VERNON, Conn. (AP) – Make no mistake, these women kick ax. Their T-shirts even say so.
They fling their throwing axes 20 feet into bull’s-eyes and race to obliterate pieces of wood with cutting axes, long saws and chain saws – all while in lipstick, polished nails and tight-fitting jeans and shirts.
They’re the Axe Women Loggers of Maine, a group of friends with their own pinup calendar who travel across the country showing off their skills at county fairs, music festivals and motorcycle shows.
“I think it’s empowering that we’re women and we’re doing a very male-dominated sport,” said Alissa Harper, a 35-year-old native of Bar Harbor, Maine, who formed Axe Women in 2010. “I like to show that we’re feminine, that we’re girls, but we’re super athletic. That’s one of my selling points: all my girls are serious professional competitors.”
Members of the group have won events and set records at major competitions including the World’s Open Lumberjill Championship in Boonville, New York, where Harper won the ax throwing contest in 2006. Members of Axe Women hold six world titles in various events.