Nestled into a quiet strip mall in Sheridan sits the unsuspecting home of one of Denver’s up-and-coming sports. Primal Axe House is becoming the hub for the city’s burgeoning axe-throwing scene.
For those unfamiliar with how axe throwing works, it’s essentially like playing darts on a much larger scale. Competitors throw their axes at a nearly four-foot wide circular target made of plywood, aiming to hit the bullseye. The closer to the middle of the target your axe lands, the higher your score is.
“The highest score you can get is a 64, said Chris Marquez, one of Denver’s top axe-throwers. Me and [my teammate] Tina both average in the high 50s. We’re right there to getting a perfect score, but it’s not easy.”
Nearly 40 people show up to Primal Axe House every Thursday to throw axes with like-minded peers in one of Denver’s biggest axe throwing leagues. Contestants range from their mid-teens to around 60 years of age. Both men and women alike show up to compete, as no single gender is a clear majority. Everyone in attendance is loud and cheering for their teammates, without being too rowdy or disrespectful. The bar is filled with the sound of typical chatter and the thud of axes smacking against the target.
Every competitor’s goal is to come out as the victor. Unfortunately, only one of the around 14 teams can achieve that title. This creates a wildly competitive, yet lighthearted atmosphere. One especially kind axe-thrower even brought homemade cookies for all the participants to snack on during the competition on Dec. 7. While some competitors are here to eat cookies and compete for fun, some are here to reach the highest level in all of axe throwing: competing in the world championship.
“The goal is to get good enough and educate yourself on the rules so that you can get to the World Axe Throwing Championship,” said Tina Rivera-Locklear, Marquez’s teammate. “Pretty much everyone here has the goal to get to that level of throwing.”
Marquez and Rivera-Locklear are two members of a four-person team dubbed the Pinche Four. The team is trying their absolute best to make it to the championship which will be broadcast on ESPN in April 2024. To achieve that goal, there’s very little room for error. Pinche Four went undefeated in their league’s regular season competition, and this year their record sits at 7-0. The group is the top seed in their entire league and has already clinched the regular season championship title.
“ [We] are competitive, we don’t like losing. It’s competition, it’s what it’s all about,” Marquez said.
Both Marquez and Rivera-Locklear work typical day jobs. Marquez owns a plumbing business in Denver, while Rivera-Locklear is an account executive for the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington state and Alaska. But come nighttime, they turn into axe-throwing extraordinaires.
“I’ve discovered that I’m more competitive than I thought I was once I started throwing axes,” Rivera-Locklear said.
Regardless of skill level, the community at Primal Axe House is there to welcome people and help them hone their craft. Newcomers can receive tips from pros like Marquez and Locklear-Rivera, while experienced veterans of axe throwing can find competitors on their level. There’s a place for everyone at the Primal Axe House on Thursdays, regardless if they’ve been throwing axes for three days or three years.
“This group is really tight-knit and really welcoming too. It’s a really good group of people to hang out with. New throwers come in all the time,” Rivera-Locklear said.
Despite skyrocketing in popularity in recent years, axe throwing is still a relatively niche hobby. Marquez and Rivera-Locklear have one message for those in the Denver area who haven’t tried axe throwing or don’t understand the appeal of the sport: Just give it a shot.
“It’s for some people and not for others. I’ve brought friends here and they were scared of it, but I’ve also brought a lot of my friends into the sport and they loved it. It’s definitely something you just have to try,” Marquez said.
