TARGET PRACTICE
Competitive indoor ax throwing has come to Jeannette and will soon arrive in Millvale
Alicia Metz and Robert S. Jenkins Jr. own the standard mom and pop operation. They renovated a building on Route 30 in Jeannette, their family helped set up shop, and they run it together as husband and wife.
Oh, but one thing’s different. Their business? Valhalla Indoor Axe Throwing.
Yes, that is a thing. From Canada to Philadelphia to Chicago and soon to such places as Baltimore, Cincinnati and Austin, Texas, this old new sport is the latest to hit the target in entertainment.
After a soft opening June 10, Valhalla is accepting both scheduled competitions and walk-ins at 6781 U.S. Route 30 during the hours of noon to 10 p.m Tuesday through Saturday. It’s hosting a grand opening next Saturday.
For $20, you can throw as many axes as you want in an hour. Groups of six are $100 for an hour or $200 for 2½ hours, with $35 for each additional person. Ms. Metz said they don’t recommend groups larger than six for onehour events.
“You’re not going to get the full experience,” she said.
The range will also host league nights, in which ax throwers can compete once a week for eight weeks. At the end, the winner will be crowned the Ax King or Queen and be awarded $1,000.
Before opening Valhalla, Mr. Jenkins, 35, and Ms. Metz, 27, both of Greensburg, owned four electronic cigarette stores. But they said they had to close due to the increased tax placed on e-cigarettes. In looking up ways to relieve his anger, Mr. Jenkins stumbled into the world of ax throwing.
“We sought something in a totally different realm,” he said. “This is our redemption.”
In Canada, the Backyard Axe Throwing League — or BATL for short — has been gaining traction since its founding in 2006, growing to more than 1,500 members by 2016. In the United States as well, indoor ax throwing has garnered a wealth of recent attention. Urban Axes, a league based in Philadelphia (with plans to open in Baltimore, Cincinnati and Austin), has recruited between 90 and 120 members since its inception last year, the National Axe Throwing Federation says on its website.
Valhalla caught onto the popularity of ax throwing early. Ms. Metz said when they began renovating their building, there were just three indoor
ax throwing ranges in the U.S.; now, there are about 20.
Soon to open in Millvale in the next two to four weeks is LumberjAxes, at 2 Sedgwick St. It will charge $35 per person for a 2½-hour session, and walk-in sessions are $20 per hour. Competitors can throw an ax in one of LumberjAxes’ 20 lanes.
“We’re going to really build it up Canadian-style,” said LumberjAxes owner Corey Deasy of Lincoln Place.
LumberjAxes plans to specialize in corporate team-building and will have ax throwing coachesin the building.
At Valhalla, ax throwers keep score on paper. A bull’seye is worth 5 points, while the inner ring is worth 3 and the outer worth 1. The “Clutch” — two green dots above the target — is worth 7 points, but you have to call your throw first. The black throwing line is about 14 feet away from the target.
Not only is the scoring simple at most places, but also Mr. Deasy said the sport has no requisite skill level to start.
“[My wife] was 8½ months pregnant” when she succeeded, “so that’s when I knew we had mass appeal,” he said.
There are two types of axes used in ax throwing. The first, which is the one at Valhalla, is one-handed and has an ax head weighing between 1¼ and 1¾ pounds, with a 13-inch wooden handle. The other is the 2¼- to 2¾-pound “big ax,” looking more like what a lumberjack would use with a minimum 25-inch wooden handle.
“We wanted to make sure we’re teaching [small ax throwing] properly” before moving on to big axes, Ms. Metz said.
What about safety? In addition to requiring competitors to be 18 or older, both locations provide a safety lesson before each session and have somebody watching the lanes to ensure proper technique. Axes are inspected prior to each session to ensure there are no chips and that handles are connected tightly to the heads.
Because Valhalla requires ax throwers to be 18 or older, Mr. Jenkins said they plan to add additional activities for younger people, such as a children’s archery range on the side of the building. He made this plan after meeting a group of Girl Scouts who were interested in the sport.
Ms. Metz said Valhalla is also open to hosting fundraisers free of charge in which the fundraising organization can keep all profits from the ax throwing. “We really want to get involved in giving back” after so many community members helped them get started.