Every day I get the chance to learn something new. It is one of the reasons why I have stayed in radio as long as I have. There is an excitement, for me, about learning about new things, whether it is about a person, a new album coming out, or an event. There is something always happening.

I recently learned about an event that I thought was entertaining. In Glasgow, Scotland they just held a "Tree Hugging" competition. Congratulations to Teacher Hannah Willow, who was just crowned Glasgow's first ever "Tree Hugging Champion" according to The Guardian. With a name like that, she had to win. There were different categories like "speed hugging" and "freestyle".

World Tree Hugging Championships

Upon further investigation, I also found out not only is there a "World Tree Hugging Association", there is a "World Tree Hugging Championship". The championships are held in the Halipuu Forest in Finland, which is located over a hundred miles north of the Artic Circle. Willow has won the chance to be a part of next year's event.

It got me thinking, why haven't we had a person from Missoula make it to the championships? Missoula has a reputation statewide that it is full of "tree huggers". Surely there are one or two of them that could compete on an international stage. Entering the contest is as easy as sending in pictures, but if you win a trip to the world championships, it won't come cheap. They will have to make it Finland on their own. Willow's family has started a fundraising campaign to help her get there next year.

In the meantime, we need to get working on getting someone from Missoula to be a competitor. If they do make it to the world championships, we would be happy to get the word out for a fundraising campaign. I have even compiled a list of some of the best native trees for hugging in Montana. Good luck and check them out below.

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