The September Throw

Or perhaps one should say "throws", considering that they can be counted to about 12,000. That's how many there are if September is to be summarised.

In other words, there was a lot of knife throwing, especially since most of it happened towards the end of the month. It didn't start out so well. Partly because I'm feeling a bit down, I have to admit, and then I lost the place where I used to throw. It was in a meadow at my workplace that will now be used for something else. 

An important milestone, the first coffee at the new throwing place!

But the lack of space put things in motion. Contact was made with VAIS - Växjö Allmänna Idrotts-Sällskap, which is an association with a variety of activities in the program. There you will find running both with and without skis, Walking, Tug of War, Functional Strength and Field Archery. The latter means that the step to Sports Throwing is not very long. To make a long story short, my wife and I were invited to a board meeting where we were introduced to the club and where we mainly got to introduce ourselves and our sport.

Then things moved at high speed. Just a few days later, it was time for an open house up in the forest where the VAIS-cottage is located, and we were there to demonstrate knife and axe throwing as well as Coutanque. The interest turned out to be great, and suddenly, there was a new section within VAIS. Thus, Växjö Sportkastning is now not just a name on an Instagram account and an email address but an actual association, even though it is still in its infancy.

The large meadow at the VAIS-cottage. The throwing is taking place in the lower part on the right.

First and foremost, it means that there is somewhere to be. That alone is a great success. At the moment, there are only my private throwing stands and targets available, but one of the first priorities will be to supplement them with a proper stand for targets.

Then, of course, regular training will also be started. But for now, there will be a couple more opportunities for tryouts and workshops this fall. However, I already have plans for something more regular, as interest has been expressed by some happy people. Plans are in place; now it just remains to see how they are best realised.

My September throwing in numbers

In addition to having managed to throw a certain number of throws, I have happily suddenly stepped up a notch in terms of results. Like all training, knife throwing comes in waves. You end up on a plateau and then become stagnant for a while, and in the best of all worlds, move on from there to the next. That's how it feels now.

In concrete numbers, this also means that my training results have improved. There is always a difference between training and competition results, but if you can't even perform in peace and quiet at home, you can hardly do it under pressure either. So practice results have at least some bearing.

Nowadays, my personal bests in Walk Back are:

• No Spin: 235 p
• Rotational: 265 p 

There are no extreme increases, but a refinement with one point on the no-spin front and two in terms of rotational throwing. But the first step is to get back to where you were at your best, and the next step is to improve. But more pleasing is that I am much more consistent; I have touched my old personal bests several times. The general accuracy also feels significantly better. 

Some throws from the VAIS cottage. Here, No Spin with knives from Throwingzone

In addition, I also have a new PB in distance throwing, rotation, which now reads: 15.75m. It is modest by international standards, but I came second in the Swedish Championships with a shorter throw. So it is still on the right track. In No Spin, I have also increased, but only to 11.10m.

The next challenge will be participating in the online competition AIM Games K23 Crystal Mines. I must just get hold of a decent log round for the target first. 

Växjö Sportkastning

/ J - with new throws towards the future