Tomahawk Throwing still going strong since 1972 at Railsplitter Festival

 

[September 24, 2024] 

On Sunday at the National Railsplitting Festival, three tomahawk throwing contests were held. These contests, organized and run by Bob Rankin, were broken into the categories of junior, women, and men. The weather was a bit rainy that morning, but cleared up just in time for the contest.

Rankin shared that the tomahawk throwing contest has been a part of the National Railsplitter Festival since at least 1972, but possibly since the first one the year prior. Before any of the contests began, Rankin addressed all those participating, explaining the rules and that there were prizes for the first, second, and third place participants from each group.

Each thrower received five throws, with one practice throw at the start if they wanted one. The throwers were aiming at a playing card that was stapled to one of two targets. The smaller target was a section of log attached to a tripod. The second target was a larger piece of wood that Rankin shared was an official World Axe Throwing League target.

For the thrower to earn a point, the tomahawk must stay in the target until the thrower retrieves it. If the tomahawk hits the target, the thrower gets one point. If it knicks the playing card, then they get three points. If the thrower’s tomahawk cuts the card from top to bottom, they get five points. The card was always stapled to the board sideways, with the side of the card parallel to the ground. The highest score someone could get is twenty-five.

The first of the contests were the juniors, with six kids participating in total. Each player took their turn, and all tried their best. In the end, Eliza Reinhart took third place with a score of three, Zane Edgecombe took second with a score of eight, and Roan Vannoy took first with a score of eight.

Since Edgecombe and Vannoy tied, a tie breaker was needed. Both throwers threw a second time, with the one getting closest to the playing card being declared the winner. Rankin used a twig and his thumb to measure the distance of the first throw, then compared that distance to the second throw. In the end, Vannoy’s tie breaker throw was just a bit closer.

The women went next. In third place came Heidi Mueller with five points, second was Chelsea Dubbelde with a score of six, and Jenn White took first place with a score of nine. No tie breaker was needed for this round.

The men were last, with nearly a dozen people participating. In third place came Lawrence Dubbelde with a score of nine, in second place was Matt Fox with a score of eleven, and in first was Bob Rankin with a score of seventeen, the highest of the day. A tie breaker was needed for third place this round.

The first, second, and third place winners from each category won a small cash prize and a certificate with their name on it.

[Matt Boutcher]