Anyone who has been competing in the World Axe Throwing League during 2024 knows that the new rules have, in some ways, created a bit of a mess. Recently WATL put out a survey asking what we did and did not like in order to make new new rules moving forward. They appear to be starting a process that will test these changes meant to make the sport more fun and less disruptive. This is great and I applaud their efforts. My intention here is to put forward my story as a thrower who started with the 2024 rule changes and explain how they affected my experience. My opinions do not fit in a survey box. As a writer I'm a bit long winded but stories can be cathartic so here we go... "Holy crap I'm winning!" My first experience with the 2024 rules happened during the Winter League. I started off way better than I imagined. My record was 26 wins and only 2 losses! You can imagine my elation. It's too bad it was mostly delusional. You see, in my league there are at least h...

For 25 years I was an adventure writer who constantly dipped his heels in controversy. From one sport to the next I succeeded in making modest positive changes through activist outreach but failed in making the upper levels of any sport. After my father died in 2017, I no longer felt the need to prove myself and retired as a writer. The chip was off my shoulder or so I thought. When I entered the sport of Axe Throwing I thought that this is my chance to make that upper level. I'm working diligently to get there. However, old habits die hard. That resilient spark of non-conformity drove me back into controversy with my article about "League Loopholes." While the discussion that followed did teach me a great deal about the rules of sport, it also made me realize that I had gone off course, again. I DO NOT want to be an activist. Been there, done that. I want to be an Elite Axe Thrower. From now on that is where I will be focusing my energy. I might still write articles goin...

  Axe throwing is still a relatively new sport but appears to be evolving at a rapid pace. What started as hatchets outside a bar room now includes hundreds of venues that cater to duals, knives and big axes. There are many directions that the sport can expand into including age groups, skill levels, state championships or perhaps team competitions. In this article I hope to explore some of those possibilities. Age Groups -  There are several participation sports that break their competitors down into age groups for the sake of fairness. In many cases you don't want to pit a 50 year old athlete against a 25 year old, this could be very one sided in sports like Crossfit or god forbid MMA. Having said that, Axe Throwing is a different animal. It is less athletic and more psychological relying on accuracy, precision and tactics. After all, I'm a 51 year old man who has no problem beating people half my age. In some ways age can be a benefit to throwers in that it requires the pat...