Sometimes I like to whip it out in public. People can see it sticking through the hole in my zipper. In a sport full of little ones, it's pretty impressive. When normies see you handling it they cannot help but stop and stare. Even the ladies like it. After a year of throwing nothing but hatchets I have finally entered the macho, testosterone driven, lumberjack world of Big Axe. Oh yes! Now I'm one of those players! I was lucky enough to win a WATL Colossus Big Axe while competing in the Hatchet in Hand Winter League Championships . I always had a little interest but mostly I'm trying to be careful in maintaining my shoulder health ( I turned 52yrs on April 12th). I would love to have a long career as an axe thrower. My solution is to throw two-handed overhead. This takes the pressure off one individual shoulder and allows for the use of multiple muscles. I cut an inch and a half off the handle and started practicing in my backyard. After getting a feel for the momentum I w...

I sometimes like to think of axe throwing tournaments as medieval battle royals. Here is how I picture it in my mind's eye or whatever... From out of the darkness they came, freshly minted warriors. New to the game with raw talent, trying to climb their way towards local glory at the Hatchet in Hand Winter League Championships. It started with 16 throwers but this was a harsh winter as there was a villain among them. This highly trained assassin took no prisoners. Alex, the TaskMaster, was a phenom from another kingdom that sent shockwaves of fear into the hearts of every competitor. Would anyone be able to stop him? The first five weeks of battle narrowed down the list of competitors to only 13 based on their record. The bottom four players had to fight it out in a merciless mosh pit for their right to continue. When the dust settled a shining knight named Chad had emerged victorious. His survival from the pit made everyone take notice. He became known as the Knight of Diamonds a...

Sumner Blackburn, Alex Hutchinson and Owner Faris Ojjeh I love competition but it can weigh on you sometimes. Throwing in the World Axe Throwing League is one of the great thrills of my life and yet once in a while you just want to share your sport with some chill people who do it just for amusement. That opportunity came when I was visiting an axe throwing venue in Middleboro, Massachusetts called Hatchet in Hand .  HIH is owned and run by Faris Ojjeh and Jake Chartier, both of which I met at practice. Sumner Blackburn (Pictured above) is a former IATF thrower who works there on Sundays. Faris is very affable and animated. He loves talking about throwing with his friends. He invited Iris and myself to compete in their winter league. There were limited spots but he managed to squeeze us in. As promised the league was all about fun. Everyone was getting drinks at the mini-tiki bar, watching hockey on the big screen and just having a good time. Beside the throwing, they were also pla...