BILLINGS — Four axe throwers from Montana qualified for the World Axe Throwing Championship in April, including married couple Nick and Sara Richardson, who will return for their second tournament.
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The Richardsons have owned Öx Indoor Axe Throwing for the past six years and have a long-standing passion for the sport.
“I used to do this kind of stuff in the woods with my family. Sometimes actually my dad yelled at me for throwing axes a bunch of times when I was a kid," said Nick.
The couple runs axe-throwing leagues and tournaments through their facility, and the two compete in duels, where both players on the team throw at the same time.
“Being able to really work synergistically with your partner and make sure you're hitting the bullseye at the same time, but not knocking each other out of the target makes it a little bit more challenging. It definitely adds some fun," said Nick.
Their organization competes under the World Axe Throwing League, and in 2022, the couple scored enough points throughout the year to qualify for the 2022 World Axe Throwing Championshipsin Appleton, Wis., where they competed against players from all over the world.
“Last time we went, we went 0 and 2, so we lost out pretty quickly," said Sara. "I psyched myself out. I lifted the bracket way beforehand and we were actually playing like the number one ranked team first.”
Despite not doing as well as they had hoped, they were determined to make it back again, and now have the chance to do so at this year's 2024 competition again in Wisconsin from April 3-6 against 256 other players. As they prepare to return to the same venue they visited two years ago, both Nick and Sara are excited about the challenge, knowing what to expect this time around.
"We're really excited to have another opportunity," said Nick. "I'm excited and hopeful that we're going to do a lot better this time than we did last time.”
"I'm excited because I know what to expect. I know what it's going to look like, and I know how to prepare myself for this coming year," added Sara.
The Richardsons are not the only ones from Billings making waves in the sport. Logan Smiledge and Drew Vance, two league players with the facility, both qualified for the competition, though they will not be able to participate this year due to prior commitments. Vance, however, was taken by surprise when he learned of his qualification.
“I didn't know I'd qualified. I seriously just got a text from Sarah that said, 'Here's the news. FYI, in case you were unaware,' which I was completely unaware," said Vance. “It would have been a lot of fun to go and throw and compete and see a lot of really top-tier throwers.”
For Vance, despite not being able to attend, his participation in the league has helped him hone his skills, and is looking to qualify next year.
“I kind of just keep coming back because I'm improving, but also the people are just really great," said Vance. “It feels to me very exciting to be able to qualify for this, so I'm hoping I can qualify again. Now that I know that I'm capable, I guess, of qualifying, I'll be a little more on the watch for that.”
Now the Richardsons are going back to the national stage with more fuel, but especially Sara, who once was afraid to pick up an axe several years ago.
“I'm proud of myself because I feel like I've mastered a fear. I'm not so terrified of sharp objects anymore," said Sara. "For me now, since I've been doing it for so long, it's perfecting the skills that I already have, so like it's going where I'm aiming every time rather than missing consistently, and so that's been my drive."
"Watching the way that (Sara) in particular has played in games, in league games, and in the tournaments we've competed in, has been a really cool evolution to watch. She's gotten so much better at maintaining her composure under those high-stress situations. It's great," added Nick.
For the Richardsons, it is not just about the competition, but about representing the community they have built in Billings and celebrating the success of their growing axe-throwing family.
“It makes me really happy to be able to compete and represent the thing that we've created here in Billings. It's really, really cool," said Nick.
With their eyes set on the championship, this Billings-based group is ready to show their skills on the national stage once again.
