Blades and Boards
Blades and Boards in Wausau, WI remains as one of the longest standing WATL venues, dating back to paper scored leagues submitted weekly, plate sized bullseyes, and killshots which seem nearly unmissable with the current precision seen from today's throwers. Rachel Rowell and her husband Gabe have built and supported an incredible community of throwers, having representation at every in-person WATC. Rachel and Gabe hope to hone their own skills in the next year but have also expressed that their priorities as venue owners has been cultivating the community around them more so than trying to be the best throwers themselves.
Like many owners and throwers, the Rowells first foray into axe throwing came somewhat randomly in Kansas City back in 2016 an a trip to visit Gabe, who was working out of town for a year. Rachel's son, Zach, had thrown axes and knives at tree rounds in the back yard growing up and was interested in the activity (but did not know much about the sport), and Gabe booked them some time in an axe house in the city during their stay. While they all had a blast, Rachel said she probably had the most fun and continued to talk about the experience after returning home. One day, Zach mentioned that she could probably do that in Wausau, and the idea for Blades and Boards started to turn into a reality.
While Rachel is currently a full-time venue owner, when Blades first started, she was still working full time as an instructor for blind students in her school district, heading to the venue along with her son after they were done with school each day. Since then, she has worked as a full-time business owner, expanding to additional locations in Green Bay and Oshkosh, where she is preparing to host her 3rd Annual, major WATL tournament next month. While she has worked incredibly hard over the past several years building the communities, staff, and potential of all three locations, she will credit those around her with the success of many of these locations, allowing her to take a bit of a break and trust those she has in place going forward.
Rachel and her husband are looking forward to getting more into the competitive side of throwing in the next year, and they also enjoy the outdoors and finding new experiences; conveniently, their favorite FloBro has recently showed them the joys of disc golf which they have enjoyed several times since both on their own and with friends. Outside of competitive hobbies, Rachel also plays both the saxophone and piano and is proficient in braille- a skill she hopes to stay on top of so she does not lose it.
While she is a woman of many talents, Rachel is also a woman of several careers. She has worked as a flight attendant, braille instructor, business owner, and a mom to two wonderful, now grown, children. Most of all though, she will tell you that she is just another human just like everyone else. She swears. She has her good days and her bad days, and she doesn't need to like everyone or have everyone like her, which (along with having an even keeled, supportive husband) has allowed her to be very comfortable and confident in who she is.
Rachel is also a firm believer that the good outweighs the bad (especially in the community) and that, no matter the disagreements you may have with someone, acting in kindness will never be the wrong move. She mentioned that you never know what someone may have gone through or may be going through. While she grew up with wonderful parents whom she credits for much of her success, her life could look very different without the care and support she's received over the years. From giving up a child for adoption at 16, to winning a long fight with cancer 20 years ago, she has learned to focus on the blessings she has received in her life and pass along the same spirit of positivity and kindness.
It's no surprise that this attitude has helped foster quite the amazing (and competitive) group of throwers it has. Rachel remarked that it has been a true joy to watch the progression of the throwers in their league, see their children grow up, and the same, fun spirited passion they keep with them at all times. These same throwers, as well as the extended community and her own staff will all comment on how well represented Blades and Boards is- not just in talent, but in attitude.
To keep a community going and strong for so long is truly admirable. And, while Rachel did mention how proud she's been of WATL with the progression they've made in the past 5 years (whether she's agreed with everything or not), it certainly would not be possible without the continued love of the sport instilled by venues such as Blades and Boards. As many community members in these spotlights have pointed out- it's all a two-way street, and the community continually and consistently shows how great they can be.
