02-26-2023 Harford Magazine - Flipbook - Page 67
Steve Horne and daughter Jessica Horne pose at Route 22 Hatchet House.
PHOTO BY KARL MERTON FERRON
H
olly Klink has an axe to grind.
Several axes, in fact. Each
Wednesday, Klink gathers her
hatchets and a file and sharpens the blades
of her trusty tools. Then it’s off to Crabby
Axe Throwing in Bel Air, a venue where
the 51-year-old Klink takes aim at wooden
targets and slings steel, along with others
caught up in the craze that’s swept the
country.
Axe throwing has been around since the
Iron Age, mostly to fell game or do battle.
Frontier tales tell of burly lumberjacks
hurling axes to split trees (think Paul
Bunyan). As urban entertainment, however,
the sport only took off in the last decade,
spawning the World Axe Throwing League
and the annual world championships
televised by ESPN.
In 2019, Crabby Axe had just opened
when Klink, then an interior designer, strode
in. But not to decorate the place. Her aim was
to bury the hatchet in a tiny bull’s-eye, 12 feet
away. Mission accomplished.
“I’d never thrown before,” she said. “But
I’ve been shooting trap with my kids for
years, so axes weren’t scary.”
when you first get there, but others are
willing to help.
“People say, ‘I see you’re throwing like
this, which is why your score is off.’ You can
see [newcomers] change attitudes in the first
hour, after they ‘stick’ a throw [to the target];
it’s fun to watch their brains figure it out.”
‘Safety is No. 1’
An axe hits one of two blue dots that’s worth
eight points at Crabby Axe Throwing.
PHOTO BY KENNETH K. LAM
In 2020, Klink’s two-handed efforts with
the 3-pound hatchet in league play earned
her a trip to the world tournament in Atlanta.
Now, the Bel Air resident owns eight axes
(“They can take a beating,” she said) and
revels in the camaraderie of the game.
“It’s a fun sport, as long as you don’t mind
feeling stupid the first time, because nobody
is good then,” said Klink. “Some people are
intimidated by it, or have misconceptions
about the people who do it. You’re unsure
Who throws at Crabby Axe? Kids as young
as 12 and seniors in their 70s. Doctors,
nurses and first responders; teachers,
plumbers and car salespeople. People who
are deaf and those confined to wheelchairs.
“Once, we had a blind man throw, a
former police officer who had been shot
in the temple and lost his vision,” owner
Tricia Miller said. “He was so thankful to
be able to do something with his friends,
and to feel normal. He did OK. By the end
of the session, we were all crying; it was an
awesome experience.”
Whole families will heft axes as a bonding
experience.
“People bring their grandchildren here,
thinking they can connect with them,” Miller
said. “They have a blast.”
harfordmagazine.com | Spring 2023 |
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