6-ish Things I Didn't Expect to Learn at IATC 2024

I guess it’s atypical to go to the biggest tourney of the land and expect to learn stuff. After all, the idea is that you’re already good enough to roll deep at Worlds. You really should know a bunch about how to throw/play/ect. 

But, my sweet baby child, I was experiencing IATC for the first time ever, and I’m not very good at anything. Take THAT. 

So, as you’d expect from your fearless narrator, I had a very different set of goals for IATC 2024, and the majority of them centered around learning and, no joke at all, not letting my own social anxiety dictate every single thing I did. I’m happy to report that I managed to achieve the majority of those goals, though I did leave early and did also avoid any social gatherings tied to the event (Homecoming will probably never happen for me. Because it sounds, in every way, to fit my idea of a nightmare). But here are a few things I learned unexpectedly while enjoying the festivities: 

MY WEIRD THROW NEEDS WORK

The night before Round 2, Chapman and I went to Stockyard for practice. Mollie, my partner, was kind enough to film a few of my throws so I could get a sense of how I was doing/pick up on any weird stuff I could correct.

And I dunno if I’ve thrown this way for a while, or if it was the yips before IATC, but my throw looked…well…horrible. I was hitting “the prems” and bulls, but I was dropping my axe flat against my shoulders before the forward movement. Which doesn’t seem like a great idea, to me. 

Realizing that changing my throw wouldn’t be the very best idea before competing, I didn’t make any changes at all (turns out, given my performance in round 2, I could have thrown with my feet had I wanted). But I did make it a point to see how everyone else was throwing to determine just how far off my own throw was. 

The kindest thing I can say? My throw is very unique. 

So I learned if I want to throw like the best in the world, I gotta work on keeping my axe straight on the wind up - and maybe not bring it any further back than my ear. 

THERE IS A NEW, STRANGE SORT OF ANXIETY I CAN EXPERIENCE WHILST THROWING

Ah yes, the yips, my old friend. I fully expected to be a mess in my matches - and I guess I was, but not in the way I was expecting. Truth be told, I wasn’t nervous at all, which was surprising. Instead, my old braincase came up with a new, exciting trick: I didn’t feel nervous, but my body was acting nervous. 

It was like I forgot how to throw, how to step. I couldn’t hit bull consistently. Couldn’t fight, couldn’t fly, couldn’t crow–I was a mess. But I FELT fantastic. 

This was brand new to me. I didn’t feel bad about it, really, but it was so strange to have the sense of calm in my brain, but a sense of [[squid noises]] in my body. I’m going to chalk it up to going through a new experience. 

PEOPLE READ THE BLOG

I’m not going to belabor this one too much as it seems self-congratulatory, but I was amazed by how many people came up to me to talk about this blog. I will admit to you, dear reader, it was overwhelming and appreciated. I will also admit there were a few times I had to find a corner to have BIG FEELINGS in. This leads me to the next thing I unexpectedly learned: 

THE COMMUNITY IS STRONGER THAN YOU THINK

Axe throwers, at least in the IATF (that isn’t a slight to WATL - I just don’t have any experience there), often cite community as one of the main perks of the game. And for good reason. League members look after each other, more or less, and we as a group have decided that helping each other is a pillar. 

BUT–I think it’s difficult to understand just how prevalent and encompassing that idea of “community” is until you’re at an event like the IATC. 

See, the thing is, I’ve always felt like a person who was in the group, but not of the group. Does that make sense? Like I’m an outsider who is watching people who are part of a club. And I’ve felt that way about the majority of things I get involved with. 

But there were a few rare moments at IATC where I felt like I was absolutely part of the community. People just…I don’t know…agreed that everyone who was there was part of it. It felt really empowering, and I think it’s worth mentioning here. 

THE BEST THROWERS AT IATC 2024 MOVE AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE

While I was trying to figure out how I can improve my throw, I spent time watching all the other throwers (after all, they are some of the best). What I found was a conscious, careful sort of movement. Throwers who were consistently accurate moved as little as necessary. They didn’t really bring the axe behind their heads, they didn’t have a wild sort of motion, and they were strong in their stance before, during and after the throw. 

I know I’ve talked about it before, but the less movement you have, the less opportunities there are for you to flub up your throw. 

A FEW, QUICK THINGS TO FINISH THIS LIST OFF:

• After eating poutine for 3 days straight, my body wanted nothing more than a bunch of salad. While traveling home we stopped at a diner and I only ordered the salad bar, and ate about 5 pounds of leafy greens. It felt so good. 

• I broke my own advice and bought a very expensive axe at the Axe Market. I love it. 

So those are the things I learned, more or less. And I’ll suggest that, even if you don’t make it into the IATC, it’s well worth the trip to be a part of it. Travel expenses and considerations aside, I feel as though I’ve stepped into a new chapter of my relationship to this sport, and I’m all the better for it. 

Anyway, if you stopped by to say hello to me, agreed to an interview or helped make my first experience with IATC as great as it was, thanks.