My whole life I have hated doing things in front of people. Shame, embarrassment, fear of making a fool of myself…. you name it, I felt it.
Yet here I was, joining a group of strangers to throw axes.
One Handed
What was I thinking?
I decided to brave it and entered the building along with my two uncles who were coming to watch.
Looking Good
Before the activity started, we were given full instruction by Damo, The Axemaster. This involved being safe, how to handle the axe, what to do once you had thrown and how to keep your group safe too.
Then we were shown the technique of throwing the axe one handed.
Success!
The instructor was fantastic; he was really enthusiastic and encouraging and I felt much more relaxed and getting into the swing of it, no pun intended.
To say my attempts were a bit hit and miss, is an understatement. I either hit near to the middle of board or the floor, there was no middle ground.
Neck and Neck….
I could feel myself getting annoyed as it was so random. This was when the instructor came and gave some specific tips that really helped me out.
Once we had mastered the art of the one handed throw, we were shown how to use a two handed throw.
Game Time
I have to say, I felt that this was a much better technique for me and I certainly had more success hitting the board using it.
Then it was time for the fun and games.
Two Handed
Splitting the group into three teams, we were tasked with hitting the different rings of the target and crossing off those numbers on the board.
It became quite competitive and we were cheering on our team-mates as we tried to beat the other two teams we were competing against.
Competition is getting tough
The first game we were pipped to the post at the last minute and came in second.
The next game was to hit 21 without going over.
Fetch!
We came into our own on this game and managed to get to 21 really quickly, beating everyone else.
I have to say, by the end of the throwing, I was really enjoying myself and all my self-confidence had gone.
Damo The Axemaster
The last part of the day was to put on various props including hats, swords, beards and daggers to join in with The Bearded Viking theme.
All in all, we had a marvellous morning and there was a lot of laughter and fun all round.
Skol
I think it also got a bit of tension and aggression out of my system too!
Throwing might not be my forte, given the number of throws that completely missed however I had a whale of a time and would highly recommend giving it a go.
The Birthday Girl
In fact, I am planning to go again with the family soon.
