What better, safer way to have fun than drink beer and throw a hatchet?
This is now a thing in the US, a new pastime, and it is spreading.
On a busy Friday night at Stumpy’s Hatchet House in New Jersey, it sounds like this: the thud of the blade sticking into a wooden target, people cheering a good toss and a bell ringing out when somebody scores a bull’s eye.
Photo: AFP
Its four founders say the bar, which opened 18 months ago, is the first of its kind in the US, although Canada is generally considered the cradle of competitive hatchet-hurling.
Such spots are now found in Chicago, Washington, Nashville, Tennessee and Denver, Colorado, among other US cities.
Stumpy’s owners are talking about opening another elsewhere in New Jersey and have even started offering franchise arrangements. They hope to have a network of 15 within a year.
“This is the next bowling,” said Kelly Josberger, a former elementary-school principal aged 51, who decided to change careers.
Like her three partners, she had never before run a business.
“Even if you’re bad, you still have fun. With bowling, if you’re not good at it, it’s not really as fun,” said Joseph Cavanagh, 27, who came to Stumpy’s with friends to celebrate his birthday.
Participants said it takes about half an hour of practice to master the trick of throwing the hatchet so it spins right and sticks in the target, which is replaced several times a day.
“I think it’s good because it’s different and you’re active and it’s more hip than bowling,” said Jessica Hill, 34, a pharmacist and friend of Cavanagh.
And it is all kind of natural here. There are no TVs or neon lights. People feel sophisticated, in a rustic way.
On this particular night most of the crowd are young people, men and women in roughly equal numbers.
However, many say they have also seen people in their 60s come and give it a try, at the rate of US$40 dollars a person for two hours.
Tim Foley likes the sense of danger the game entails.
“It makes it more interesting,” he said.
BEER AND BLADE
However, some consider hatchets and booze to be a risky combination.
Stumpy’s does not have a license to sell alcohol, but it does allow people to bring their own beer or wine.
Alyssa Tabernise remembers when she first heard of the quirky pastime.
“It’s not really safe that we’re drinking and throwing, but it’s probably a lot of fun,” she said.
To maximize safety, the Stumpy’s team makes a short training course mandatory.
And there are strict rules: No one under age 21; one thrower at a time and competitors cannot hand the hatchet to each other, but rather must leave it in a special holder after throwing.
At Valhalla, the first hatchet bar in France, which opened this month near Caen, people have to take a Breathalyzer test before being allowed to play.
At Stumpy’s, staffers stroll around constantly to make sure people are following the rules. The 13.6cm steel hatchets weighs 567g.
When she sees skittish customers at the door, Josberger — who insists Stumpy’s has never had an accident — asks this question: “Do I look like a dangerous person?”
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
THRILLER: Raphinha gave Barca a 3-2 lead with two minutes remaining of regular time, but Francesco Acerbi equalized the game in the second minute of added time Davide Frattesi on Tuesday fired Inter into the UEFA Champions League final with an extra-time winner that gave the Italians a stunning 4-3 triumph over Barcelona, 7-6 on aggregate. Italy midfielder Frattesi won a tie for the ages under a downpour in Milan when he lashed home in the 99th minute, sending a packed and rocking San Siro wild with joy. Simone Inzaghi’s team will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this month in Munich, Germany, where they would feel they have a great chance to be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time after
RSS