Although the sun finally came out Saturday, it was not the kind of day a logroller wants to take a dip.

But a group of rollers did anyway, for a chance to appear on a TV segment on the Travel Channel, which sent a crew to Madison to film one of the Upper Midwest's quirkier sports.

"I can't feel my feet right now," said Olivia Judd, one of about 10 seasoned Wisconsin logrollers, all under age 24, who braved the frigid temperatures of Lake Wingra to demonstrate just how a roller can wade into icy, shin-deep water, climb on to a 400-pound floating log and quickly set it spinning in a fleet-footed jig.

Taping it all were three cameras, one encased in clear plastic and operated by a cameraman in chest-high fishing waders, as producers and comedian/show host Bert Kreischer stood close by.

Kreischer also tried his hand - er, feet - at logrolling for the first time, with some slapstick results.

Details of the full TV segment are being kept under wraps, but Madison will learn more this winter about the footage that probably will air next year, said Travel Channel executive producer Charlie Parsons.

Maryland-based Parsons, an ESPN veteran who used to cover Big Ten football games in Madison, is a fan of the city and was eager to get a film crew here, he said.

"On the Travel Channel we like to showcase the unique personalities of locations, both national and international," he said. "Madison is a very outdoorsy town, and it's got a nice energy to it. We had researchers poking around" to find quirky things to highlight in the city.

Thus, logrollers.

As filming took place against a backdrop of vivid fall colors, picnickers, kite-flyers and families out for a stroll stopped by to watch. The logrollers suggested taping at Lake Wingra because it's a regular practice spot and competition venue, said Alex Waite, vice president of the U.S. Log Rolling Association.

"We're familiar with the area, and we know where the rocks are," said Waite, 23, of New Berlin.

Still, if not for the request from the Travel Channel, rollers wouldn't be practicing their sport on an October day with wind chills in the mid-40s, he said.

"We don't roll outside in this weather," Waite said. "That's insanity."

"My foot is so cold it has a headache," quipped Kreischer, shortly before he toppled off a log and got a full-body dunk. "I can't believe you guys do this for fun."

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