United States Axe owners to compete in world axe throwing league championships

A St. Cloud business owner will soon be on the global radar − if she's not already.

St. Cloud resident Niki Knight will be competing in the World Axe Throwing Championship in Appleton, Wisconsin starting Dec. 1. Her husband, Dustin Knight, will also be competing. Together, they own United States Axe in St. Cloud, Alexandria and Fargo.

This will be Niki Knight's first time competing in the world championships, which will be televised on ESPN. Dustin has competed before.

While Dustin estimates that approximately 75% of their customers at United States Axe are women, Niki estimates she has seen less than 10% participate competitively.

"You don't see a lot of women venue owners who are in that competitive space," Niki said. "... I really want to see more women get into the sport. It's really a man's world."

Until this year, no woman had won a major tournament in the World Axe Throwing league (outside of tournaments hosted for women only). Furthermore, no one tournament had been swept by women only.

Then Niki Knight came on the scene. She won two divisions of the World Axe Throwing League Midwest tournament Nov. 11-13. The other division was won by a 14-year-old girl, which Knight said was an incredible moment to be a part of together.

The regional tournament was double-elimination style, which means after Niki Knight lost her very first match in the hatchet division (to the same 14-year-old girl who went on to win the Big Axe division), she had to come out on top in every other match. She did, winning nine matches in a row to get to the finals and then winning there, too.

Niki attributes her success to her mental game the day of. Dustin said the mental component is a huge part of axe throwing.

"It's gonna be 98% mental, because your muscle memory's there," Dustin said.

More:Want to axe your weekend plans? USAxe opening a space for axe throwing in St. Cloud

So Niki imagined axe-throwing as her job. She pictured herself clocking in, and before each throw, told herself to go to work. (A come-to-Jesus talk from Dustin didn't hurt, either. "You're not here to have funsies this weekend," Dustin said he told her. "You're here to win.")

Axe throwing as a space for everyone

Niki and Dustin Knight started United States Axe after trying one an axe-throwing venue on a whim during a date night in Kansas City. They left, Niki said, and already she wanted to open one. That was in August 2019. Fast-forward to 2022, and the pair is already running three locations.

"Until you do it, it's really hard to explain how you get hooked," Niki said.

By helping coach people coming in to United States Axe for recreation, Niki and Dustin can also scout for new talent. When they see someone excel, it's a chance to recruit them to their axe throwing league.

"Everybody, no matter who you are, can be on a level playing field," Niki said. She's competed against grandparents, children and whole families.

Niki is also a driving force behind the newly started Women's Competitive Axe Throwing Alliance, a group of women who identify as competitive axe throwers. She's been shocked by how many people all over the world are connected through this space.

Niki said the alliance is less about combatting a negative mentality about women in the sport, which she says she doesn't really see, and more about taking the initiative to instigate a positive and welcoming atmosphere.

"We want women to take up space in the sport," Niki said.

She's doing that, too, as she prepares for her debut at the World Axe Throwing League Championships. Niki said she tries to focus on quality throws when she practices, treating every throw like it's part of a competition.

Her competition shirt has the name "Buckshot" stitched above the front right pocket. Dustin gave her the nickname because, at the time, her throws were all over the place.

But after regionals, "I have likely earned a new nickname," Niki said, laughing.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. Cloud couple to compete in world axe throwing league championships