Mountain View, AR – Utter silence begins each round as the crowd on the bleachers holds their breath. The Cutter nods and the timer clicks his watch.

Suddenly - Thwack!

Everyone exhales as the Cutter brings his knife blade down on the edge of the two-by-four.

“Go, go, go,” someone chants.

“Widen the cut,” a fellow cutter yells.

Five, ten, a dozen strokes and the end of the board goes flying toward the crowd.

The Cutter, the thumb of his off hand still firmly wrapped through the belt loop of his pants move on from the big muscle chopping of wood cutting to delicately slice a drinking straw right down the middle. From there he moves deliberately on to slice dangling ropes; chop tennis and golf balls in motion; cut through full soda cans, paper towel rolls and dowels; and cleave a water bottle all in a steady, smooth progression.  Taking a deep breath, he moves in to finish the round by chopping the other end off the same 2X4.

Thwack, thwack, thwack.

It takes a few more strokes to severe this end. The Cutter is tired and the knife edge not as sharp.

“Go, go, go,” the crowd chants.

And then everyone cheers as the board parts and the Cutter throws up his off hand in victory.

The time clicks his watch and the table judges move in to consider the results.

“Look at the curve to this cut,” says one, considering the water bottle.

“That’s a handle design thing,” responds another and cutters and judges alike crowd in to discuss it.

This is one of the unique things about a BladeSports Cutting Competition, it’s not just the thrill of completing the course with the most cuts in the best time, and it’s also a learning experience for knife makers and enthusiasts. Safety features, like the lanyard at the front of the handle have come from this sport, as well as blade quality and design improvements.

The BladeSports points cut held at the Ozark Folk Center on May 9 was well attended by both cutters and visitors. Curious people had a chance to try their hand at the cutting course, under the expert supervision of veteran cutters.

Cutters came from all over the United States to compete. Points earned in this cutting were their last chance to qualify for this year’s championship in Atlanta. There are two levels – Red for the experts and White.

Gary Bond, of Waxahachie, Texas was the overall winner. The 2008 BladeSports Champion, Gary was one of the first of two non-knife makers to compete in Cuttings.

At the White level, Donavon Phillips, Morton, Mississippi, was first; Steve Singer, Volente, Texas, was second; and Mike Eubanks, Palmer, Texas, was third.

At the Red level, Shawn Scott, Red Rock, Texas was first; Chris Baker, Cleborne, Texas, was second; and Sam Folger, Yakima, Washington, was third.

A world record was broken by Ted Ott, knife maker from Elgin, Texas, when he sliced through 15 one-inch bundled ropes. A second world record was set with 20 water bottles being cut in half in one swipe.

If you missed the fun of Hammer In this year, don’t despair. The BladeSports Cutting Competition is set for May 8, 2010. You can see Tom or Jerry making beautiful, functional, sharp knives any Weds. – Sat. at the Knife Shop in the Craft Village at the Ozark Folk Center. The Village is open from 10-5. Tickets are $10.00 for adults and $6.00 for children under 12.

If you’d like to learn to make your own knives, sign up for a class with Tom Weir. Check out the web site at www.ozarkfolkcenter.com for information on classes and events.