Howdy, Aussie Badger again, I'm going be really quick with this intro bit and let the interview below do all the talking. Because we're so remote in the Pacific Region, our top throwers are largely unknown on the global scene. For that reason, despite The Axe Badger being about and for the common thrower, Matt has kindly agreed to me using his platform to highlight a couple of our best in the lead up to APATC.
The first of these is Jenn Walker aka Tex, the Pacific region's #1 female thrower: We start with some quick and easy getting to know you questions before the axe thrower interview proper:
NAME:
Jenn Walker
THROWING NAME:
Tex
STORY BEHIND THE THROWING NAME:
Last name is Walker, Walker Texas Ranger, turned into Tex
WHERE YOU THROW:
Sunny's at Moffat Beach and Maniax at Newstead (Queensland)
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN THROWING?
Since 2019, the first season at Maniax Newstead
WHAT AXES DO YOU THROW:
Cold Steel and Queen of Hearts
YOUR PROUDEST AXE-CHIEVEMENTS:
Winning the B.A.T Outta Hell W+NB Major! (Available on YouTube to watch i highly recommend)
PERSONAL GOALS:
Consistent & calm throwing. Keep having fun, I throw better when I’m having a good time. A Prem 81 would be great & I've been throwing standard left-handed for a couple of seasons so a lefty 81 would be pretty fun too. I'd really like to enjoy big axe.
Editor's note: after publishing this post, Tex let us know that she's achieved her goal of hitting an left-handed 81. Nailed it!
WHAT IS YOUR TRAINING REGIME?
I try to do at least an hour of practice outside league time per week, usually 5 or 10 minutes on each throw (I set overlapping alarms on my watch and hit snooze when I switch throws), bulls and clutches, switching between left and right for a rest and a reset. I like to throw some ambi before league kicks off to get out of the “fix this” or “don’t do this” headspace.
TOURNAMENT PREP?
Currently working on focus and clutches. Should probably get some big axe practice in.
KEYS TO SUCCESS:
Breathe. Focus on what I'm doing, not who I'm throwing against.
ADVICE FOR THE HUNGRY:
Throw as many comps as you can. You can’t win if you don’t enter!
EVENTS YOU'RE REGISTERED FOR AT APATC:
Everything except big axe haha.
YOU'RE CURRENTLY THE TOP-RANKED FEMALE THROWER IN AU. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW THAT TITLE MAKES YOU FEEL? IS IT ADDED PRESSURE IN MATCHES, OR DO YOU NOT REALLY THINK ABOUT IT WHEN YOU THROW?
It's actually quite strange. It's a mix of pride and confusion haha. It's very much a "What? How? Really?" type reaction.
[Being] top 10 in Pacific (regardless of gender) would be fun . Maybe check back in a couple of months and see how it goes.
I don't think it's added pressure to league matches, it might make a difference when we all start throwing at APATC though. We'll just have to wait and see.
WHAT DO YOU ATTRIBUTE TO YOUR SUCCESS? TALK US THROUGH YOUR RISE, WHERE YOU SEE THE BIG, LANDMARK MOMENTS AND WHAT THINGS HAVE MADE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE.
Short answer, I got a clutch axe.
Lengthy discussions after league at Sunny's changed my perspective. If the throw isn't working, change it. If changing the throw also doesn't work, change the axe. So I got a Queen of Hearts, played around with the handle length, and couldn't be happier with how it's worked out. (I can vouch first hand for the effectiveness of Tex's clutch game).
I recently changed the set-up of my throw, to have a more consistent starting point, that's helped, for bulls and clutches. Oh and I realised, maybe two months ago, that I've been aiming at the wrong part (the middle) of the clutch this whole time. Learn from my mistakes and "aim your tip, at the top".
I FIRST MET YOU AT A TOURNAMENT YOU TRAVELLED INTERSTATE FOR; AND I'VE COME TO KNOW YOU TRAVEL A LOT TO GET TO TOURNAMENTS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY THAT IS? TALK TO THE COST AND BENEFITS, AND AGAIN ANY ADVICE YOU HAVE FOR NEW THROWERS.
Travel for tournaments (interstate and international) is where almost all of my money is going at the moment. A group of us from Brisbane travel together as much as we can, sharing accommodations with as many people as we can find space for and carpooling if it’s in driving distance (I think the limit is 10 hours, not including stops along the way – so Brisbane to Sydney, Wollongong or Newcastle is a drive, but Brisbane to Melbourne is a flight).
In addition to the travel and accommodation costs, there’s event registration (and the conversion rate from AUD to USD). If we’re driving for 10 hours to get to an event, you’d better believe we’re throwing everything we can. Same for IATC. Its taken us 24 hours of travel to get there, so you’ll find Aussie’s in every event we’re eligible for – if we can get a ticket, we’re doing it.
Learning to adjust and adapt to different boards, different lighting, floor levels, stairs in the lane etc., not panicking or getting over excited when you’re throwing against someone axe-famous (this is a big problem for me, I’m working on it), this all comes from tournaments!
But the most important thing about tournaments is the community. Get in there, meet the other people who love the same thing as you, have a go, sign up for everything you can!
Tournaments are where you get to really FEEL axe throwing. The anticipation, the competition, the inspiration! Its where you really find out if axe people are YOUR people – I’ve definitely found my people.
This interview took place on messenger over the course of a couple of weeks. Tex (a huge fan of the blog) was a dream interviewee who has a wealth of knowledge and thoughts on Axe Throwing that she's very happy to talk at length about it's been a pleasure chatting with her, I highly recommend finding her at a tournament and having a chat.
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