Say hello to Wicklow’s team of axe throwers
Wicklow team compete for Ireland in Germany
IRELAND made history at the weekend in Germany as for the first time ever Ireland partook in the international axe throwing championships. What’s more the team was made up of four Wicklow competitors who only came together nine months ago in preparation for the championships.
The team comprises of Kelly Lynch from Delgany, Heath Dawson from Roundwood, Leigh Standing from Arklow and Ashley Clover from Ashford and overall the athletes performed astonishingly well considering that they had only formed as a club so recently compared to most of the other competitors who were experienced campaigners.
The sport comprises of throwing a specially made axe at a circular target from a distance of 21 feet. The aim is to hit the middle two inch bullseye as this will score maximum points which each outer ring a point fewer.
It requires reasonable strength and hours of honing the correct technique in order to hit the target from such a distance let alone be accurate enough to hit the middle of it consistently. Competitor Ashley Glover likens the throwing technique to that of chopping wood where the actual rhythm of the movement is more important than the brute force put behind it.
The Wicklow lads were up against seasoned competitors from countries where lumber jack sports are more the norm such as Sweden, Russia and Germany
and the competition was split into women and men’s sections. In total there were about 100 competitors in each competition.
The athletes gave a stellar performance however and three out of the four of them finished in the top 20 of their respective competitions. The fourth athlete Leigh Standing suffered a very bizzare and unfortunate injury which prevented him from emulating his team mates. He suffered a very bad spider bite to his leg and was unable to
continue in the competition as the bite hindered his standing ability on the leg.
The brilliant placings came not just as a surprise to onlookers but also to the athletes themselves. Ashley Glover had booked a flight home the night before the final round of competition as he never dreamed he would make it that far. But he was forced to change his plans as his snook in with some brilliant throws.
Kelly Lynch provided one of
the highlights of the weekend as she hit a bullseye when faced with a swinging pendulum target specially designed by the German organisers. The throw was greeted by astonishment and awe of the onlookers as Lynch celebrated her miraculous throw. The throw has gone viral and can be viewed on her Instagram page Kelly Lynch fitness.
Overall it’s an experience which all the Wicklow throwers loved and said has spurred them on to con- tinue their training and compete in further competitions in the future. They have their sights set on the Nordic Championships in Hammerdal Sweden in August an event which they vow they will train even harder for and look to improve on each of their positioning they achieved in Germany.
They acknowledge they require proper, permanent training facilities and are on the look-out for a permanent practice range to fine tune their throwing skills and also for sponsorship for the upcoming championships in Sweden for their women’s team. The men acquired sponsors in Asavie and Hultlours which they admit has been a massive help in terms of acquiring equipment and organising trips to the competitions so they are hopeful that this can be emulated for the women.