Viper introduced herself to me my very first day of IATC, and I was immediately charmed by her wide-open kindness and warmth. It became apparent that she, like a lot of venue owners I’ve met, has that gift of creating community wherever she finds herself. During this axe thrower interview, we talked about the importance of mentorship, preparing for big axe-throwing moments like the IATC, and what it’s like being a venue owner in the sport. Check check check it out:

Where’s your home venue?

I throw out of my own venue, Axcadia. Me and my husband, Tripod, we own Axcadia. We’ve been open just under two years. It’s down in Somerset, England.

This is my first time at ITC, so it’s all big.

How are you feeling about it?

A little bit nervous today. I did the marathon on Monday, did okay, kind of rough in seeding and was quite happier than I thought I was going to be in that one. I generally though I was going to be out in a few games, so it made me happier. But no, I’m nervous, but good nervous. I’ve kind of gone in with the expectations of “I’ll do my best and that’s all I can do.”

What, development wise, do you think made it possible for you to be here (at IATC) now?

In all fairness, we have a really great support system. Even in terms of our rookies that are coming into it, everybody’s welcome at Axcadia and the support and love you get is amazing. We’ve got a little community chat on WhatsApp and it’s full of good luck, wishing everyone good luck for this weekend. And it’s just so positive.

And I think the positive vibes that come in with that sort of support, all of the ladies like Queen Bee and people like that, they’re so friendly, so helpful. I reached out to Huckabella a few months ago. She was amazing and just said, look, record your throw so I can see it. See how we get on.

And it really is, I think, universal. Everybody that I’ve spoken to has just been so friendly and helpful.

What piece of advice would you give to new throwers?

Enjoy it more than anything else. Take your time. Enjoy every moment. Celebrate the small wins and don’t look too far into the future, and don’t get too focused on thinking “oh I must get that 81, I must get that Premier 81, I must get a big Axe 81.”

Yes, it’s fantastic to get them, but celebrate a small win. Celebrate having a game where you’ve hit all your bullseyes. Celebrate when you’ve hit all your clutches. Try a league where you’ve not hit a three.

The smaller wins for me are what keep me keeping it positive. And just, ultimately, have fun. If you’re struggling, reach out. Even if you’re not struggling on a lane and you’re struggling with something else, there’s so many people around that are willing to help. Just reach out. It’s one of the best communities I’ve ever been a part of.

What do you wish you did before coming here?

Oh, that’s a bit of a tough one.

I’d like to say I wish I practiced and I wish I prepped more. I’m very much… if I overthink things, I tend to go wrong a little bit more. So I’ve hardly thrown for the last month. I’ve just kind of done my Monday Standard league. I’ve not done any Prem and I’ve just kind of been… I can throw standards. It’s just a little bit harder, but prep wise, not a lot if I’m honest with you. I’m going in with winging it.

Do you have a secret weapon in axe throwing?

It’s not necessarily a secret weapon.

But for me, if I’m angry, which I’m very rarely angry, but if I do get angry about something, say somebody’s pissed me off, I tend to go into a little bit more beast mode. But most of the time I do better when I just try and shut everything out.

I try not to listen to the music. I try not to listen to the people. I try to just… It’s me and the board. You’ve thrown an axe a million times. You know how to throw an axe. And that for me is just trying to focus in, knowing that I can’t control anybody else. I can only control what I do and not to look at anybody else. If I’m looking forward, that’s all I can do, one step at a time.

Is there anybody responsible for getting you to the point that you’re at? I know you’ve talked about community, you’ve talked about the value of your axe house, but is there anybody in particular?

Two people for me. Hexy, she’s here today. She is my best friend inside and outside the axe-throwing world. She is just a diamond. She is one of the most amazing people. And if I’m being too negative on myself, she is that one that brings you up. Some people drink, some people radiate. She radiates through and through and she is just positivity.

And honestly, my husband, Tripod, he is there with a shoulder to cry on. He is there with a cold drink. He is there with a, “Okay, try this. Have you tried this? Try this, try this new axe.” Actually, the axe I’m throwing today, he made it for me a week ago. I’ve thrown it for a week. But I was so in my head about my old axe that he thought, “You know what? I’m going to try something.”

So those two people I think are the most prominent people that have just been so supportive in my axe throwing career. I say career loosely. I’ve only been throwing for a couple of years, so it feels weird to say career. But yeah, they’ve been the most prominent, helpful people.

So you are a venue owner. What’s something people don’t understand, as non-venue owners?

That your brain never shuts off.

Because we’ve got community groups and different things that even at two o’clock in the morning, someone will reach out and I will respond to… I’m not a great sleeper anyway, so I will respond to the message whether it’s about axes, whether it’s not, whether they need help with something. Even in terms of like… we’ve had members reach out to, “I really need a lift to the dentist. Can you give me a hand?” Yep, not a problem.

And it’s the boards, “Oh, can you hold another marathon?” We still have to then get those boards, prep those boards. And I think it’s those sort of things people don’t realize that as much as we’d love to host and do everything, it all takes so much time. And it’s just never shutting off. I get home at night, and I’ve done a full day’s work on a Saturday.

We open at 11. We don’t shut till 9:00 PM. I then go home and I still want to spend some time with my family and still got admin to do. And then I’m back in it again the next day at nine o’clock.

 I love what I do and I wouldn’t change it. But I don’t think people realize the stuff we do behind the scenes and how much a toll it takes on venue owners. Sometimes you need that break.

Anybody you’d like to shout out or anything you want to add?

In all fairness, there are so many. For me, it’s everybody that I’ve met here has been absolutely fantastic. The ladies in the sport, I feel like absolutely crushing it and they’re coming up. But genuinely, I don’t have one specific person. I just think everyone’s amazing. Everyone’s amazing.

I just really hope that people get the things that they want to get from this, whether it be the championship, whether it’s someone they want to meet, whether it is taking selfies with whoever it is. For me, I just want everyone to enjoy it, more than anything else.

Huge thanks to Viper, and a shout out to her husband, Tripod, who both were so very kind and welcoming to me during the IATC. It’s wild that two folks from the UK made me, an American, feel like I was welcome while we were all in Canada. What a wild, wild community this is.