Medford axe throwing company sends three throwers to world championships

MEDFORD, Ore. – The goal is to hit the bullseye.

At Cascadia Axe Company in Medford, there are three throwers who do that regularly.

Co-owner Kyle Durrant, Ty Scheifer and Ashley Clack beat out over 20,000 competitors.

Qualifying for axe throwing’s biggest competition.

“It’s a big deal,” Durrant said. “And especially, it’s a year’s worth of effort and a lot of travel and a lot of energy has gone into that.”

The 2022 World Axe Throwing and World Knife Throwing Championships will be held in Appleton, Wisconsin next month.

It’s the first time any of the three have qualified for the championship event.

Durrant will take part in all four disciplines, hatchet, big axe, duals and knives.

Scheifer and Clack will compete in the duals as a team.

“Two throwers at one time throwing at a target at once,” Scheifer said. “So you throw two axes at once at the bullseye one time. Gotta get in there at the same time.”

Cascadia said they will be the only members representing Oregon at the championships.

And if they win, it could mean some national exposure for the company.

“They put the finals on ESPN so the more people see that, the more people get curious and want to search, look in their local area for stuff like this,” Durrant said.

Cascadia is not only home to three professional throwers, it’s also a place where anyone can pickup an axe.

“Come throw with some friends,” Clack said. “You don’t have to bring anything. They have the axes, they have the coaches. Just got to bring some closed-toed shoes and have fun. You don’t leave this place without sticking the axe.”

For Clack, she started throwing just a year ago.

Cascadia currently has around 60 league members.

They encourage anyone in the community to try it out, because it may lead to competing in tournaments one day.

“You just get hooked,” Durrant said. “You start at the bottom and just kind of get hooked man. It’s a personal endeavor to just get a little bit better than you did last time. And you just keep going and going.”