LongHouse Axe Dominates Amateur Tournament

Despite the cloudy gloom of New England weather it was a bright and shiny day for throwers from LongHouse Axe as they took on all competitors at the ThroWell Amateur Tournament in Lowell, MA. This WATL Tier 2 tournament was one of the few that allowed for a fully Amateur Hatchet competition. This rare designation brought in athletes from as far away as North Carolina to see if they had what it takes to call themselves Champion.

The LongHouse Four - Alex Hutchinson, Catherine Dowie, Jeff Coulton and Dan Middendorf together accumulated a total of 15 wins. Catherine, Jeff and Dan all took wins in A bracket before being knocked down to B but again they climbed back through the fray to take prominent positions. Catherine's run was the most impressive of the day being the only person to battle through 8 matches with 6 wins and scoring over 900 points. Her 2 losses were against fellow LongHouse throwers Jeff & Alex, both were epic matches. On the next day of competition Jeff would go on to take 2nd place in Big Axe.

While LongHouse laid waste to the competition there was one athlete who proved to be a real challenge. Ryan Kreger traveled 5 hours from New Jersey specifically for this tournament and he was not to be denied. Ryan took on three of the LongHouse four and landed himself on the podium with a 3rd place finish. The next day he took 3rd again in the Big Axe competition.

In the end it was your humble author Alex "TaskMaster" Hutchinson who took the title. I received a bye in the first round then went on to four straight victories including two wars, one with Ryan Kreger and one with Catherine Dowie. After weeks of preparation including receiving throwing tips from LongHouse manager Dan Middendorf and Pro Thrower Dave Austin, I was finally able to control the boards. It was my first tournament victory.

Huge props to Axe Shack for putting on a great event. Thanks to E.J Harris for his expert officiating and love to Irisrose Douze for taking pictures and video.

2024 ThroWell Amateur Tournament

1. Alex "TaskMaster" Hutchinson

2. Catherine Dowie

3. Ryan Kreger

4. Jeff Coulton

5. Dan Middendorf

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