Weeks = 24, Adventures = 24 | My Inner Lumberjack

I don’t know if you have heard (but if you haven’t heard and you are from the Louisville area, I am not sure what to say) Louisville has a new outing that everyone is talking about.  This even has become the new go-to team outing and birthday event place in the ‘Ville.  What am I talking about?  Why the Flying Axes of course!

For those of you not in the know, the Flying Axes is a place where you can go and throw axes at a wall – essentially an extreme version of darts.  Except, not really not really axes but hatchets.  Hatchets and not axes?!  But it’s called Flying Axes you say – why the lack of axes?  Because axes are easier and safer throw than hatchets.  So next question, I would imagine you have – is really how is it safe throw hatchets?  I mean they are smaller than axes, but still insanely sharp.  Think about it, they have to be sharp to stick into wood!  But hatchets are safer simply because they are not as heavy and easier for people to hurl at a wall.  Additionally, the Flying Axes has implemented numerous safety precaution to ensure that their customers stay safe and sound.  So dont worry, unless you are total careless idiot, you will be just fine!  If I can handle it, you can handle it.  I have told you before I am not graceful.

So, how does it actually work?  You show up, with your ax throwing group, and depending on how many of you there are, you are assigned to a set (or several) of cages.  Each “cage” set has 2 ax throwing lanes, 2 targets, and an instructor to teach you how to properly hurl your ax and make sure you stay sober and safe (they sell alcohol to round out your night of festivities).  After your tutorial, in which you learn the 2 handed and 1 handed throwing techniques you can enter into a variety of games against the individuals in your party.  After your lesson, you’ll have about 45 minutes left for your game(s) and full on ax-throwing.  And honestly, for me, 45 minutes of active ax throwing was totally sufficient.  Its a decent upper body workout!

I consider myself a strong woman – I lift weights multiple times a week and can bench a 130 lbs.  To me, who was a weakling 5 years ago, that is a lot of weight!  Since I am strong, all though not the most coordinated, I expected to be able to stick my hatchet into the board with relative ease.  This was totally not the case.  It turns out coordiantion is pretty darn important.  I somehow managed to relase my hatchet too early causing the ax to rotate too many times.  Or I managed to release my hatchet too late, causing me to release my hatchet into the ground totally misssing the target.  For additional context, the target is not small, I mean it is relatively decent sized – a target, no one else in my group had trouble hitting on a regular basis.

But alas, it was a challenge for me.  While I occasionaly did get my hatchet to stick into the target, I never succeded in hitting a bulls-eye.  Everyone else I went with (my team at work – it was our annual team building event), managed to hit at least one bullseye.  (Please sense my still prevalent jealousy.)  Additionally, the men on my team hit it pretty much every turn – a distinct frustration to my inner competative (maybe not so inner) and my feminist nature.  For a couple of our games, we did a guys vs ladies competition at one point and we were losing so bad that the guys offer to spot us points on the next game to make it more competative.   Give you one guess, what I did with that offer?  Yup.  Turned it down hard and fast and vehemently.  How did that work out for me?  About as well as you expect.  We lost the next game too.  Badly.  😦

Even while I was not good at ax throwing, it was a lot fun and an amazing stress relief activity.  If you need to release some agression, I would highly reccomend giving ax throwing a try.  Some other things I learned on this adventure:

• A 1 armed throw is easier than the 2 arm throw (at least for me)
• If you have shoulder issues, be careful not to exacerbate your issue (one of my employees had shoulder surgeries years ago, and was shaking out his shoulder after every throw)
• The axes really are sharp (promise, so be careful)
• They go through a ton of wooden pallets at the Flying Axes – hatchets can really do a number
• Men have a natural advantage at ax throwing (as much as it pains me to admit this)
• Coordiantion and strength are equally important
• 1 hour is more than enough
• It really is exciting when people get a bulls-eye (I imagine if you get one it is really exciting … If only I knew first hand … 😦 )
• I am a little too comeptative, and it can bite me in the rear at times
• I internalize too much frustration and need to find a routine cathartic outlet
• Hurling hatchets is a lot of fun!

So, hopefully, I have tempeted you enought to try out ax throwing and harnessing your inner lumberjack!  I highly reccomend it… would a great birthday party, family event, or even date night.  Just think about it! 😉

Happy Tuesday!

Ali