" I'll Go if You Axe Me"

My niece Amanda, who lives in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia, just turned thirty. When we all asked what she wanted for her “big” birthday, she said, “I want to throw axes”. Okay. In any other decade I may have replied with a “whhhhaaaat?” However, the present-day offbeat normalcy of this was answered with an “Okay. When and what time? ”

Backtracking a bit, my niece who has been a single city- dweller, for the past three years , heard about this axe throwing league in the city by chance. Most young millennials, these days, are looking for the unique, unusual and enlivening urban activities that have replaced traditional movie-going, bowling nights and bar hopping. In addition to her joining a local Improv group, Amanda also played in an adult kickball league. So when a friend of hers introduced her to a place called Urban Axe to uh through axes, Amanda’s inner “Towanda” stepped right up to sign.

So here we are two weeks ago, a bunch of 50-somethings, joining our niece, my other niece and her husband and a few other friends her age on a Sunday morning in an area of the city I would not have voluntarily found myself on any given day. Not because it seemed dangerous, but I am a suburban mom these days and do not know the pulse of the city like I did when I was her age.

Using Waze to get there, we drive up to what looks like an abandoned warehouse in the middle of know where. I t was the kind of place that you didn't know it was there if you didn't know it was there. You know what I mean? The outside door was spray painted with a skull and axes for crossbones . Yep, we were at the right place. We were greeted by very friendly staff, who were a bit inked and pierced, but none-the-less super knowledgeable about axe-throwing and liability. Thus, we all signed waivers. Good idea.

They then gathered our group and escorted us back to what was likened to oversized horse stalls, separated by a wooden half-wall and fencing. Each side had two-target boards allowing for competitors to play two at a time. Axe Throwing is a sport in which participants throw an axe at a target similar to an archery or dart board, in attempts to hit the bull's eye as near as possible. An event that is quite common at most lumberjack competitions. While I have never been to a lumberjack competition, something told me wearing flannel and jeans would be appropriate wear for this event. ( I always like to dress the part) As we walked back to our non-decorative stalls, I was blown away by the amount of people who were there. At least 50 people. And at $35.00 a head, there were a lot of ready and would-be axe throwers anxious to strike a bulls eye with a thrust of these sharp metal objects. Each group is assigned one to two coaches, pending on the size of the group we had 14 people so we had 2 coaches. Their job is to not only instruct on how to throw but to keep score and encourage competitive spirit by assigning head to head competitions amongst the masses. Before we started we all had an opportunity to practice our technique and give the coaches an idea of our "lack of expertise". We were then paired for a number of round robins with mostly everyone in the group. Each round consists of 2 players throwing against each other. Five throws apiece and then you switch sides. Player with most points after 3 rounds wins. While the official rule is not to step over the line of 15 feet from the board, our coaches gave many of us a pass so our success rate was a bit higher.Just like darts, the goal is to get the bull eye. Which in this case is worth 5 points. The next ring out from the bulls’ eye is 2 points and the outer most ring was 1 point. Obviously the person with the most points after 5 throws, wins.

At first I was wondering how on earth we will play for 2 hours, but the time went incredibly fast and I found myself wanting to stay longer. The idea of hurling a dangerous weapon at a wooden slab from 15 feet away was much more fun than we all anticipated. My sister Trish wound up with the most points and handed the millennials their egos on an axe while they drowned out their loses with a cold beverage. Which by the way, food and drink is permitted. However, you must be 21 or older to participate in the festivities.

So for my niece Amanda and our family, it certainly was an experience we will not forget. And while I can definitely say this was NOT on my bucket list of things to do, I will axe it off and possibly look forward to doing it again if someone "axes me to go."

(Urban Axes is located 2019 E Boston St, Philadelphia, PA 19125. You need to call or goon line to make reservations. Walk ins are possible but call ahead to be sure.

urbanaxes@urbanaxes.com; 267-585-AXES).