Josh Woodcock has long had an affinity for target sports -- from archery to throwing knives -- so it is perhaps no surprise that the Kitchener, Ont. man would develop into a world class competitor in axe throwing.
“It’s more extreme -- sharper darts, essentially,” Woodcock told CTV Kitchener of the sport that he discovered after moving to the city for school.
The sport is a combination of darts and archery.
The key is to throw the axe “in such a way that the wood just cracks straight down the middle,” he added.
Last month, he was one of 64 axe throwers to qualify for the Axe Throwing World Championships in downtown Chicago.
Woodcock was eliminated in the second round of the competition, which included competitors ranging in age from 16 years old to 60 years old, but managed to finish in the top 50.
“The sport isn’t defined for any country yet,” he told CTV Kitchener. “Football is America’s sport. You look at hockey, that’s Canada’s sport. When it comes to axe throwing, this is anyone’s game.”
Woodcock, unlike other competitors, moves as little as he can and does not lunge or take a step into the throw.
“I feel like the more parts of your body that you add in, the more error,” he said.
“You cannot (help but to) feel like a Viking,” he added. “You feel so strong and so confident.”
