At Your Leisure - Axe Throwing
“There is no defensive scenario in which you would throw an axe at an enemy” says my instructor, Viking, nee Chris, in answer to my questions as I sign axe throwing waiver forms at the front desk. “You would be giving your adversary a new weapon with which… to kill you”. This is why pistol toss isn’t a thing, I suppose. But as a sport and potential Leisure Quest? What is this activity all about? Is it a perfect way to spend Valentines Day in the Miami-Adjacent? It seems the men would naturally overpower the women in such a virile sport…. except… …they don’t. Watching the couples come and go I start to notice a trend. The novice women are beating the novice men. Handily.
I’ve been curious about this distinctly North American flavored sport since it first surfaced on my radar a decade ago, when an axe throwing destination; “Bad Axe Throwing,” started advertising around my area in Northern New Jersey. A ton of axe throwing related jargon feature a play on words – probably because there are so many possibilities. “Chill Axe” …. “Bury The Hatchet,” ... “Let Me Axe You Something”. (That third one is actually mine; you can’t have it). Is this an exciting, emerging sport? A personal defense strategy? High T darts? What is this relatively new sport about and how does it feel…. to throw a carbon steel hatchet across a room full of tipsy millennials at a large wooden target? It’s got specialized equipment. Easy parking. Beer is sold and encouraged. I can learn to cut down a tree from far away!
We were built for this.
A quick search of Wikipedia and various insider blogs cite Toronto native Matt Wilson as the founder of competitive axe throwing, when he began hosting friendly competitions and league play in his apartment backyard – birthing the Backyard Axe Throwing League (BATL), in 2006. Matt is now the face of a huge community and by association the father of not one but two leagues: The International Axe Throwing Federation and its newer spin-off, the World Axe Throwing League, which is featured on ESPN. Matt, who remains involved with IATF, has an affably mid 30s millennial Canadian online personality, tattoo sleeves and a trim physique. Wilson brags that he is just one credit short of finishing high school. There are now 450 estimated Axe Throwing venues in North America, and there are 3000 league members across 5 countries. Matt has a TEDx Talk. Ace Hardware can’t import $20 hatchets fast enough. I’m sure Matt is as surprised as we are. I’m betting he has larger backyard now.
The venue where I am throwing was easily located and just 20 minutes from my home. Like a lot of things here in the Miami Adjacent, it’s in a strip mall behind a large church called the Christian Frontline Center and next door to a bakery that looks like it sells strong coffee. I note these details for later in case I need a strong coffee… or a benediction. I found the storefront easily and, upon entering, am surprised how roomy it is. All manner of games are set up on the large main floor – including pool, darts and lanes for virtual pistol shooting, etc. It’s got high, blacked out ceilings and lots of cheerful blinking screen displays. It’s got a lot of wood surfaces– Flyzone meets the Pacific Northwest. The men’s room is named “Lumberjack” and the women’s…? “Lumberjill”, of course. There is a large bar area where Quincy, Axe Master and bartender, holds court and runs your purchases. There is a large selection of beer, wine and mead. Friar Tuck would be well pleased.
Viking is a cheerful man who appears to be in his mid-twenties. He has the “Norse” haircut – shaved sides, long top one can knot before going into battle, or applying for a home loan. He’s got a mead-friendly build, a strong frame commensurate with throwing large axes around 10 hours a day. Viking uses the desiccated cottonwood target lumber to run a forge at renaissance fairs where he hand-hammers battle axes and broadswords on weekends. That checks out.
Instructor “Viking” Displays his handiwork (photo:peyton)
“Let the axe do the work” he advises me, as I lob another one, overhand style, which bounces off the soft wood with a clank and skitters across the linoleum flooring. “The axe knows how it wants to be spun – all you are doing is stepping, releasing, and placing it in the target…. The axe KNOWS…” I step, release, manage a glancing blow that sticks just outside of the money circle, but not embarrassingly so. Progress. A generously built Russian man is struggling in the next lane with not one but two Valentines Day’s friends… throwing hard and bouncing out loudly. “Women learn to do this more easily because they recognize that it’s a flick of the wrist, not a power move” says Viking, observing our neighbors. “Men fight vulnerably with power, because they don’t want to make mistakes in front of everyone – while women are delighted to find that their intuition to throw lighter and with more wrist is instinctively correct”. Wise words.
During a break, Quincy tells me that the larger bookings for the room run the gamut. “Bachelorette parties, law firms and Halloween parties… we get them all. We just had someone rent the room itself – no intention of axe throwing, just because it’s a got a good vibe and it’s in a convenient location.” Later, I overhear a woman inquiring about a Bar Mitzvah for her son. “He’s a little bit violent – do you have any safety axes?” the woman offers, guardedly.
The Cottonwood targets are literally as big as the broad side of a barn, and eventually during my first lesson I learn to release a bit more properly to hit them. The wood makes a pleasant thunk as Viking instructs me to follow through with my right hand, releasing and then coming to rest it on my left knee, stepping from the black line, 14’, to the red line, 10’. As I watch folks that are better at this… admittedly a large sample set… I notice that their wrists are relaxed at the top of their throw. The axe is practically hanging. Also, they take a big step. The best grip on the slim and straight hickory handle is a little loose, as the axes are, by regulation only 1.5 to 2.5 lbs and no more than 17” long. Heavier than an eggbeater, lighter than a souvenir MLB bat. You’re not so much throwing as releasing, letting the head of the axe end-over-end itself as you let the round hickory handle slip between your fingers. My biggest performance question was how does one get the axe to find itself blade forward, into the target face, since one is spinning it end over end? 10’ seems to be the perfect distance for the axe to do one complete rotation and come back around to find itself blade forward. I’m sure some clever Canadian backyard engineer did that math. Almost impossible to miss. Almost – but I can manage it. Viking demonstrates his longer throw technique means starting from a spot behind the yellow safety line at 18’ and proceeds to unleash a double summersault into the money with a longer axe. Center ring.
Learning to hit the broadside of a barn (photo:peyton)
As day passes into afternoon, the whole question of sobriety while throwing axes solves itself. There’s no reason to do this without beer. I wouldn’t want anything stronger, but somehow a cold IPA goes down really well with this sport. Perhaps, like bowling, the alcohol helps you find your inner toss, releasing a little of your conscious mind in the process? Perhaps it’s my inner Highlander calling out from the generations? Through careful testing, though, one drink is the number. Two and you are going to want a time out… perhaps darts or a trip to the bakery next door. “There’s very few cases of injury doing this” Viking offers, “but I have the power to shut down anyone on the line who I think is above their limit”. Good to know. I never feel unsafe throwing an axe *away* from me, but I wouldn’t want to clonk myself in the head drawing it back. “Tomorrow is our ‘IATF major’ competition, the Winter Axe Games, held at the Boynton Beach location – and you will really see some good throwers”, offers Viking. That seems to be just the invitation I need to see what the pro circuit looks like.
The aiming fluid of the North. (photo:peyton)
The IATF Integrated Tournament Circuit was announced in July 2023. The circuit consists of endorsed member tournaments that are categorized into tiers: Majors, Grand Slams, and the International Axe Throwing Championship. The top 4 finishers from Grand Slams will be guaranteed a spot in Rounds 1 & 2 of the Wilson Cup. There will be an award for the Winter Axe Games championship title, currently held by 25th IATF ranked thrower Nick Novak – who logs his wins as “Ender” – which would constitute a Major win. Challenger Justin Vicari, or “Just In Time” is attending with his friend Maria, a PHD student in research psychology and referee from the Toronto games who will be participating too. I’ve got an evening to work off this mead and pack a camera bag.
In his TEDx talk, BATL founder Matt Wilson stresses belonging and acceptance, being good to each other and community as the fundamental pillars of building his Axe Throwing empire. As I arrive the next day at the IATF Major with my camera kit across my shoulder, there’s this feeling that I’m entering a room of people who have been around each other alot – so this rings true. It’s hard to categorize the exact style cues of this group, but it’s sort of Lumberjack meets Middle Earth? There is flannel. There are beards. There are Nordic top knots. There are elvish runes and hand painted axes with tree of life and flower motifs. There are Manic Panic infused fuchsia hair styles. There are “morning beers” being consumed, although there is an air of strong coffee seriousness around the actual competitors.
Competitor practices for the Winter Axe Games (photo:peyton)
My first encounter with Justin Vicari and his friend Maria occurs while photographing the practice rounds, trying to make good exposures in the venue. They are incredibly polite, caffeinating up for their title defense with milky Starbucks drinks. Justin is a wiry man of middling height but clearly has commanding stature in this room. He has the look and style cues of a man who has spent some time outdoors. Maria, a PHD candidate at the University of Toronto, has a more cosmopolitan student vibe, wearing minimal make-up and an outfit cut for athletic movement. When occupying adjoining lanes and throwing in tandem, Justin and Maria clink their axes together before each round. I come to learn that this is a thing. The sound of the axe heads makes a distinct tone – like a starting bell at a prize fight – but signifies differently. As I watch more and more people perform this act throughout the day – people who are pitted against each other, I realize it’s more like a boxer’s pre-round handshake. It seems to ring “friendly competition” more than “fierce competition,” which would echo the Matt Wilson Ted X talk I watched this morning. Community above rivalry. Interesting. How very Canadian.
Justin Vicari and Maria warm up for competition at the Winter Axe Games (photo:peyton)
Photography from ‘in the lane’ at the Winter Axe Games (photo:peyton)
Hugs seem to be a big thing during the competition too. Lots of hugs. And more axe head clinking. There are plans exchanged during the matches for attending Comic Con. There’s a “medieval style competition sprung from a toolshed” vibe. There are athletic parents throwing with their kids. There are wives and husbands who throw together as teams... There’s lots of flannel and black T shirts. There are a lot of cool tattoos. There’s a father son team. Jude, the manager, has a birthday cake stashed away for one of the regulars. It all rings more Olympia Washington than The Olympics.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that there is both strategy, tactics and some drama in this sport. Tournaments involve head-to-head, 3-round matches (5 throws each) where competitors aim to stick axes in a 1-3-5 point target, with a 7-point "clutch" option on the 5th throw. Clutch throws have to be called in advance, and missing the tiny, half dollar sized target grants no points at all. The best throwers often match each other, and the matches are then decided by the clutch being called. If the throwers are STILL tied, a ‘big axe’ can be used as a tie breaker, which is thrown from farther back behind the yellow line, adding some drama.
The “Big Axe” is thrown at the Winter Axe Games (photo:peyton)
As the day went along and the brackets slim down to Ender, Just-in Time and a woman named Amanda who throws by the handle “Panda,” I went to order something and noticed that I had dropped my wallet. Frantic, I went to my car and started poking around under the seats. I’ve been carrying this tiny wallet around since a trip to Spain over the summer – it was 5 euros and my son said that “it’s what people carry these days”. Well, it falls out of my pockets a lot. As I was just ready to admit defeat, use my phone to pay my tab and resign myself to a long line at the DMV this week, my phone rang from an unknown number. Quincy looked me up online, rang my cellular and said that Justin Vicari had found it on the floor and turned it in. What a kind thing to do. “Thank God” was all I could think to say. Quincy reminded me that this sport stresses kindness, community and fair play. Just-in Time went on to win the gold that day. I settled the tab. I guess sometimes the nicest guys carry axes.
Competitors and staff at the Winter Axe Games (photo:peyton)