Christine Clemetson
Perhaps the only Wisconsoner to ever say "I don't think it's cold enough or snows enough" without the slightest trace of irony, Christine may be the one to blame as we curse the extra snow on the drive up to Appleton this November. While she is currently living in Appleton, Christine's life has taken her all around the country, and her recent nuptials saw her 'cross the pond' to Nathan's home country of Wales.
Growing up, Christine moved around far more than most, attending 4 grade schools, 3 middle schools, and 3 different high schools across the country. After graduation, she spent several years in Albuquerque before moving back to Wisconsin after the passing of her mother. Among all the places she's lived, Appleton has been her favorite, due in no small part to the amazing community of friends with whom she has surrounded herself- many of whom are the same people we know and love within the axe community.
Christine's first experience throwing, like many, just came when randomly popping in to throw at Blades and Boards. After her second time throwing, Anna Kohl encouraged her to join the next league in the Fall of 2021, and Manny was soon able to convince her to pick up big axe as well (which has since become her favorite discipline. She credits the amazing crew and fellow leaguers there with her improvements so far, and she hopes to make pro league in one of the next two seasons thanks to some great coaching from Chris Donofrio.
Christine will be the first to tell you that she's easily influenced by those around her (which is why it is so great she has such amazing influence) partly because she is such a people pleaser and because, in moving around alot, there is a desire to fit in in new places. This has made her quite adaptable to a variety of new challenges as well; although, as an introvert at heart, she still hesitates to be the one to initiate conversation and break the ice (so go say hi the next time you see her at a tournament!). She is extremely grateful to Rachel Rowell for helping her come out of her shell a bit, introducing her to people in the community when traveling, and for being a constant pillar of support both in and out of the lanes.
Outside of axe throwing, Christine works as a veterinary technician and teacher, and she loves to read, hang out with her pets, and is an avid video gamer. It is actually through gaming (specifically Destiny) that she met her husband, Nathan, who is currently in Wales awaiting immigration approval. After meeting online and frequent online conversations and games played, the two of them lost touch for awhile, recently reconnecting about 2.5 years ago, after which he came to visit for about 3 months. During the last 2 years they've made the 3700 mile commute and visited each other a few times. On her first excursion over to Wales, she left with an engagement ring on her finger, and the wedding ring came soon after with her most recent trip over last December.
While she is waiting on Nathan to move here, she is keeping herself plenty busy with two cats, a new, six month old puppy, working as both a vet tech and an instructor for future vet techs,and finishing up her bachelors so that she can pursue her Master's degree. She also still games with her husband late at night who has been incredibly supportive for her through many mental health issues and anxieties. As supportive as she is of her and her hobbies, he still claims he's going to beat her in ax throwing once he gets back into throwing leagues with her, but, at the rate she's progressing, and with the goals she's set for herself this year, that'll be quite the feat.
