Code of Conduct

The mission of The World Axe Throwing League^® is to promote competition through sportsmanship and fair play. Our Axe Throwing rules assure that all leagues and events are played in a sportsmanship-like manner. Although competition may become intense, we expect our participants to maintain a high degree of sportsmanship up to and after the final throw.

As a participant or spectator at  any WATL^® sanctioned event, you must pledge to:

• Respect the game, play fairly and follow all rules and policies.
• Accept & respect the decisions of WATL^® officials.
• Demonstrate good sportsmanship before, during, and after games, win or lose.
• Be responsible for the sportsmanship of teammates and assist in maintaining a respectful environment for all participants.
• Be courteous to opposing Throwers, teams, officials, spectators, monitors, or facilitators, and treat all Throwers and WATL^® officials with respect.
• Help to maintain and keep all equipment and conditions at the facility in good condition.
• Obey all facility rules, while respecting all equipment, common areas, playing areas, parking areas, and surrounding neighborhoods.
• Not to engage in discriminatory behaviour based on, but not limited to race, religion, creed, language, gender identity, or sexual identity.
• Refrain from the use of abusive language or profanity. Including but not limited to: contemptuous, discriminatory or denigratory words, or actions concerning race, language, religion, gender, or sexual orientation
• Not engage in any behavior which would endanger the health, safety, or well-being of any Thrower, official, staff member, or spectator.
• Any verbal or non-verbal intimidation, threats of physical violence, trash talk, abusive language, profanity, threats, or general disrespect during any league or tournament towards any presiding Certified Judge, WATL^® Official, thrower or spectator will not be tolerated and will result in the immediate removal from the league or tournament.
• Not use alcoholic beverages at any location unless permitted by the facility/venue.
• Not allow, use or encourage illegal drugs at any location.
• Wear/use all required and issued equipment and/or uniforms.
• Under no circumstances are live targets allowed. No thrower is to throw an axe at a target while there is a person or live object in between or in front of the thrower.

Sportsmanship

Sports are filled with judgment calls and, as a result, disputes may occur. Participants must handle all disputes constructively. WATL^® has the sole discretion to investigate all evidence available to maintain the integrity of the rules & the sport in any sanctioned event. Protests for Thrower eligibility or rule misapplications or misinterpretations are time-sensitive and must be made before the next throw. Non-throwers do not have the right to argue or challenge any calls made by a league judge.

All decisions made by on-site WATL^® Officials must be respected and obeyed. Any feedback regarding rules, Throwers, officials, or staff members should be brought to the attention of WATL via email.

Any behavior deemed unacceptable by WATL^® officials, Presiding Judges or Affiliate owners may result in a verbal warning, ejection, suspension, and/or expulsion as outlined below. Repeated Code of Conduct violations by the same Thrower, or team could result in expulsion from WATL^® sanctioned events without refunds.

Disciplinary Procedure

All Code of Conduct violations during and outside of sanctioned events will result in disciplinary measures.

Upon an offense requiring disciplinary action, it is recommended that the presiding official issue disciplinary action in this order:

1. The offending thrower will first receive a verbal warning.
2. Should a similar offense occur a second time then their most recent game points will be brought to 0 and the game will count as a loss.
3. Upon a third offense by the same Thrower, the offending Thrower will be suspended from the season or tournament.

Pending a formal investigation, WATL^® reserves the right to suspend the thrower or spectator in question for a minimum of 6 months.

Presiding officials are not required to follow disciplinary measures in this order.

Section A: Gameplay Rules

Safety:

Covid-19 Update

Local guidelines regarding Covid-19 must be adhered to at any WATL^® sanctioned event.

WATL^® may mandate a mask policy at WATL^®-operated events.

WATL^® still recommends wearing a mask as a precautionary measure and will be monitoring CDC guidelines for future updates.

1. Axes
   1. Axes may be inspected by an official at any time.
   2. Axes that do not adhere to WATL^® specifications, including broken axes, may not be used.
2. Participants are instructed to grip the axe by the handle and only the handle.
   1. If an axe breaks or if a Thrower would like to switch axes, they must notify the presiding official and are allowed up to 1 minute to switch axes.
   2. Any throwers knowingly throwing restricted axes in WATL^® Sanctioned events will be subject to a Code of Conduct violation.
3. Injuries
   1. If an injury occurs, resulting in a pause in play, a thrower must be assessed by a judge or onsite medical professional.
      1. If the thrower is assessed and able to continue, then the paused game/match may continue.
      2. If injured during league, a thrower is deemed to be unable to finish the remaining games, a thrower may make up their games the following league night with no penalty.
      3. If an injury occurs in a tournament, and the thrower is deemed unable to compete due to injury, any pending throws will be marked as 0 points and future matches forfeit.
4. Throwing
   1. Axes shall never be thrown when a participant is picking up an axe from the target area or when a judge is in the lane. This will result in an immediate disqualification (counted as a loss) for that game.
5. All spectators must be to the side or at least 5ft behind throwers.

Section B:
Pre-Game Rules

1. Minimum Age:

1. WATL^® does not enforce any age requirement or limit. Each affiliated location is allowed to have an age requirement if they so choose. Please contact your local participating league location to inquire about their age rules.
   1. Throwers under the age of 18 may name a representative to act on their behalf. The representative is only able to challenge calls on behalf of the Thrower. Each representative is to be named before the start of the sanctioned event. The representative is expected to follow all rules of play as if they were the competitor.

2. Target Quality:

1. Targets should be of sound quality before gameplay starts.
2. Boards all must be individually secured and not able to slide or lift off from the target during sanctioned events.
3. Before the start of a game, target boards should be switched out (at the judges’ discretion with or without a throwers request) if the boards have deteriorated to a point where:
   1. excessive movement or ‘wiggling’ of the axes occurs when they land in the damaged area causing or risking good throws to fall out
   2. lines of scoring areas are missing significant gaps 
   3. the integrity of the target rings is misshapen to the point that the target rings are greater than ⅛ inch larger or smaller than the original target.
4. If boards have deteriorated during a game, a thrower may request an evaluation by the Judge.
   1. Should the boards be evaluated as excessively deteriorated at any time during a game a Judge may opt to change lanes, if a lane is not available – a change of target boards may occur.
   2. If a lane or board is changed, Throwers will not be granted a practice throw.
5. No one other than the presiding judge may alter the boards before, during, or after any game unless authorized by that individual. This includes, but is not limited to pulling out pieces of board(s), and chopping or softening the board with their axe.
   1. Watering a board is not considered an alteration.
      1. Boards can only be watered by a Thrower before the start of a game.
   2.  Violation of this rule by a thrower results in a 0 for their next throw. If this occurs during or after the last throw of a game, the action will be considered a violation of the Code of Conduct.
   3. Violation of this rule by anyone other than a thrower will be considered a violation of the Code of Conduct.

3. Warm-Up Throws:

1. The number of warm-up throws allowed applies to all WATL^® sanctioned leagues and tournaments.
   1. Players may have up to 3 practice throws before their first game
   2. Players may have 1 practice throw before any subsequent games
   3. Players may have 1 practice throw between games in the case of a best 2/3 game set
      1. Throwers are not allowed additional practice in empty lanes between games for any sanctioned tournaments unless otherwise approved by a tournament host or presiding WATL^® Judge, and made available to all throwers.
   4. During Leagues, practice or warm-up areas may be offered at the discretion of the venue so long as best efforts are made to make it available equally to all throwers.
      1. League may allow practice throws before official league start time subject to availability, fairness, and consent of judge(s) on-premises.
      2. A presiding official may, at their sole discretion, determine a different amount of warm-up throws during any sanctioned WATL^® event
2. The presiding official will notify players when their game will commence.

Section C:
Gameplay

1. Each game is played against different opponents, opponents must be selected at random via matchmaking in the app and consists of the following:
   1. Each game consists of 10 throws.
   2. In each game, players will take 5 throws and then switch sides.
      1. This ensures fair play when there are varying densities in wood.
   3. If there is a tie after 10 throws, there will be sudden death:
      1. See Section D, xvi
2. Each league week allows every participant 4 games.
3. Starting targets will be determined by the random selection initially made by the app.
4. WATL® players are allowed to throw axes in one of two ways:
   1. 1 hand holding the axe, in an overhand or underhand position, with the blade facing the target before release.
   2. 2 hands holding the axe with the blade facing the target before release.
   3. No other style of throw is permitted.
5. Rotation: the axe must only make 1 rotation for the throw to count.
   1. Rotation is defined by the number of times that the blade faces the thrower after release.
6. One foot must be on the floor while the axe is thrown.
7. A fault occurs when any of the following conditions are met before both players’ scores are verbally expressed by the judge:
   1. a throwers foot crosses the 12ft fault line
   2. any other part of the thrower’s body touches any part of the lane, equipment, or building, past the 12ft fault line and towards the target.
   3. A Judge may opt to dismiss a foot fault at their sole discretion if the foot fault was unintentionally caused by an outside force, item, or person(s), so long as it does not affect the outcome of either throwers’ throw.
      1. Examples of actions that may result in the dismissal of a foot fault call include (but are not limited to): slipping on the flooring resulting in a fault, a thrower being pushed (unintentionally or otherwise) over the fault line, an injury incurring a movement over the fault line. An earthquake or other unanticipated natural occurrence that results in a fault.
      2. Examples that do NOT qualify to be overridden include (but are not limited to): a thrower losing balance in their throw and falling over the line, the thrower’s momentum carrying them over, or any other fault that is not outside of the throwers control that causes them to foot fault.
8. The lane is considered open for the next active throw when all throwers and the lane Judge have returned behind the fault line, and no pause in play has been called by a presiding official.
9. Throws must be taken within 10 seconds of each other.
   1. at their discretion and with verbal notification, judges may initiate a 10-second timer on a player’s throw.
      1. Judges must utilize a stopwatch, timer, or other accurate timing device either physical or electronic. ie, a stopwatch, phone timer app, egg timer etc.
      2. The judge must notify the throwers that they will be using the timer.
      3. The count starts when the first thrower’s axe leaves their hand, and ends when the second thrower’s axe leaves their hand.
   2. a player may request a judge to initiate a timer on their opponent, once per game or once per match set of 3 games depending on the format of the gameplay.
   3. a 10-second countdown that is exceeded may, at the judge’s discretion, be rendered null and void if there are unavoidable distractions that cause the thrower to exceed 10 seconds. ie, a purposeful distraction, equipment malfunction, act of nature, etc.
   4. if, with appropriate timing in place, the thrower exceeds the 10 seconds allotted, that throw will be deemed, and recorded as, a fault and receive zero points.
10. In the case of a fault occurring, the throw will be marked as a fault in the app, resulting in a score of 0 for that throw.
11. If either player calls for a second opinion, either on their axe or their opponents, both players must return behind the fault line until the second judge calls the score.
    1. If the thrower of the axe for which a second opinion has been called affects the placement of that axe prior to it being scored, the lower score will be recorded for that throw.
12. Throwers are limited to 8 single thrower games each league season.
    1. If it is necessary to play more than 8 single player games per season due to extenuating circumstances, WATL^® must be contacted in writing via email for approval.
    2. If a Thrower records more than 8 single thrower games in a single season, without the prior approval of WATL^®, all single games after the 8th will be scored an automatic 0.
13. Manual Game Creation:
    1. Any individual found manually creating games that WATL^® deems excessive (i.e. playing against the same person more than could be accounted for by the random matchups in the WATL^® app) may be subject to disqualification of their scores in league, and nullification of any circuit points gained from that league.
14. All scores must be uploaded into the WATL^® App in real-time and uploaded to the leaderboard.
    1. If connectivity issues occur, all scores must be uploaded to the WATL^® App within 48 hours.
    2. If connectivity issues happen for more than 2 weeks in a given season, the venue must contact WATL^® for guidance.
15. After 7 weeks, the 8th and final week of each season will be the playoffs to determine the season’s Local Champion.
    1. See Section L, i
16. Each official league run by an axe throwing venue is self-contained and may not be combined with other leagues.
    1. Players may only compete at the venue and league they are registered for. There will be no scores recorded outside of that league or venue for their single registered league.
       1. For example, a player may not compete in week 2 of a league at venue A, then compete in week 3 for that same league in venue B.
17. No item or equipment used to impede or block external sounds may be utilized while throwing.
18. Pauses in play
    1. A presiding official may call a pause in play for any reason deemed necessary (rules review, confirmation, second opinion, etc…)
    2. Should a pause in play occur, all gameplay must cease immediately and will resume at the discretion of the presiding official, where the pause began.
       1. For Example: If one player has thrown but the opposite player has not and there is a pause in play called, the game will resume with the opposite player throwing as normal.
    3. Players may challenge a call or ruling which will create a pause in play
       1. During this call, gameplay will be paused at that moment in time
19. Throwing in a wheelchair
    1. For individuals who use wheelchairs, all standard league rules apply except the foot fault line.
       1. Individuals in wheelchairs must have one wheel behind the fault line when throwing in competition play.
       2. Any wheel on the wheelchair is acceptable as long as one of them is behind the fault line

Section D:
Scoring

Section E:
Attendance

Late Players and/or Early Departures

1. Venues will provide a minimum 15-minute grace period for players to arrive, after the official league start time.
   1. If a thrower arrives later than the time allowed as established by the venue, each game that they miss will be awarded to their opponent, and the opponent will still throw the game for a score. The missing thrower will receive a 0 for each throw in the game(s).
2. If a thrower leaves before all their league night games are completed, it is at the venue’s discretion to:
   1. allow the player to make up the game the next league night they are in attendance
   2. award their opponent the win, and the thrower that left receives a 0 for each throw. The opponent will still throw the games for a score.

Tournament/Playoff Exception

1. Players are required to arrive at the playoffs at the start of regulation play.
2. If a player is not present when their match begins, a 10-minute grace period will be offered.
   1. A match is defined as “begun” when the names are announced and the lane judge is ready to begin play.
   2. If the player does not show up within the allotted grace period, they will forfeit the match.

Absences

1. Venues should create their absence policy in advance of each WATL^® Season and communicate that policy to league members before the first league night.
2. Throwers are allowed to make up any amount of missed games during regular league nights, but all games must be made up by week 7. Games that are not completed at the end of week 7 will not be recorded as played.
3. Any games that are pre-thrown, or made up, MUST be completed during the regular league night. Games CAN NOT be pre-thrown, or made up, outside of the regular league day/time.
   1.  All games that are made up, or pre-thrown will be subject to the single thrower and manual game creation rules defined herein.

Section F:
Misconduct

1. Purposeful Distractions are defined as, but are not limited to: Excessive celebration, taunting, using abusive, threatening, or insulting language, trash-talking, stepping in the lane during a throw, excessive noises, offensive gestures to opponents or any purposeful distractions with the intent to distract a player during gameplay will not be permitted.
   1. First Offense:
      1. The first purposeful distraction from an opposing player will result in a zero score for that throw, for the player causing the distraction
      2. The first purposeful distraction from a spectating league member or tournament participant will result in a zero in the first throw of their next league game/tournament match.
      3. The first purposeful distraction from a spectator not participating in the sanctioned event will result in the immediate removal from the facility
      4. If the first purposeful distraction is a gross violation, intended to either save the player from a loss, intimidate the opposing player, or be an act of aggression against the opposing player or Judge, WATL^® or the presiding Judge may elect, at their sole discretion, that the player causing the purposeful distraction to be removed from the tournament, league and/or facility.
   2. Second Offense:
      1. The second purposeful distraction from an opposing player will result in a forfeit for that league game/tournament match. Zero scores will be entered for the full match.
      2. The second purposeful distraction from a spectating league member or tournament participant will result in a forfeit from their subsequent league game/tournament match. Zero scores will be entered for the full match.
   3. Third Offense:
      1. The third purposeful distraction from an opposing player will result in a forfeit of the season for league play or forfeit from the tournament. The player will not be allowed to throw for the remainder of the season or remainder of the tournament.
      2. The third purposeful distraction from a spectating league member will result in a forfeit of the season or tournament. The league member or tournament participant will not be allowed to spectate or participate for the remainder of the season or tournament.
2. Game Fixing & Sandbagging:
   1. If any player is found to fix a league game/tournament match to achieve a desired outcome then that player will be banned from all WATL^® tournaments & leagues. Players may appeal the ban, one year after the offense, pending review by the Commissioner.

Procedures and Specifications

Section G:
Lanes

1. Each throwing area is designated as a throwing lane.
2. A regulation lane for competition must contain 2 targets.
3. Fences or walls block this area from the rest of the facility to keep throwers and axes all contained in a safe environment.
4. Only the two participating throwers and the axe throwing judge are allowed inside the lane at one time. This includes ensuring the area behind the throwers is clear of any other person up to 5′.
5. 10 ft minimum/clear ceiling height (within the throwing lane) is recommended for safety reasons.
6. It is recommended for a lane to be a minimum of 12ft in width with the targets evenly distributed.
7. It is recommended for a lane to be a minimum of 15ft in length to accommodate for a 12ft fault line and safe space to throw.
   1. For venues wishing to host Big Axe throwing, it is recommended for a lane to be a minimum of 20ft in length to accommodate for a 15ft fault line and safe space to throw.
8. It is recommended that fault lines be 3 inches wide and that the fault be measured from the front of the target to the back of the line; if throwers step into/past the line, it is a fault.

Section H:
Targets

Building A WATL^® Target:

1. Each Target should be made of 3 layers of wood.
   1. The first layer should cover the wall in OSB or plywood.
   2. The second layer is called the Backboards and should be made of wood.
      1. There should be horizontal 2x10s, that are 4′ feet long, drilled into the wall and packed tightly together to cover the full space for the outer Targets. (This usually takes 6 – 8 boards) This will be the backboard which you will then drill your target boards against.
   3. The third and outermost layer is called the Target boards. These are also made of 4′ feet long 2×10 lumber. The targets consist of two components: 1) the targets 2) the headers and footers.
      • End Grain wood is permitted for WATL^® targets
   4. Approximate Measurements for the 2×10 boards:
      1. U.S: Thickness:1-1/2 in • Width 9-1/4 in • Length 4 ft.
      2. Metric: Thickness 38mm • Width 235 mm Length 1.22m
      3. A variance of these measurements is allowed. WATL^® does not enforce the exact thickness or width of boards, rather, the proper and accurate size of target specifications.
   5. They should be arranged just like the example picture below.

Headers and Footers:

1. Above and below the targets, you will install headers and footers. This will help protect the top and bottom areas of the target while allowing for the branding of your company.
   1. Header: drill one 4′ foot long 2×10 piece of wood horizontally on top of the target against the backboard.
   2. Footer: drill one 4′ foot long 2×10 piece of wood horizontally on the bottom of the target against the backboard.
      1. The footer also provides the benefit of allowing you to change boards quicker and easier.
      2. The top of the footer should be 36 inches off the ground.
2. The end product is a backboard that is 4′ feet x 6′ and another layer of wood that fully covers the back at 4′ feet x 6′ as well.

WATL^® Target Design

1. Each WATL^®-affiliated location shall purchase an official target protractor/stencil.
2. The small hole on the left of the stencil will have a screw that will be drilled through it into the center of the middle board. (Approximately 24 inches in the center of the board. That will make 60 inches from the floor).
   1. A black, 20mm marker will then be used to draw the remaining circles.
   2. Holes are 22mm thick to allow for a marker to fit that has 1/2″ thick felt.
   3. Lines are to be 20mm thick.
3. The bullseye is 1.5” in diameter, outlined with a black waterproof pen, and colored in red.
   1. The bullseye must be 24” inches (60.96 cm) from the bottom of the board. This should make the center of the bullseye 60″ from the floor.
4. The Killshot (2 blue circles) is 1.5” inches in diameter and positioned inside the 1-point ring.
   1. The bottom of the Killshot is positioned approximately 35.25 inches from the bottom of the board to the bottom of the Killshot and 2.5 inches from the outer side of the board ensuring they are centered inside the 1-point outer ring. This should make the bottom of the Killshot 71.25″ from the floor.
   2. The Killshot should be 1.5” in diameter, outlined with a red, waterproof ballpoint pen that denotes the Killshot, thereby eliminating overspray or bleeding caused by markers. The red outline of the ballpoint pen will count as a scoring area, but any blue that bleeds outside of the red outline will not.
5. All targets must be level (no slanting of the targets is allowed).
6. Lines must be complete, with no gaps that interfere with the ability to judge the scoring of an axe. Targets will have no marking other than the lines, bullseye, and Killshots
   • Venues that wish to label each scoring ring with the value may do so, so long as the number does not interfere with any part of the officially marked target.
     • i.e. the number can be written on the raw wood space between rings but cannot be written on the rings themselves
7. “#WATL” or “World Axe throwing League^®” is required to be listed prominently on either the header or footer boards
8. WATL^® requires proper lighting insofar as boards can be seen clearly from behind the throwers.
9. Projected Targets are not WATL^® compliant. Only boards with physical markings are permitted.

Section I:
Hatchet Regulations

1. The blade (or bit) of the axe can not be longer than 4 inches.
   • This is to be measured from tip to tip in a straight line.
2. Axes may only have one sharp bit. No sharpened bits, spikes, or blades are allowed opposite the intended scoring area of the axe.
3. Handle Max Length can be no more than 19in/48.26cm as measured from the lowest point of the handle to the highest point of the eye on the top of the axe head.
   1. Handles may be made from any material
4. Maximum Weight of an Hatchet
   1. Axe Total = 3 lbs/1.36 kg
5. Broken axe
   1. If the judge determines that a thrower’s axe has broken during a game. The thrower must provide a replacement axe to be verified and approved by the judge. If they do not provide a second non-broken axe within 1 minute they will have the rest of their league game/tournament match throws counted as 0.
      1. The thrower is allowed 1 practice throw with the new axe before continuing the game.
6. Axe Heads must be one solid piece of metal held tightly to the handle.
   1. Axe Heads that have become loose are dangerous and will not be considered for league play.
   2. Axe Heads that have become loose or have an axe head that is easily removed (ie. heads that are clamped or held into the handle by a screw or pin) are not legal for sanctioned events unless otherwise approved by WATL^®.
7. Illegal Axes for Competition
   • Any axe that infringes on design patents and trademarks held by WATL® (or other organizations) are direct copies or replicas of other individuals’ or businesses’ intellectual property, unless special dispensation has been granted. Warriors Axes are not permitted for WATL® competition use.
   • Use of illegal axes may result in the loss of points, position and prize money, and at WATL’s® discretion, further action may be taken.

Section J:
Judges

1. A Certified Judge must always be present while members are throwing during league play.
   1. A 5′ radius should be maintained around every participant holding an axe, however, the judge may approach the participants and enter this 5′ radius to provide instruction.
2. After a call is made by the lane judge, the lane judge or throwers may request a second opinion from the residing Head Judge or, if a Head Judge is unavailable, another Certified Judge.
   1. The second opinion is the final call and can not be disputed further.
   2.  If the axe in question is touched by any thrower before the decision is made, the thrower who touched the axe will receive a 0 for that throw.
   3. Throwers will not attempt to influence the call of the second judge, and may not request a specific judge to make the call.
   4. While a second opinion is being discussed, throwers must return behind the fault line.
   5. The Judge making the second call may use all tools at their disposal in order to render a decision, EXCEPT to move or alter the axe where it lies on the board.
3. Judges will not be, or become, under the influence of any alcohol or substance during any time they may reasonably be expected to judge sanctioned events. If it is suspected that a judge is under the influence, then they must be removed from judging immediately and may be subject to removal of their certification.
4. Certified Judges:
   1. At least 1 Certified Judge per 16 throwers is required to be present for WATL^® Leagues or Tier 3 Tournaments
   2. At least 3 Certified Judges are required to be present for Tier 1/2 Tournaments
   3. Certified Judges must be actively working sanctioned events to count towards the Judge requirement minimums. Participating throwers who are Certified Judges, but are not actively working the event, are not counted towards this minimum requirement.
5. Certified Judges are allowed to participate as throwers but may never score their own sanctioned games/qualifiers.
6. ​​Judges may not preside over sanctioned games/qualifiers where there is a conflict of interest unless the circumstances are unavoidable. Conflicts of interest would include – family members, duals partners, significant others, etc.
   1. Judges are responsible for disclosing any conflicts of interest to players before a sanctioned game/qualifier
      1. We encourage the Head Judge to note and avoid potential conflicts
      2. Players can request another Judge if a conflict of interest is present.
7. Judges will not take advice, second opinions, or consultation from any throwers or spectators.
   1. Any throwers found to be persuading or advising an official judge will receive a Code of Conduct violation.
8. The Head Judge has the sole discretion to pull a lane judge from scoring at any time.
   1. Throwers are expected to report any unsportsmanlike conduct on the behalf of lane judges immediately to the Head Judge.
9. If another judge or thrower believes that a judge is not following current rules and regulations or is making incorrect calls, they must report it directly to a Head Judge or persons in charge of running the tournament immediately.
   1. Any gross misconduct from Certified Judges may be reported to [email protected]

Section K:
Regular Season

2023 Season Dates

1. The entire season lasts 8 weeks including playoffs.
   1. Each league week starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday.
   2. It is up to venue discretion to choose which day leagues are hosted.
2. The first 7 weeks are gameplay where players contribute towards their seasonal score.
3. Week 8 is reserved for the league playoffs.
   1. See Section L
4. Sanctioned League
   1. A Sanctioned League is the axe throwing league hosted at a participating WATL^®-affiliated venue that follows the rules and regulations of the World Axe Throwing League^®.
   2. WATL^® Sanctioned Leagues must have a minimum number of throwers:
      1. Standard Hatchet: 6 Throwers
      2. Big Axe: 4 Throwers
      3. Duals: Two Teams (4 Throwers)
   3. Throwers are required to complete at least twelve games to be counted toward league minimums.
   4. If Sanctioned League requirements are not met, the league will be considered a recreational league and will not be eligible for Circuit Points.
   5. WATL^® must be notified at least 2 weeks in advance, before the end of the season, of delays to the end of a season due to acts beyond the reasonable control of the venue.

Multiple Sanctioned Leagues

1. A WATL^®-affiliated venue may host more than one sanctioned league per season.
   1. Each additional league a venue hosts must meet the minimum requirements for throwers, not counting throwers that are participating in another league at the same location (not including Marathon League Throwers).
      1. Throwers already participating in another sanctioned league at the same venue do not count towards the minimums.
         1. Marathon leagues are excepted from this rule, and throwers participating in marathon leagues may also count towards a regular league minimum
   2. Each additional league must include:
      1. Standard Hatchet: 6 Throwers
      2. Big Axe: 4 Throwers
      3. Duals: Two Teams (4 Throwers)
2. Throwers may participate in as many sanctioned leagues as they wish, but only one league per season will be considered for circuit points.
3. Throwers participating in multiple sanctioned leagues must use the same profile and Player ID to compete in all leagues.
   1. WATL^® is not responsible for Circuit Point issues from using multiple Player IDs
4. Circuit Points will automatically be assigned to the single league that gives the player the most Circuit Points.

Marathon Leagues

1. Marathon Leagues may be held anytime during a WATL^® League Season
2. Venues may host a maximum of two Marathon Leagues per discipline in any given season.
3. A Marathon League is officially sanctioned as long as it meets the following requirement:
   1. A Marathon League is a league that is held, in its entirety, within 24 hours.
   2. Meets the minimum thrower requirements as outlined in Section K, iv, b.
4. Players may compete in multiple sanctioned marathon leagues in the same season.
5. All rules about regular season play, playoffs, circuit points, and qualifying apply.

Section L:
Playoffs

1. During the League Playoff (Week 8) tournament all league members will have the opportunity to participate in a double-elimination bracket (unless otherwise in violation of a venue’s attendance policy.)
2. A double-elimination tournament means throwers have to lose 2 matches before they are eliminated. 
3. Seeding is done using the total game wins from weeks 1 through 7.
   1. In the case of a tie for game wins the seeding will be based on the total points gained during weeks 1-7 between the two tied players.
4. It is a venue’s choice as to whether they run with a single game per match format or best 2/3 games per match.
   1. Regardless of the tournament format, the final Championship round(s) consist of the best of 2/3 games.
   2. The final Championship round is between the winner of the A bracket and the winner of the B bracket.
      1. The A bracket winner must only win 1 match (2/3 games) to win the Championship.
      2. The B bracket winner must beat the A bracket winner in two matches (best 2/3 games) for the B winner to win the Championship.

The World Championship

The World Axe Throwing Championship® is held once per year in the Spring of the following year. For example, 2023 WATC is hosted in Spring of 2024.

Section M:
Qualifying for the World Axe Throwing Championship^®

Circuit Point Distribution

1. Circuit Points: Points awarded for placements in WATL^® Sanctioned Events including tournaments and leagues. Points vary based on placing and event.
   1. Circuit points will be allotted to individual WATL^® App accounts, it is the responsibility of the thrower to ensure they are using only a single account across tournaments and venues
   2. Each season there is no limit to the number of leagues that a thrower can compete in.
2. Circuit Points will automatically be assigned to the single league per season that gives a Thrower the most Circuit Points.
   1. Seasonal Circuit Points are cumulative throughout the entire year. Each season Throwers earn points according to their total score in the qualifying league.
   2. At the end of the Fall 2023 season, circuit points will be adjusted so that throwers receive circuit points for their TOP 3 seasons through the year in each discipline. Example: A Thrower participates in hatchet for Winter and scores 1427. Spring they score 1532. Summer they score 1397. Fall they score 1402. They will receive circuit points for their Winter, Spring and Fall seasons, Summer will be dropped.
3. Tournament Circuit Points will automatically be assigned based on a thrower’s highest points amount earned in each tournament tier. There is no limit to the number of tournaments a thrower can attend in each tier throughout the year.
   1. Example: Player A attends two Tier 2 Tournaments in the year. They place 3rd (63 CP) in the first Tier 2 Tournament. In their next Tier 2 tournament, they place second (76 CP).
   2. Player A will receive the 76 CP for their highest finish (2nd Place) in the Tier 2 Tournament.
   3. The same thrower attends three Tier 3 tournaments and finishes 5th in a Tier 3c (0pts), 5th in a Tier 3a (26 CP), and 2nd in a Tier 3(b) (41 CP). In addition to their Tier 2 circuit points, that thrower will receive 41 CP for their best points finish in this tier (2nd in a Tier 3b).
4. For clarification, players are encouraged to participate in every tier. The highest placement will be taken from each tier to award circuit points. 
5. Tie Breakers:
   1. If there is a Leaderboard tie, the winner will be decided:
      1. By a thrower’s highest-scoring WATL sanctioned league
      2. If there is a tie, by a thrower’s Killshots hit in their highest-scoring WATL^® sanctioned league.
      3. If there is still a tie, by a thrower’s number of bulls hit in their highest-scoring WATL^® sanctioned league. 
      4. If there is still a tie, by a thrower’s number of games played in their most current season
      5. If there is still a tie, by a thrower’s number of wins in their most current season
   2. For WATL^® sanctioned tournaments, placement tie-breakers will be determined by the average bullseye hit percentage in the tournament.
      1. For example, in a tournament, if players A & B are tied in 5th and 6th place, the Player with the highest average bullseye percentage hit will be in 5th place and the subsequent player will be in 6th place.
      2. Duals bracket tiebreakers will be based on the total Duals team average bullseye hit percentage. Not the individual players in a team.

1. Circuit Points are reset to 0 at the end of the WATL^® year.

A full breakdown of Circuit Point Availability can be found here:

1. Tie Breakers: If there is a Circuit Point tie, the winner will be decided:
   1. By a thrower’s highest finishing place on the WATL^® Leaderboard in all calendar seasons
   2. If there is still a tie, by a thrower’s season score from their current season
   3. If there is still a tie, by a throwers number of hit Killshots in their most recent season
   4. If there is still a tie, by a thrower’s number of bulls hit in their most recent season
2. Qualifiers: 
   1. Eligibility requirements to compete in Qualifiers:
      • Hatchet – the thrower must have thrown in at least 1 Official Sanctioned WATL Hatchet league in the 2023 season
      • Big Axe – the thrower must have thrown in at least 1 Official Sanctioned WATL Big Axe league in the 2023 season
      • Duals – the team must meet ONE of the following requirements:
        • have thrown in at least 1 Official Sanctioned WATL Duals league as a team in the 2023 season OR
        • have thrown together as a team at 1 Sanctioned WATL Tournament (earning at least 1 CP from that), AND both throwers must have individually thrown in at least 1 Official Sanctioned WATL Hatchet league in the 2023 season
      • If any throwers or teams that choose to throw in Qualifiers do not meet the criteria for the discipline, they will be disqualified.
   • Qualifiers take place in person at a WATL^® venue to qualify players for WATC
   • 2023 WATC Qualifiers will run after all other bids have been accepted, for a period of no less than 1 month. This date will be updated by mid-year 2023.
   • Hatchet Qualifiers will consist of 50 throws
     1. Mandatory Killshot on every 5th and 10th throw
        1. Standard league play of open Killshots does not apply, Killshots do not have to be alternated
     2. 10 overtime Killshot throws (used as tie-breakers)
        1. Killshots do not have to be alternated
   • Duals Qualifiers will consist of 3 full games per team (i.e. 5 throws per thrower per game)
     1. Mandatory Killshots on every 5th throw for both throwers
     2. 5 overtime Killshot throws for each thrower to be used used as tie-breakers (10 total throws per team)
   • Big Axe Qualifiers will consist of 25 throws
     1. Mandatory Killshots on every 5th throw
     2. Additional 5 overtime Killshot throws (used as tie-breakers)
   • Venues set a time to hold their Qualifiers before the stated deadline
   • Local venues must have at least one WATL^® Certified Judge on-premise to judge throws and collect scores
     1. Any thrower found to be scoring themselves will be disqualified.
   • For throwers that do not have a WATL^® venue readily accessible, or are not within a 2 hour travel distance between your primary residence and your closest participating WATL^® venue, please contact WATL^® via email for information on Qualifiers.
   • Video submissions to the WATL inbox will no longer be accepted; throwers will upload videos to a form provided by WATL when Qualifiers begin.
3. Additional Reserved Bids
   1. WATL will reserve a number of hatchet bids that will remain available to be earned through methods yet to be determined. These may include a form of Regionals, a qualifying tournament prior to Worlds, or other method yet to be determined. the method in which these bids will be earned will be published by mid-year 2023.

Tiered Tournament System

Sanctioned WATL^® Tournaments are placed in a tiered tournament system.

No part of the official competition of a sanctioned WATL tournament will be thrown outdoors, including finals matches. WATL defines an indoor space as consisting of 4 enclosed walls which protect from the elements that could affect the outcome of the event/match/game.

All sanctioned tournaments of any discipline will consist of a best 2/3 games, double elimination.

If tournaments do not meet the outlined criteria for the Tier they are representing two weeks before the published start date, that tournament will be recategorized into a lower Tier or unsanctioned by WATL.

World Axe Throwing Championship

• Televised on ESPN
• Hosted in April of the following year
  •  example: 2023 WATC will be hosted in Spring of 2024
• Organized and operated by WATL
• At least 1 Certified Judge per every lane being scored on
• Not considered a Tiered Tournament and will not award Circuit Points

USA Pro-Am Championship

• Televised on ESPN
• Hosted in late fall (estimated November)
• Organized and operated by WATL
• At least 1 Certified Judge per lane
• No Circuit Points will be awarded for this event
• Participants chosen by a combination of invite and open registration

Tier 1

• Minimum of 72 unique competitors across all disciplines
• All 3 disciplines must be represented
  • Hatchet – 48 competitors
  • Big Axe – 24 competitors
  • Duals – 16 teams (32 competitors)
• At least 3 Certified Judges must be present in each participating facility
  • Certified Judges must be actively working sanctioned events to count towards the Judge requirement minimums. Participating throwers who are Certified Judges, but are not actively working the event, are not counted towards this minimum requirement.
• Prize pool payout – minimum 40% of entry fees + an additional $3,000
• see the Prize Pool section below for more information about distribution

Tier 2

• Minimum of 48 unique competitors across all disciplines
• All 3 disciplines must be represented
  • Hatchet – 24 competitors
  • Big Axe – 12 competitors
  • Duals – 8 teams (16 competitors)
• At least 3 Certified Judges must be present in each participating facility
  • Certified Judges must be actively working sanctioned events to count towards the Judge requirement minimums. Participating throwers who are Certified Judges, but are not actively working the event, are not counted towards this minimum requirement.
• Prize pool payout – minimum 40% of entry fees + $1,500
• see the Prize Pool section below for more information about distribution

Tier 3

• Minimum of 16 unique competitors across all disciplines (not required to host all 3 disciplines)
• Circuit Point pool increases with levels of participation
  • 3a – 64+ throwers
  • 3b – 32+ throwers
  • 3c – 16+ throwers
  • the designation of a/b/c is calculated AFTER the completion of the tournament, based on the number of participants
  • See Circuit Point Distribution below for Tier 3 a/b/c points
• WATL must be given a minimum of two weeks notice for the event to be sanctioned
• At least 1 Certified Judge per 16 throwers must be present in each participating facility
  • Certified Judges must be actively working sanctioned events to count towards the Judge requirement minimums. Participating throwers who are Certified Judges, but are not actively working the event, are not counted towards this minimum requirement.
• Venues cannot host more than four sanctioned Tier 3 Tournaments per year (regardless of the a/b/c designation)
• Prize pool payout – minimum 40% of entry fees
• see the Prize Pool section below for more information about distribution

Prize Pool Requirements

All sanctioned tournaments will adhere to the same prize pool requirements to ensure all tournament payouts are consistent throughout the circuit.

• All sanctioned tournaments will payout a minimum of 40% of entry fees
  • Tier 1 must add an additional $3,000 over and above the entry fee prize pool
  • Tier 2 must add an additional $1,500 over and above the entry fee prize pool
• The prize pool is calculated by publicly posted entry fee multiplied by number of participants
• 40% minimum entry fee applies to all disciplines equally
  • i.e. Duals prize pool will equal at least 40% of Duals entry fees, Hatchet prize pool will equal at least 40% of Hatchet entry fees, etc
• All Tier 1 and Tier 2 tournaments will submit prize pool payouts to WATL after the tournament is completed to ensure consistency is being maintained
• All sanctioned tournaments will follow a set payout breakdown for each discipline depending on the number of throwers participating (see the table below for the outline of payout requirements)
• All payouts will follow the payout structure linked below at a minimum.

World Axe Throwing Championship

The World Axe Throwing Championship^® will consist of:

256 Standard Hatchet Bid Winners

128 Big Axe Bid Winners

128 Duals Team Bid Winners

Bids to the World Axe Throwing Championship^® can be gained through the following:

1. Winning WATC
   1. Winners of each discipline gain an automatic bid into the next years WATC and are ranked as the first seed.
2. Pro League
   1. Standard Hatchet only
   2. 24 WATC bids are reserved, each season, for the top finishing Pro League players each season.
   3. For more information on Pro League, please see Section T.
3. Non-Region Locked Bids
   1. The top Circuit Point earning players that did not receive a Pro Bid
4. Region Locked Bids
   1. For all disciplines, the top Circuit Point earners in each region, that did not receive a bid through any method listed above.
      1. For more information about your Region, please the Region breakdown below.
      2. For the full breakdown of Bids in your region, please see the WATC Bid Distribution breakdown.
5. Qualifiers
   1. Qualifiers will be held for each discipline before WATC.
   2. The highest scoring participants will gain access to WATC via Qualifying Throws.
6. Reserved Bids
   1. 12 bids for Hatchet only will be reserved for distribution in a method that will be communicated by mid-year 2023.

Bid Trickle Down Order:

Bids are assigned in the following order, with declines in each category handled as noted.

• WATC Champion Bids – in the case that a champions bid is abandoned, it will be reassigned as a Qualifier bid.
• Pro Bids – Any unfilled Pro Bids (decline or otherwise) are reassigned as Qualifier Bids
• Non-Regional Circuit Point Bids – any declines trickle down to the next qualifying thrower in the non-regional circuit point bid category
• Regional Circuit Point Bids – any declines trickle down to the next qualifying thrower in that specific region
• Qualifiers – any declines for Qualifiers trickle to the next qualifying thrower

Seeding Order for WATC

Hatchet

Big Axe

Duals

Click here for more information on the seeding order.

Televised Match Rules

These rules do not affect any sanctioned event, other than Televised WATL^® Finals.

These rules may be subject to change before a Televised event.

Injuries

If an injury occurs and a competitor is unable to continue, the match is terminated and the injured player forfeits their remaining games and matches.

Gameplay

Once both axes have come to rest, players may cross the fault line to move to a pre-communicated spot before retrieving their axes.

Overtime

If both players miss their Killshot attempt, a measuring tape or accurate measuring device will be used to measure the distance from the closest valid scoring area of the axe head to the closest edge of the Killshot.

1. If measurements are inconclusive, resulting in a tie, players must throw again for the alternate Killshot
2. If a player (or players) touches their axe before a call is made the first player to touch their axe forfeits the match.
3. If the Judge is unable to determine who touched their axe first, the Judge will determine a winner based on their sole discretion

In the case that both throwers hit their overtime Killshot attempts 5 consecutive times, the throwers will be required to switch to a micro-dot as their target on the board. The size and placement of this dot will be determined and communicated with a minimum 3 months notice prior to the first WATL TV tournament of the 2023 season. Each opponent will throw at their own micro-dot. If one thrower hits, and the other misses, the thrower that hits will be declared the winner. If both throwers miss the micro-dot, a measurement will take place, and the closest to the dot will be declared the winner. If both throwers hit the micro-dot, they will repeat until one thrower misses, or both miss and a measurement determines a winner.

WATL^® Regions

Canada West: British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory

Canada East: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut

Pacific: California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, Alaska, Hawaii

Mountain: Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Idaho

South: Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico

Midwest: Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota

Atlantic: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee

East: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, Delaware, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island

Global East: Australia, New Zealand, Asia

Global West: South America, Africa, Europe

Section N:

WATL^® DUALS LEAGUE

Duals is a partnered competition where two competitors each throw their standard axe (hatchet) simultaneously at the same target from a distance of at least 12 feet from the shared target.

Standard WATL^® Gameplay, Regular Season, Playoff, and Qualifying rules apply with the exception of the below additions/changes:

1. Each team will play 4 games on a sanctioned league night.
   1. Each game consists of 5 throws per player, per game.
2. Duals Killshots:
   1. Killshots are active for any throw in a game.
   2. Each team receives 2 Killshots per game.
      1. Killshots are assigned to a team. Either of the two teammates may take both the Killshots, or they may take one each. Killshots are not limited to 1 per individual.
      2. 1st and 2nd Killshots for the team must be alternated if hit. If a thrower hits a Killshot during the game, that Killshot cannot be attempted again until the opposite Killshot is hit. The opposite being defined as the left Killshot (if the right Killshot was hit) or the right Killshot (if the left Killshot was hit). This alternating approach persists through any lane changes by players in the current game.
      3. A single thrower may still throw both Killshots, but they must alternate either throwing cross lane, or switching sides with their partner. Once a thrower hits a Killshot during the game, that Killshot is “closed” and does not reset until:
         1. the game enters into sudden death (overtime)
         2. or the game is completed
      4. Once a Killshot is hit, it is considered closed. If both teammates throw for the same Killshot and both hit it, one axe will be scored as an 8 and the other axe will be scored as a 0.
      5. A third Killshot attempt will not be awarded for any drops during Duals throwing.
3. All sanctioned Duals tournaments will consist of a best 2/3 games.
   1. Venues can choose if Week 8 matches consist of a single game or a best 2/3 game format for their Week 8 tournament
4. If there is a fault by either thrower, the team is penalized with a fault and both throwers will receive a zero for that throw.
   1. A fault occurs when any part of the thrower’s body touches any part of the lane, equipment, or building past the fault line, towards the target, before both players’ scores are verbally expressed by the judge.
   2. A fault occurs if one teammate throws their axe and it hits the target before the other teammate has let go of their axe.
5. As a safety precaution players must stand at approximately the same distance for the duration of the throw.
   1. One player cannot stand at the 12ft line and another at the 15ft line as it introduces a potential risk during the throw
   2. Players must stand side-by-side with each other, at the same general distance, or if stepping towards the target to throw, their motion must generally be in unison.
6. Once an axe is scored, the presiding Judge may ask the thrower to remove the first scored axe to determine the score of the second axe. If removing the first axe causes the second axe to drop, the lower score threshold will be given.
7. For an axe that is embedded into another axe (a Robin Hood), both axes will receive the points of the first axe embedded in the target.
8. Sudden Death:
   1. If there is a tie after 5 throws in a game, the game enters into sudden death.
   2. ONLY Killshots are allowed during all sudden death throws.
   3. If all players hit the Killshot, an additional sudden death throw is required.
      1. Teams will remain in their respective targets for sudden death throws (no switching of targets or Killshots required).
   4. If all players miss the Killshot during Sudden Death, a measuring tape or accurate measuring device will be used to measure the distance from the closest valid scoring area of each axe head to the closest edge of the Killshot.
      1. The single axe with the shortest distance on either team will be awarded the game in favor of the team who threw it.
   5. If one player from each team hits the Killshot and the other players on each team miss, a measuring tape or accurate measuring device will be used to measure the distance from the closest valid scoring area of each axe head, that missed the Killshot, to the closest edge of the Killshot
      1. The single axe with the shortest distance on either team will be awarded the game in favor of the team who threw it.

Section O: Sanctioned Duals Leagues

1. A WATL^® Sanctioned Duals League must have a minimum of 2 different teams (4 unique throwers) to be official.
   1. Each additional league a venue hosts must meet the minimum requirements for throwers.
      1. Throwers already participating in another sanctioned league at the same venue do not count towards the minimums.
         1. Marathon leagues are excepted from this rule, and throwers participating in marathon leagues may also count towards a regular league minimum.
2. Duals Leagues follow WATL^® Seasons as outlined in Section K.

Multiple Sanctioned Duals Leagues

1. Venues may host more than one Sanctioned Duals League per season.
   1. Each additional league a venue hosts must include 2 Teams not counting throwers that are participating in another Duals league at the same location (not including Marathon League Throwers).

Duals Marathon Leagues

1. Duals Marathon Leagues may be held anytime during a WATL^® League Season
2. A Marathon League is officially sanctioned as long as it meets the following requirement:
   1. A Marathon League is a league that is held, in its entirety, within 24 hours.
   2. They must be labeled using the following naming convention: “[Venue Name] [League Night] Marathon League” when creating the League in the WATL^® app.
   3. Meets the minimum thrower requirements as outlined in Section K, iv, b
3. Players may compete in multiple sanctioned marathon leagues in the same season.

Section P: Qualifying for the Duals
World Championship

Restrictions on Qualifying

1. Players can compete for circuit points with multiple duals teams.
   1. If a player earns a bid to the WATC with multiple teams, the player must notify WATL^® via [email protected] seven days from the bid announcement to declare their official team that will be receiving the bid.
      1. All other teams of of of which the qualified Thrower is a member will not be eligible for a bid.
      2. Failure to communicate with WATL^® regarding official teams will result in a disqualification for all teams in which the player is a member.
2. Duals teams may participate in as many sanctioned Duals leagues as they wish, but only one league per season will be considered for circuit points.
   1. Teams participating in multiple sanctioned events must use the same profile and Team ID to compete in all events.
   2. WATL^® is not responsible for Circuit Point issues from using multiple Team IDs
3. 2022 WATC Update: Instead of Circuit Points being earned by teams cumulatively through 4 leagues (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall), Circuit Points will be assigned to all duals teams based on their TOP 3 SEASONAL Leagues through 2022.
   1. If as a duals team you participated in all four  seasons through the year, you will receive Circuit Points for your top 3 seasons. If a team only participated in three  seasons, they will receive those Circuit Points.
4. If a Duals partner cannot attend WATC, the Team will automatically decline their bid.

Section Q: WATL^® Big Axe League

The WATL^® Big Axe League is a competition where competitors throw a big axe at a target, starting with at least one foot behind the 17ft line, but not ever crossing the 15ft mark. Standard WATL^® Gameplay, Regular Season, Playoff, & Qualifying rules apply with exception to the below additions/changes:

1. Players must start, with one or both feet, behind the 17ft mark
   1. Players may step over the 17ft mark but may not cross the 15ft mark, otherwise, their throw will be counted as a foot fault and will be scored as a zero
   2. Players’ feet may not cross the 15ft line until both axes have been verbally scored by the judge. Crossing the 15ft line before the judge scores both axes will result in a foot fault and the player’s throw will be scored a zero.
   3. If a player calls for a second opinion, both players must return behind the 15ft line until the second judge calls the score.
   4. If a player touches their axe before a second opinion call is made, the original score given by the first judge stands.
2. Throwers will not switch sides during the 5 throw games.
   1. In a best 2/3 match, players will switch sides between games.
3. All sanctioned Big Axe tournaments will consist of the best 2/3 matches.
   1. Venues can choose if Week 8 matches consist of a single game or a best 2/3 game format for their Week 8 tournament.
4. Each player will play 4 games on a sanctioned league night, for a total of 20 big axe throws
5. Big Axe Killshots
   1. Killshots can be called on the 5th throw
   2. Standard gameplay rules of open Killshots do not apply to Big Axe Throwing
6. A WATL^® Sanctioned Big Axe League must have a minimum of 4 different throwers to be official.
   1. Each additional league a venue hosts must meet the minimum requirements for throwers.
      1. Throwers already participating in another sanctioned league at the same venue do not count towards the minimums.
      2. Marathon leagues are excepted from this rule, and throwers participating in marathon leagues may also count towards a regular league minimum.
7. Big Axe Leagues follow WATL^® Seasons as outlined in Section K
8. Sudden Death Rules
   1. If there is a tie after 5 throws in a game, the game enters into sudden death.
   2. ONLY Killshots are allowed during all sudden death throws.
   3. If all players hit the Killshot, an additional sudden death throw is required and players must throw again for the alternate Killshot.
      1. Throwers will remain in their respective targets for sudden death throws.
   4. If all players miss the Killshot during Sudden Death, a measuring tape or accurate measuring device will be used to measure the distance from the closest valid scoring area of each axe head to the closest edge of the Killshot.
      1. The single axe with the shortest distance on either team will be awarded the game in favor of the team who threw it.
      2. If measurements are inconclusive, resulting in a tie, players must throw again for the alternate Killshot.

Multiple Sanctioned Big Axe Leagues

1. A WATL^® Sanctioned Big Axe League must have a minimum of 4 throwers to be official.
   1. Each additional league a venue hosts must meet the minimum requirements for throwers.
      1. Throwers already participating in another sanctioned league at the same venue do not count towards the minimums.
         1. Marathon leagues are excepted from this rule, and throwers participating in marathon leagues may also count towards a regular league minimum.

Big Axe Marathon Leagues

1. Big Axe Marathon Leagues may be held anytime during a WATL^® League Season
2. A Marathon League is officially sanctioned as long as it meets the following requirement:
   1. A Marathon League is a league that is held, in its entirety, within 24 hours.
   2. They must be labeled using the following naming convention: “[Venue Name] [League Night] Marathon League” when creating the League in the WATL^® app.
   3. Meets the minimum thrower requirements as outlined in Section K, iv, b.
3. Players may compete in multiple sanctioned marathon leagues in the same season.

Section R: WATL^® Big Axe Specs

1. The total axe weight must be at least 3.00lbs, but no more than 4.25lbs.
2. Big Axe handle length must be a minimum of 23” inches to a maximum of 30” as measured from the lowest point of the handle to the highest point of the eye on top of the axe head.
3. The axe blade cannot be more than 4 5/8″
4. Double bit axes & Fireman axes are permitted as long as they meet the specifications outlined herein
   1. Only the forward-facing blade will count for scoring purposes
   2. If there’s an over-rotation, and both blades stick to the target, then it will be marked as a fault

Section S: Qualifying for the Big Axe World Championship

Restrictions on Qualifying

1. Throwers may participate in as many sanctioned Big Axe leagues as they wish, but only one league each season will be considered for circuit points.
   1. Throwers participating in multiple sanctioned Big Axe leagues must use the same profile and Player ID to compete in all leagues.
   2. Circuit Points will automatically be assigned to the single league that gives the player the most Circuit Points.
   3. WATL^® is not responsible for Circuit Point issues from using multiple Player IDs

Section T: WATL^® Pro League

The World Axe Throwing Professional League (WATL^® Pro League) is a qualifying system that helps to recognize the top competitors in the sport of axe throwing for standard hatchet competition. Competitors will participate in the WATL^® Leagues with other players but will have additional rules and qualifying criteria in place to maintain Pro League status. Pros will qualify based on their leaderboard position.

1. The top 128 leaderboard finishers (that meet the criteria below) become the next cycle of Pros starting in the next WATL^® season.
   1. 2023 Cycle 1 Pros will be the top 64 finishers from WATC VI in 2022 and the top 64 finishers from Fall 2022 season.
2. Criteria to qualify for Pro Status for Cycles 2, 3, and 4 are:
   1. Must have at LEAST 50% kill shot attempts (28) in their official league.
   2. A throwers official league is the league chosen automatically in the App as the highest scoring league
      • For example – if a thrower throws in 3 leagues in a single season, the app will choose the highest scoring league and make that their “official” league. If the thrower did not throw 50% kill attempts in that official league, then they cannot be considered for Pro status in the next cycle.
3. Pro Status does not carry forward past the next season.
   1. For example, if an individual qualifies for Pro Status in Winter League, but does not play a league in the Spring, they do not carry their status to Summer. Throwers have to re-qualify EVERY SEASON for Pro Status.
4. Each season, the top 24 Pros (by leaderboard position) will be awarded a WATC Bid
   1. Pro Bid Winners must have thrown at least 50% kill attempts (28) in their qualifying league.
   2. If there is a tie for the 24th bid, the tie is broken first by Hit % – if still tied then -> # of Kills hit – if still tied then -> # of Bulls hit. If there is still a tie after the 4th tiebreaker, the players are considered equal and both will be rewarded a bid.
5. Bids trickle down if there are already bid holders in the top 24 finishers

Section U: Venue Cup 

• All leagues that are started, and marked as “official” during the week of November 6th will be considered part of the Venue Cup.
  • Affiliates will be given the option to register their venue, which provides the benefit of being listed as a “participating venue” that WATL^® will market on social. But this is NOT a requirement to participate.
• We have the technology and ability to monitor players for hippodroming (sandbagging) and will be communicating that upfront.
• Venues cannot be considered to play if they do not play in the first week (November 6th->12th)
• A league must have 6 or more players to be considered Official
  • In order to be considered towards the “official” minimum, players must play at least 4 games (1 week)
  • For each player short of 6 in a week, an average of 52 will be assigned for those missing players
• In week 4, 80% (rounded UP) of all players that participated in weeks 1-3 MUST participate in week 4. This is to prevent a venue from putting up only their top throwers to compete in the final week. Any venue that does not meet this threshold will be disqualified from winning. No exceptions!
  • In the event of less than 6 people attending Week 4, a ghost player will be added.
• “Weeks” start at 12:01 am on the Sunday, and end at 11:59 pm on the Saturday – EASTERN TIME
• The winning venue will receive a plaque celebrating their victory to be placed in their venue. 
• If a venue runs multiple leagues, the top 3 and bottom 3 players across ALL venue leagues are the players counted towards the weekly average
  • Week 4 is counted in the same way
• There are no rules against players playing in multiple leagues for a single (or more) venues.