While axe and knife throwing aren't the first thing that come to mind when thinking of sports, the activity has become a popular pastime throughout North America and Europe.
Soo Axe Throwing is billed as the community’s only axe and knife throwing venue.
Axe and knife throwing involves throwing those sharp metal objects at a target on a wooden board with the goal of hitting the target and making them stick. Knife throwing uses a single hand while axe throwing may involve two hands.
Soo Axe Throwing was opened by owner/operator Brad Collar in September 2023.
“We lived out in the country and we did stuff like this all the time. I opened Soo Axe Throwing because it was something different to do,” Collar told SooToday.
“It's like playing darts, with inner rings and outer rings, only it’s axes or knives that people throw. It does take skill to do it and they do have competitions in North America with the World Knife Throwing League and the World Axe Throwing League. In Canada it began in Toronto.”
Collar has a number of axes and knives - as well as spades, which are small shovels typically used by landscapers to dig trenches and slice sod in gardens - available for customers to throw at wooden targets.
Knives used are eight to 12 inches in length.
Axe and knife throwers typically stand 10 to 14 feet away from the target.
Customers can rent axe and knife throwing lanes at hourly rates and the business is open to groups of customers for parties.
Not surprisingly, Collar said he has to replace a lot of gouged spruce boards as time goes by.
No alcohol is served - only bottled water is available - and intoxicated patrons are not allowed to participate in axe and knife throwing.
Collar said people find axe and knife throwing to be good stress relievers.
“We just wanted to do something different for a date night, so it's kind of a fun activity to do before or after dinner,” said Emily Kinzie, accompanied by husband Ben on an outing to Soo Axe Throwing over the weekend.
Emily agreed that knife throwing can also be a good stress reliever.
“It’s fun to do target practice. I'm better with the lighter objects like the knives. It gives your arm a workout. It's a fun kind of bonding exercise to do with friends too.”
While Emily threw knives, husband Ben threw axes - one of them quite long that required the use of both hands.
“The bigger axe is definitely a lot trickier. The big axe works better when you're standing farther back. Throwing the shovel is my recommendation. I pretty much use the shovel every time,” Ben said.
Ben and Emily agreed that axe and knife throwing can make for a fun evening.
“It’s something different. It's a challenge. If you can get some groups or a couple throwing together it's a good feeling,” Ben said.
The couple said they were improving their throws and planned to return.
Axe and knife throwing can be for all ages, Collar said.
“It includes parents with nine or 10-year-old kids. We had a lady come in with her granddaughters. I think she was in her 80s and she just did it. As long as they can throw it, they do it. My 10-year-old is very proficient at it. The youngest person we had doing it was nine years old,” Collar said.
A waiver must be signed for children under 18 to participate at Soo Axe Throwing.
Sounds dangerous.
Or is it?
“The only people that we've seen get hurt in here are grown men testing if the knives are sharp by running their fingers down the blade. That's how you cut stuff, not test stuff. Those are the only injuries that we’ve had, but with axe throwing in general there's maybe two or three confirmed injuries a year in North America,” Collar said.
As far as legalities go, no laws are broken as long as a knife is not concealed.
“If you had an eight inch blade hidden in your pocket then it's illegal. You can walk around legally with a sword as long as it's exposed and you're not doing anything dangerous with it,” Collar said.
There are a number of dos and don'ts at Soo Axe Throwing, including:
- Closed heel and toe shoes only (no sandals or flip-flops)
- No throwing for intoxicated patrons
- Keeping the axes within the throwing lane
- Never handing an axe to the next thrower (setting it down at the end of your turn)
- No swinging or gesturing with axes
- Asking staff for help if needed while retrieving the axe
- One thrower per lane at a time
- Throwing in your lane only and only one axe thrown at a time
More information on Soo Axe Throwing, located at 677 MacDonald Ave., can be found on the venue’s website.
“It’s something different to do if you don’t like bowling,” Collar said.