CELEBRATION, Fla. — Brian Bartow smashed the Great Outdoor Games Speed Climbing record with a time of 12.6 seconds to beat opponent Wade Stewart and take home the gold medal and $10,000 in prize money.

	Wade Stewart, Brian Bartow and Cassidy Scheer medaled in Speed Climbing.

In a rematch of last year's final, where Stewart set a Great Outdoor Games record with a time of 13.171, the two tree climbers met again at the Stihl Timber Stage for another intense race up the 65-foot pole.

Bartow had a strong upward climb beating Stewart to the top before bailing out on an almost perfect descent to the landing pad. The clean climb leaves him with four gold medals.

Before the finals, Bartow felt confident about racing against Stewart.

"If I have a good climb, I can beat him. It's always close when we compete. He's a great athlete. He's the toughest competitor. I figured if I made it to the final round, he would probably be there," Bartow said.

Bartow was pleased with the purse he'll be taking home. "It will keep me in school another year," he said.

For someone who was afraid of heights as a child, Bartow said he just takes it one step at a time. The first step on the way to gold was defeating 51-year-old Guy German in the semifinals. Bartow deftly beat him up the pole and on the bail.

German, the defending bronze medalist, didn't place this year. Instead, rising talent Cassidy Scheer took home the bronze.

	Cassidy Scheer, right, defeats Guy German en route to a bronze medal.

Scheer went neck-and-neck with Wade Stewart in a semifinal event, where Stewart had a come from behind to win. Scheer beat Stewart convincingly to the top but struggled coming down. Stewart worked the pole nicely, keeping close by only gaffing twice on the way down to the pads.

"I can get to the top faster than anybody," Scheer said. "Coming down is where I get tripped up. Wade doesn't make too many mistakes so I had to be perfect."

Scheer made it into the semifinals by upsetting Dustin Beckwith. Beckwith slipped on his way up the poll causing him to lose both his concentration and time.

"I'm very happy to medal," Scheer said.

At 24 years old, Scheer has plenty of time to work on his form and could come back as a threatening force in the Speed Climbing event at the 2006 Great Outdoor Games.

Final standings
1. Brian Bartow, Grants Pass, Ore.
2. Wade Stewart, Parksville, British Columbia, Canada
3. Cassidy Scheer, Hayward, Wisc.
4. Guy German, Columbus, Neb.
5. Sean Duffy, Ashland, Wisc.
6. Brandon Hintz, Seabeck, Wash.
7. Dustin Beckwith, Hayward, Wisc.
8. Tony Bush, Kalispell, Mont.

Results (By Round)

Final Round

Brian Bartow 12.600 def Wade Stewart 13.500

Consolation Round

Cassidy Scheer 13.520 def Guy German 14.440

Semi-Final Round

Wade Stewart 13.100 def Cassidy Scheer 13.350
Brian Bartow 13.560 def Guy German 14.130

Quarter-Final Round

Wade Stewart 13.840 def Tony Bush 18.160
Cassidy Scheer 14.050 def Dustin Beckwith 17.350
Brian Bartow 13.830 def Sean Duffy 14.800
Guy German 14.880 def Brandon Hintz 15.730

The Games will be aired on ESPN and ABC Sports July 13-17, 2005. Click here for the broadcast schedule.

This article on the Great Outdoor Games 2005 Web site is brought to you by the editors of Field & Stream and Outdoor Life. For more information, visit www.fieldandstream.com and www.outdoorlife.com.