Soulthrower Open, Part I

Sometimes you are so overwhelmed with impressions that you hardly know where to start. At least me and today is such an occasion. Then I still had a few hours to sort out the weekend's events. Therefore, I intend to try to clarify all the thoughts regarding knife throwing in a couple of posts here on the blog.

 

What will be processed is everything that happened during the Soulthrower Open that took place in Arboga. A knife-throwing competition open to everyone and with an international touch. Truly international it would appear as those who came the furthest away were from the USA and Australia! There were also throwers from Great Britain with backgrounds from both Scotland and southern England as well as throwers from Finland, the Czech Republic and of course Sweden.

It may not be the biggest competition in the world in terms of the number of participants, but it may well have been one of the nicest.

That feeling was something I discussed over coffee at work as there are some there who have been involved in other minor sports and they partially recognized themselves. There is a certain camaraderie when you engage in a minor sport. Something that I am also familiar with since my time as a Ju-Jutsu practitioner. You have the chance to meet and talk to the best in the world, something that is of course completely impossible in a major sport such as football or the like. That the average player would have a chat with Zlatan or Messi does not seem very likely. But here you can both meet some of the best in their field and share their knowledge.

Then again, I actually think knife throwers are a friendlier breed than most. But that observation may not be completely scientifically substantiated. But until someone disproves me, I will maintain that it is so.

Most of the participants in Soulthrower Open 2023

Size is not everything, as the saying goes, and that is also true in this case. There were really good throwers present in all disciplines. Especially as those who are good in one discipline often tend to excel in several others as well.

It is possibly the flip side of small sports. Sure there aren't thousands of people to compete with but there's always a top and it's always superb, so here too. There were throwers with world championship titles and winners of other international tournaments and awards interspersed with newbies like me. This means that as a beginner you sometimes have to face the best in your first competition. Which of course is both a curse and a blessing in terms of results. But it is extremely inspiring either way.

In terms of sports, I was mostly there to learn. This is only my third competition so more experience is needed. In addition to the hours you stand and enjoy at home pounding a sharp object into a piece of wood, training is needed for the competition situation itself. It's really something else to perform when you have to. Something that many experienced and something that I intend to return to in a later post.

The primary goal was to get to know more throwers and get faces of some of the people with whom you had previously only exchanged a few words online or followed on social media. The amazing thing was that they were even more likable in real life! It was therefore with both sadness and joy in my heart that I left Arboga for the journey home.

But we will see each other again soon in different contexts.

/ J - feeling emotional

PS. I nästa inlägg ämnar jag inrikta mig på själva tävlingen.