A simple form of entertainment for early frontiersmen and lumberjacks is becoming a new way to relieve modern-day stress and be competitive with family and friends. Axe throwing is growing in popularity across the country and an Aberdeen couple hopes their business will be on the cutting edge of the sport.
“It’s a new thing so people have a lot of questions,” Hub City Axe Throwing owner Ryan Perrion said.
Ryan and Amanda Perrion of Aberdeen opened Hub City Axe Throwing on November 27. The couple has spent the past two months building eight axe throwing lanes in the old Radio Shack location at Uptown Aberdeen; formerly known as the Aberdeen Mall. The journey to open the business started about a year ago when the Perrions planned to travel to Minnesota to try twirling a few axes at a Twin Cities business. The trip never happened but they became interested in the new entertainment option again this past spring during the COVID-19 shutdown.
“We were looking for something to do and I put a target up in our backyard,” Ryan Perrion said.
The Perrions started to sharpen their skills throughout the spring and became more curious about the sport of axe throwing.
“We spent a lot of time looking at websites because we couldn’t go anywhere,” Ryan said. “I got to watch the 2019 world championships and thought this was pretty cool how can we bring that type of excitement here (to Aberdeen)?”
The Perrions looked for a space to start a league and received encouragement to open a standalone location specifically for axe throwing. They got the keys to the old Radio Shack location on October 15 and opened Hub City Axe Throwing by the end of November. Northern Electric Cooperative provides the power for the new business.
Interested axe throwers can reserve lanes at Hub City Axe Throwing by visiting the business’s website at hubcityaxethrowing.com. The Perrions are also looking forward to starting several axe throwing leagues during the upcoming winter. Hub City Axe Throwing is an official affiliate of the World Axe Throwing League (WATL). The only other WATL affiliates in South Dakota are located in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
“That’s how we started this, we really wanted to start a league environment,” Ryan Perrion said.
Hub City Axe Throwing offers some basic concessions along with beer and other non-alcoholic beverages. The main focus of the business is getting others across the region interested in the sport.
“I compare it to golf. It is all about muscle memory and being able to repeat the motion,” Perrion said.
And, according to Perrion the key to the sport is the same trait needed to start a new business.
“Patience,” Perrion said. “Just get it (the axe) to stick the first time.”