Blades and Boards looks to chop down doldrums

photo from Blades & Boards - Oshkosh Facebook page

The community now has a chance to have fun throwing miniature axes at a target. Opening this past July, Blades and Boards has created a fun environment for families and groups of friends to hang out and enjoy their time.

    If you can throw a dart, you can throw an axe. A new addition to Oshkosh entertainment, Blades and Boards provides a place where people are welcome to come and throw axes. With the first location in Wausau, another location opened on 2283 State Road 44 Oshkosh on July 2019. This fairly new facility has enticed people to try it out. CAPP chemistry teacher William Stenz points out how these businesses are blooming out of public interest.   
       “I know that it’s really popular right now, and this is why they are starting to sprout up all over the place,” he said. “Everyone is like ‘well I can buy some axes and boards and put some cages on the wall and start my own business.’”
   This was the reason why Rachel Rowell, owner of Blades and Boards, started the business. Not only because of public interest, but because her family had an interest as well.
   “We have a son that is a senior in high school and he has been throwing axes most of his life,” she said. “Then we saw that the sport of axe throwing was growing; we thought ‘how great it would be to have a facility and a place for families to go and people to have fun at?’”
            Junior Hailey Kons, who enjoys outdoor activities, like hunting and running, was intrigued to hear  about the addition to Oshkosh.
      “I think it would be interesting because I have always been into more outdoorsy types of stuff, and it sounds like a fun thing to do,” she said. “Obviously I’ve seen videos of it online, fail videos too, which are scary. So you would have to learn the proper way to do it before you try it.”
    Sophomore Tyler Wright also expressed some concern about the activity.
     “I think it’s pretty dangerous, but at the same time it could be fun with correct training and supervision,” he said.
    Luckily, Rowell and her team have people in place to help amateurs learn how to throw, making sure everyone is safe.
           “After you check in, one of our staff, or ‘axe masters’, takes you and your group to the lanes and we go over safety and teach you the throwing technique,” she said.      
   The layout of the lanes are like cages. A group is given an aisle which is made of boards and wire with a wooden bullseye at the end.
       “You stand behind the line and throw at the target,” Stenz said. “It’s like playing darts, but with axes. So, if you’ve ever shot darts, this is just scaled up.”
       Stenz had the opportunity to throw axes with his extended family over winter break. Because his experience was spur of the moment, he didn’t have the opportunity to go to the one in Oshkosh.
       “I went to the one in Green Bay and the only reason why is I’m not the kind of guy that would actually originally think of this on my own, but my sister-in-law’s husband is a part-owner,” he said. “So, over Christmas they invited my extended family and I, so we just went out there and started throwing axes.”
     Stenz reflected on how his childhood gave this experience more of a familiar feel.
     “As a kid, I grew up next to the National Guard Armory in Oshkosh which had big woods out there,” he said. “I would walk my dog and hang out with friends in the woods and we would bring an axe and start throwing it at a tree to see if you could stick it.”
       Blades and Boards allows people to bring in their own food, and also provides a selection of snacks and drinks. While axes are being thrown, Stenz enjoyed the time he could take to talk and interact with his family. He explained how this can be a more leisurely activity.
     “If you like to do something like bowling, which is more like hanging out with a group of friends while being active, this is like that,” he said. “Only it’s unique, because you are throwing axes.”
       While children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, Blades and Boards provides a place for families to come and hang out, making it enjoyable for everyone.
      “I have seen a lot of happy students and children of all ages in the last years that I have had both locations,” Rowell said. “Sometimes it’s hard for older students to go and do something that’s cool and fun for that age, but we are able to offer that.”
     Stenz shared how this attraction might attract businesses who want to use the facility to host social events. 
       “Companies come in and bring a group of their workers to have a social outing they can do something that is competitive and a little fun,” he said. “They can play a few games and call it a day.”
     Along with Blades and Boards offering axe leagues, Stenz also enjoyed the competitive aspect of throwing.
       “If it touches the line anywhere on the bullseye, then it counts as the higher number,” he said. “You will find out that some of your friends will probably be able to do it, and some of them won’t. So if you can, you got one up on them.”
      This hands-on activity will provide students and staff, as well as anyone else, with the opportunity to go out and try something new. Stenz anticipates the adventure of traveling out into the community with groups of people.
      “I have friends who still come into town on occasion ,” he said. “It’s fun when you get together with a group of your friends, and it’s better than just texting one another. You get out and actually do something active.”
   Rowell expects that Blades and Boards will impact the community.
    “I believe it is a unique addition to Oshkosh,” she said. “There is a need for places that are fun and family friendly for all ages of people to go. We love to work with the community, do the events, and donate to all the great causes that Oshkosh starts and stands behind.”

by Emma Olson

Published February 24th 2020

Oshkosh West Index Volume 116 Issue 5