'It's A Great Community': Axe And Knife Throwing World Championships Underway In Tulsa

The Axe and Knife Throwing World Championship is in full swing in Tulsa. It's being held at the We Street Ice Center where hundreds of competitors have come in from all over the world.  

Throwing a sharp knife into a wooden board isn't as easy as these professionals make it look.

"That one took off," says Thaddius Shipley. 

Shipley is among the top 15 players in the world and takes the sport seriously.

"It's about being the best in the world, that's the focus, trying to beat the upper-tier guys," he said.

While they all want a win, there's also a lot of camaraderie.

"This is a family," says Shipley. 

Like many sports, that family feel surrounding this World Championship is what brings people back. 

"It's a great community I don't think you'd meet a nicer group of people anywhere," Marc Berk said.

That's why Shipley's teammate Marc Berk is right there with him showing support.

"So he's probably clearing his head trying to make sure he's not getting shaky or overwhelmed while he's throwing," Berk said.

He says it takes a lot of skill to compete at this level.

"It's actually more of a delicate sport it's more about your dexterity and throwing it more like a dart instead of bashing it against a wall," Berk said.

Whether it's luck or skill, competitors like Thaddius hope to take home a win this weekend. 

The competitors say one thing that makes the We Street Ice Center a challenging location for the event, is the clear plexiglass behind the target.

They say it makes depth perception challenging, so we'll see how that affects the competition which runs through Sunday