VALLEY VIEW, Ohio — Some people play golf or go bowling to relax, others throw axes.
“It’s a great way to get out, especially in the winter, I think that’s why we had so many people in this league because it’s a good way to be active indoors,” says thrower Caitlyn Palm.
Each week dozens of people gather at Class Axe Throwing in Valley View to spend time with friends, let off some steam and compete.
“I think my favorite part of ax throwing, the thing that keeps me going every week, is the people,” says thrower Stephanie Richman. “Everyone is so friendly and so welcoming, even if you’re bad at throwing.”
The game is simple enough, each thrower gets 10 throws per game, and the highest score wins, but the key to a high score is the technique.
“It’s really as simple as swinging the ax and letting go, you’re not really throwing it” says Ian Fijalkovich. “Everyone throws kind of different, I step into it and throw more like a baseball, some people stand up straight, it all depends on what you’re comfortable with.”
Once you’ve mastered the technique, throwers say you have to learn to clear your head and avoid overthinking each throw.
“Personally, I had to learn not to get in my head if I had a bad throw, then not over correct what I thought I did wrong,” says Palm. “It’s doing what feels right at that point and replicating that.”