The sport of axe throwing

Well, this is a position I never thought I’d find myself in – just a girl, standing in front of a man, holding an axe.

I’m here to try out axethrowing, a sport perfectly described by its name.

My instructor is Lloyd Bombell, a self-described lumberjack who owns Wellington’s Sweet Axe Throwing Co, and he assures me he can get anyone to hit the target – we’ll see.

He takes me through how to throw: the right grip to use, how to rock back on your heels, lifting the axe up and over your head, then rocking forward to release it. Release and – thunk, drop. Missed. Bombell’s not discouraged though and he’s got a plan: add a step back for more momentum.

‘‘I try again. And again. Each time, Bombell adds a new tip – straighten my elbows, lean forward more.

Out of about a dozen throws, I landed two. Not bad – or at least, better than expected.

That’s my entry into the world of axes.

Bombell’s entry came a few years ago when partner Sarah took him to the Maniax range in Sydney.

‘‘She got me and a group of mates together and we went down for a bit of a crack.’’

He found he had a knack for the axes and started working at the range. Before long, he decided to bring the sport across the ditch.

Set up in Wellington, Bombell believes Sweet Axe might be the country’s first urban axe-throwing range. The appeal of axe throwing for Bombell is simple.

‘‘It’s a back-to-basics sort of game. This is just simply throwing an axe at a piece of wood and getting it to stick, hearing that satisfying thunk.’’

He takes on groups of eightplus in a double elimination, round-robin tournament.

He plans to start an axe league and intends to take competitors to a world axe throwing competition in America next year.

He probably won’t be taking me.