Joe Hovemeyer grew up in Hamilton dreaming about playing a professional sport.
Now, decades later, the Plainsboro resident is at the highest level of a sport he never expected. Hovemeyer is headed to the World Axe Throwing Championships for the second straight year.
Tulsa, Oklahoma will host this year’s world championships at the WeStreet Ice Center from April 18-21, and while Hovemeyer has made all the arrangements already, he’s also accepting any financial support for his world championships encore.
“For this year, I’m going to try to be as relaxed as possible and take everything in stride,” Hovemeyer said. “I’ve found that thinking too much about it gets to your head, and then you can kind of play mind games with yourself, and that’s not ideal for anything or for anyone in that position. So I’ll try to be as relaxed and open-minded as possible.”
Hovemeyer, 36, works as senior partner specialist with an IT services and consulting company. He grew up playing traditional sports like baseball and soccer. He continued with those sports recreationally while attending Steinert High School, where he was a pole vaulter on the Spartan boys track and field team.
“I was subpar or average,” Hovemeyer said of his high school track career.
But when he got into axe throwing, he found a sport in which he has been able to excel, something that has taken a significant spot in his life. He threw an axe for the first time at a friend’s birthday party, and now he’ll be competing against the best in the world.
“I grew up playing baseball, soccer, and I always thought growing up it would be cool to become a professional baseball player or whatever. As I got older, that never materialized,” said Hovemeyer. “I never thought six years later I’d be throwing axes and having fun and making money off it. That’s unheard of. I’m grateful for where I’m at and all the people who I have met and have taught me different things over the years. It’s definitely something I never thought would happen.”
Once Hovemeyer started to get more interested in axe throwing, though, he found himself getting serious fast. He invested in the tools needed, upgrading to better and more expensive axes, and put in the time to improve his throwing while training frequently out of his home venue, Jersey Axe House in Nutley.
“For me, it’s all about practice,” Hovemeyer said. “Practice is huge for me. If I can’t go up to Nutley to get practice in, I’ll go to the local Bury the Hatchet and ask the coaches there can I get a couple hours in there during the week.”
Hovemeyer typically practices one or two hours three times a week to stay sharp. “A lot of people can just show up and throw, but for me it’s all about practice,” he said. “Those repetitive motions, making sure that I’m getting my technique into top shape. Anything to help me go that extra mile.”
Hovemeyer was introduced to axe throwing with heavy estwing hatchets. Not long after, he bought a more manageable hatchet and started to practice.
“As time went on, I evolved my throw from a step to no step,” Hovemeyer said. “I ended up buying my first Ace of Spades hatchet from the World Axe Throwing League, which is the organization I throw with. I started throwing the Ace of Spades, and from there I’ve probably changed up my throw about 100 times, always trying to find the type of throw that will feel comfortable for me.”
It has taken time and experimentation to get to that point. There is a big range of styles, though many of the top throwers use a similar technique, and Hovemeyer has worked tirelessly to find his style, going from a baseball throwing technique early to his current style.
“Long story short, it’s been a developed throw,” he said. “It’s developing the mind and body, one step at a time.”
Hovemeyer looked online for pointers, and he has studied other throwers. When he joined a Facebook group for axe throwing, one of his first questions to the group was: Where to find the sharp-looking jerseys that some wore in pictures. The answer?
“You have to qualify to earn a bid to go to Worlds,” Hovemeyer remembered the answer he got back. “I was like, ‘Game on, I’ll try my best throughout the year to gain enough circuit points to get to that point.’”
Hovemeyer travels to tournaments on the circuit to build qualifying points. The Jersey Axe House in Nutley held a rules preparation tournament on Mar. 24 to help those going to Worlds, and Hovemeyer was in Pennsylvania for another competition just two days earlier. Competitions have taken him near and far, going around the country.
“Last summer in June, I drove all the way out to Iowa — 17 hours one way, 17 hours back,” Hovemeyer said. “It was a tier-one tournament, but I was also part of a team at that point. In order for us to go to our team worlds, we had to take part in two different tier one tournaments, and my second one was there. I couldn’t fly because the prices were outrageous. But I’ll probably never do that again, because that drive was too long.”
There are four disciplines in axe throwing. Hovemeyer is qualified to compete in hatchet and big axe, not in duals or knives this year. Worsening carpel tunnel syndrome makes the flicking motion used for knives difficult, and Hovemeyer and his partner didn’t qualify in time for duals.
Now, he’s putting his focus into the hatchet and big axe, for which he feels best suited. Hovemeyer is calling on his previous big tournament experience to help his second time through the worlds. His first time was surreal.
“I get out there and I’m around the champions from the past years, and it was a great experience to get out there and be around people that care about throwing,” Hovemeyer said. “The community is a great community of throwers, spectators, competitors. Everyone wants to see you do better, everyone wants to see you take your game to the next level.”
He had to win a regional competition to gain entry into the big axe category. “I went in there with an open mind. I knew I wasn’t going to go far, but I surprised myself in big axe going a lot further than I thought I was. And it just opened my eyes to how welcoming everyone is,” he said.
Hovemeyer continues to improve with his practice and dedication. He competed in the U.S. Pro-Am in Appleton, Wisconsin, in November. Appleton also hosted last year’s world championships.
Hovemeyer finished in the top 16 at the pro-am out of field of more than 200 throwers. “The top four guys got onto ESPN2 for the filming,” he said. “I was that close, but I didn’t quite hit the mark.”
Hovemeyer is looking to be on target at the world championships. Qualifying again is affirmation that his dedication and practice are paying off. Axe throwing has become a big part of his life. He is looking for sponsors to continue to support his competition trips, and he is so invested that he is exploring possibly opening his own axe throwing venue in Mercer County so he can share his passion for the sport even more.
“It all depends on interest from the community and interest from other people as well,” Hovemeyer said. “It’s tough. It’s a growing sport, but at the same time you have to get that interest from people in the community. I coach at Stumpy’s Hatchet House in Princeton every once in a while, so I’m able to coach people, let them know about my techniques. As long as they’re having fun and it’s putting a smile on their face, I think my job’s done.”
Anyone wishing to support Hovemeyer’s axe throwing career can send email to jhovemeyer11@gmail.com.
Joe Hovemeyer competing in the U.S. Pro-Am axe throwing event held in Appleton, Wisconsin.,
