By Kelli Bowen
My friend Ber and I enjoy each other’s company. We have for about a decade and a half. We met because once upon a time we lived next door. After heartbreaks, home purchases, marriages and kids, we no longer live next door but we do live in neighboring small towns and in North Dakota, that’s just as good.
We decided that we needed a night out, which usually turns into: where do we wanna eat? Then we thought something crazy: what if we actually DO something? We decided to try axe throwing.
I signed us up online and we went. After signing the waiver, and getting a short lesson in the rules and technique, we were allowed to try. Hold the axe above your head, release, make it twirl at least one time, and hit the target. Okay...I mean, I’m Scandinavian so I’m sure someone somewhere down the line could wield an axe.
Let’s do this.
I held the axe how I was instructed, went up over my head, released the axe and it flew! The back of the axe smacked the wooden wall with the target and thudded, with a disappointing clank, to the floor. Son of a —
Ber tried with about the same results but I couldn’t help but think her form was better than mine...dammit who invited Tammy??? You Suck Tammy
Cue inner-Viking
Throwing an axe isn’t a natural motion. It takes your body a minute to figure out what the heck is happening. After 3-6 throws, Ber hit the target. Then-it was ON!!
If you don’t make an axe-murderer face when throwing axes, we can’t be friends.
The pressure was on, after a throw or two, that sweet sweet axe stuck in the beat up target in front of us. Success!!
We were throwing axes like Ancestry.com was going to tell us that our great great grandparents were a Viking warrior who fell in love and married Lizzy Borden. We were hitting bullseyes and feeling good!
Another bonus of axe throwing, it’s a workout. It wasn’t like running or boxing, but there were engaged muscles and walking back and forth, so we are totally counting it.
Plus: chucking axes makes you feel like a badass. Tired of editing TPS reports at work? Are you over the Cheerios in your hair and cartoons on the TV? Is the neighbor’s unleashed dog pooping in your yard REALLY starting to make you mad??? Then may I suggest chuck an axe and feel the tension melt away.
Kelli makes her home in Cass County with her husband, two daughters (8 and 5) and two dogs. She works for a regional seed company by day and tries to be an alright mom, wife, friend and writer by night.
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