The latest craze in the sports world has come to central Alberta.

Competitive axe throwing has gained popularity in Alberta in the last couple of years, and now there is a winter league that is open to youths ages 12-17.

The Wood Shed in Sylvan Lake is hosting the league where kids will learn both the one hand and two hand method for throwing axes and can compete over the next six weeks to see who the champion axe thrower is in central Alberta.

Owner of The Wood Shed Keri Pratt says they got the idea to open their business back in September of 2016, after seeing how popular the sport was in other parts of Canada.

“My husband actually competed in lumberjack sports when he went to NAT many years ago, and we went out east and saw some of these facilities and thought, ‘Alberta is the perfect location for axe throwing’, so we decided to open a place in Sylvan Lake, and we are the only ones in central Alberta.”

Although axe throwing can seem intimidating to some people, Pratt says it’s one of the few sports that people of all ages and physical abilities can participate in.

“We’ve actually people that will come in with their kids and aren’t very athletic in other areas. Axe throwing is an awesome sport because anyone can do it, we have people in wheelchairs that come and throw axes…so we got little tiny 12-year-olds, and then we got 80-year-old men that are walking with canes that are still throwing axes.”