Melody Rohaly
A woman of many talents, trades, and homes, Melody Rohaly's latest ventures all tie back to throwing and the community of people with which she has surrounded herself in the sport. Her most recent move was to Jasper to work running one of the he Plaid and Timber locations. While she's done just about every job on the planet, this is definitely a new venture for her, and she is looking forward to figuring it out and bringing all that she can to the new role.
Melody feels like she's 'lived three or four different lives,' the first of which started in Culver City, California, where she lived until taking a job running a kitchen at Disney. Her first big move would come 3 years later when her husband at the time enlisted and was stationed in North Carolina- the first of 5 moves in 7 years. Her life shifted quite a bit in these moves, working several different jobs including bartending and working at a Walmart (the worst by far of the many occupations). The first move saw her get her Associate's in photography but was unable to take it further due to distance after the additional transfers (she would go on to get her BFA during her first stint in SC).
Throughout these moves, without a strong community around her at the time, she stayed grounded through sports. She still remains an avid baseball fan, but remembers watching it nearly 24/7 throughout some of these moves (and even had a job with the Padres during her time in San Diego). In addition to baseball, she is proud to belong to one of the worst fanbases in sports as she cheers on the Dallas Cowboys. She is also incredibly grateful to her cousin who helped her with many of these transition as well as her mother who, though she had since passed, she could always count on as a guiding point. Before any big decision, she always would ask what her mom would think and used that as a major influence in what to do or not do.
After her split with her husband in move number 6, she moved back to South Carolina, where she, on her previous stint there, had spent most of her time drinking and hanging out at the beach. Recently sober (and currently celebrating 7 years), her old crowd didn't really seem to fit with the life and persona she wanted for herself and looked for new hobbies. A friend suggested axe throwing as some stress relief because she "looked angry," and she became hooked, joining a few leagues and signing up for the Throwdown which was supposed to occur in Syracuse in 2020. Once she was finally able to make her first tournament later that year, she fully expected to spend some most of her time in her own room after elimination, but instead found herself staying the entire length of the tourney, spending time with all those she had met only virtually in the previous year.
While Covid may have closed many doors, it also opened up many opportunities for Mel's small community to grow into one of her biggest support systems. From participating in many seasons of QATL while hanging out in her kiddie pool (an activity she still enjoys), captaining the SC team during the Global Team Throwdown, and seeing the incredible talent around the world (witnessing Kendra throw near perfect in a match was a highlight for her), the year marked a new chapter for Melody. Since then, axe throwing, and the community it has cultivated, has become an integral part in her life, leading to more friendships than she's had in all other periods in her life.
Melody's greatest accomplishment is probably winning a pink flamingo trophy from a Camel city Big Axe Marathon, though she has contributed (somehow) to the success of others, as someone from her house at every tournament has won an event. When not traveling, she enjoys having her own space where she can "do whatever she wants" like lounging around in a kiddie pool and avoiding cooking for herself. She also enjoys live shows and getting to know all the new people in the community at each event.
