Axe-throwing fundraiser hits the mark
By Dale Woodard on October 7, 2021.
It was a fundraiser True North Axe Throwing and Axe Girls could get a handle on.In fact, they were tickled pink with the outcome.
Teaming up to raise funds for the Jack Ady Cancer Centre, True North Axe Throwing and Axe Girls hosted the Burn Battle Charity Tournament Sunday afternoon.
The charity’s event was right on target, raising $3,000 for the Jack Ady Cancer Centre as participants of both genders donned the hottest pink costumes possible for the event.
“We’re raising money for the Jack Ady Cancer Centre and hoping to get as much as we can,” said Axe Girls and Burn Battle Charity Tournament participant Amy Overes Sunday afternoon before the final fundraising tally was done. “We’ve got raffles, door prizes and a 50-50 prize. We’ve had almost $3,000 worth of prizes donated from local businesses.”
A total of 36 throwers showed up for Sunday’s double elimination event, which was also taking place in two U.S. locations at the Agawam Axe House in Agawam, Mass. and Cascadia Axe Co. in Medford, Oregon as well as Valhalla North Axe Throwing in County Durham in the UK.
“We’re the only one where we’re mixed,” said Overes. “We felt we couldn’t leave the guys out. They support us so much, so it was just a natural thing to do.”
Borrowing the That’s So Fetch tag line from the movie, Mean Girls, a prize was given out for the best pink costume.
That honour and the prize of a $50 gift card from True North Axe Throwing went to Liam Farrell.
Colton Lawson and Amelia Breakey won second and third place, respectively.
The Women’s Sportsmanship Award went to Jena Storms.
“Axe Girls is all about women and supporting women, we figured we should have a prize specifically for women,” said Overes. “It’s going to be rewarded by a unanimous panel, no one is going to know who they are and they’re going to choose the woman who demonstrates the best sportsmanship and has the most fun. It doesn’t matter if they’re good or bad. We’re going to have the Top Woman Award for the woman who placed the highest in the tournament.”
Winning the Top Women’s Award was Sasha Marie. Kendra Kolomyja was the runner-up.
An Axe Girl since June, Overes has been hurling axes for almost three years.
“I was here for my husband’s 40th birthday. He joined a league and I was quite hesitant. It took me until November to finally decide,” she said. “I’ve been up to four or five leagues a week.”
Overes and her husband, Mark, also competed at the World Championship in Toronto in 2020.
“The first round I qualified,” she said. “I didn’t make it to the next round, but I went and threw in the world competition on the big stage and that was absolutely phenomenal. I still can’t believe it happened.”
The COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the 2021 Worlds as Overes waits to see what happens in 2022.
As they wait, Overes and her fellow throwers will, pun intended, stay sharp.
“That’s why we go into so many leagues, because the more we go the better we do and the better chances we get,” she said. “We finished our last ladies league a few weeks ago and we just started the next one.”
Also on hand at Sunday’s Burn Battle Charity Tournament was Tyler Kambeitz of Axquisite, who also took aim in the competition.
Kambeitz has been building axes for a year-and-a-half and throwing for two.
On Sunday, one lucky competitor got an axe Kambeitz made.
“When quarantine first hit, I made an axe for my wife and some people liked it, so I said I was going to make another one and it turned into this business,” he said. “It’s gotten so big I honestly can’t believe it. You look around at how many shirts have my logo on them. It’s overwhelming.”
But Sunday was also about taking part in the throwing.
“A tournament environment is always a great environment for throwing,” said Kambeitz.
“Nothing beats a tournament environment, having everybody together. Everybody is here to have fun, throwing is secondary in my opinion. It’s the people and the environment I’m here for.”
The following are the other award winners.
Tournament winners
First place: Nick Kolomyja
Second: Colin Blyth
Third: Cody Fong
Fourth: Jamie Raider
Fifth: Sasha Marie and Kendra Kolomyja
Seventh: Amy Overes and Mason French
Axequisite Axes by TK Worst Axe Award: Mike Holland.
81 Axe Raffle prize: Mason French.
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