexterity by moving a bucket of water and placing a stick in a tube.

There were 116 field event competitors and 27 entered in the truck and skidder events. Those numbers included 65 men, 27 women and 24 masters (over 55). New Hampshire posted the largest number of competitors at 23 followed by 17 from Maine, 15 from Vermont and Massachusetts, 12 from Connecticut and New York, seven from Pennsylvania, four from Nova Scotia, three from Quebec and one each from New Brunswick, Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Rhode Island. There were 25 skidders competing and nine log trucks.