Updated June 17th

June 17th Update: Updated How To Maintain Pro League Status to use identical language as posted in the rules.

It has come to our attention that there were errors in our attempted correction for the Second Cycle of Pro League. After issuing a clarification regarding Pro League and creating 32 spots for Pro League members to re-qualify, two items were left unclear as to how Pros were to requalify. 

The first point was regarding Pro League re-qualification that 32 Pros would be chosen based on the total average score from the Winter and Spring Seasons (Pro League Cycle 1)
The second point was how Pro were to maintain Pro Status and that they must compete in 1 WATL League Season and 1 Major or Televised Tournament per cycle

In short, having the Pro’s of the last cycle needing to compete in 1 WATL League but basing the average score between both Winter and Spring caused a handful of Pro’s to be disqualified unfairly. As we announced these Pro League changes after Spring League had commenced and it would have been impossible for some Pros to requalify under our updated rules.

Upon discussion with the WATL Council members and feedback from the community, we have updated the rules to reflect that Pro’s will only need to compete in 1 League per cycle. We have also eliminated the requirement to have participate in 1 Major or Televised Tournament per cycle, as to not further complicate the requalification process.
These changes do not affect the announced Pros but since this was a WATL error, we’ve extended the number of qualified Pro bids to allow the handful of wrongly disqualified Pros to maintain their status for Cycle 2 of Pro League.

We apologize for this error and we would like to thank the members of our community who came to us with their concerns. We appreciate your on-going support and understanding as we finalize our first full Cycle of the Pro League and work out the final kinks. Thank you so much to you all.

We will be entering the Second Cycle of Pro League starting on July 1st, 2021. 

The Pro League is a qualifying system that helps to identify and recognize the top competitors in the sport of axe throwing for Standard Hatchet competition.

Thanks to player input, we discovered errors in our plan regarding qualifying for the upcoming Pro League Cycle. There was ambiguity if Pro League Qualification was based on Circuit Point ranking or a Pro Open Qualifier, we apologize for any confusion. In recognition of this error, WATL has updated the eligibility requirements as well as adding additional Pro League spots for this upcoming Cycle.

We have also updated the WATL Rules in order to clarify the Pro League Qualification process. Thank you to the players who brought this issue to our attention.

The 2021 Second Pro League Cycle will include 97 Pros:

1. 37 of the Top Pros from the First Pro League Cycle will get automatic entry to the Second Pro League Cycle.

• Based on the highest season score from either the Winter and Spring Season (Pro League Cycle 1).
  • Any Pros that do not make it into the top 32 must resubmit qualifying throws  in the Pro Open Qualifier, if they wish to try and earn a spot in the next Cycle of the Pro League.
  • We will release a list of the re-qualified Pros on May 26th.
• 5 additional qualified Pros have been added to the 2021 Second Cycle of Pro League, bringing the total number of returning Pros to 37.

2. 32 Players from the Pro Open Qualifier will gain entry to the Second Pro League Cycle

• This will be open to all throwers globally.

3. NEW: 12 Pro spots will be open for Canada & Global Players

• WATL will give guidance for this round of Qualifying Throws in June, with WATL allowing for an extended timeline due to closures in Canada and around the Globe.
  • Global throwers will also be reviewed separately from throwers from the Pro Open Qualifiers.
  • International Throwers who submitted throws in the Pro Open Qualifier do not need to resubmit their scores.
• Due to shutdowns, if international throwers can not compete in the scheduled qualifying throws, there will be a second round at a later date.

4. NEW: 16 Spots for people who have a Killshot call rate of 50% or more from the previous Cycle.

• Anyone who had a Killshot call rate of 50% or more from the previous Cycle will be given priority placement in Pro League and will be eligible for these dedicated spots.
  • These players will still submit Qualifying Throws
• The top 16 throwers who called 50% of Killshots or more from the previous Cycle will initially be reviewed separately from throwers from the Pro Open Qualifiers.
• Those whose Qualifying Scores do not make the top 16 in this category, will be judged along with the Pro Open Qualifying Throwers.

Ex. 

John Smith called 68% of Killshots throughout the First Cycle of Pro League. 

• He threw a score of 300 in his 50 Qualifying Throws. 

Jane Doe called 20% of Killshots in the First Cycle of Pro League 

• She threw a score of 310 in her 50 Qualifying Throws 

Because John Smith called over 50% of Killshots in the First Cycle of Pro League, his score will be judged against other throwers who also called over 50% of Killshots for priority placement. If he does not qualify for the top 16 spots in this category, his score will be judged against Jane’s Qualifying Throws for the 32 Spots in the Open Qualifiers. 

Eligibility for Pro League

• Pro Open Qualification Throws are open to any 2020-2021 League Member or Tournament Attendee

• Throwers must abide by all WATL Rules & Regulations, including but not limited to, the Code of Conduct.
  • Any gross misconduct will result in forfeiture of potential Pro League status.

How To Maintain Pro League Status

1. Throwers must abide by all WATL Rules & Regulations, including but not limited to, the Code of Conduct
   1. Any gross misconduct will result in forfeiture of Pro League status
   2. Throwers must complete 1 WATL League Season per Pro League Cycle
   3. If a player does not have a WATL venue within a 2 hour total travel distance from their primary residence or their local venue is unable to produce enough players for subsequent seasons
      1. Where travel is defined as driving, ferry, but does not include public transportation or air travel
   4. Pro League members must throw Killshots in at least 50% of instances during league play
      1. Players may choose which matches and which throws to throw a Killshot
      2. Players must finish each season with at least 28 Killshots attempted during league play
      3. This applies to each sanctioned league that the Pro player participates in.
         1. i.e. Player competes in sanctioned League A and League B at different venues, or on separate nights at the same venue. Player must complete League A with 28 Killshots and League B with 28 Killshots; not 28 Killshots between the two leagues

Pro Open Qualifiers for the second cycle of Pro League will be running from May 10th – June 3rd. 

Submitting Qualifying Throws

• All scores (excluding those of Canadian and Global Players) must be submitted on or before the deadline of June 3rd.
  • We will only accept scores and submissions using the official WATL app.
• Venues are free to hold Pro Open Qualification throws whenever is most convenient from May 10th – June 3rd.
  • Venues are responsible for communicating scheduled times to their patrons, throwers or interested parties.
• Throwers will be allowed only one score submission. Scores will be submitted via the WATL web-app by a certified WATL judge.
  • Self scoring is not permitted, for any reason.
• All throws must be recorded on video as backup. This is the responsibility of the thrower, venues are encouraged to help facilitate this. Videos must conform to the stated format:
  • During each throw the thrower, fault line, and target must be visible.
  • Players must stay behind the fault line and wait for their score to be called before crossing.
  • Certified Judges MUST speak in a loud, clear and concise voice, indicating the score of that throw.
  • Videos of qualifying throws will be uploaded via YouTube or Google Drive link and submitted directly to [email protected] no later than June 3rd. Any videos submitted after the deadline will be disqualified from Pro League participation for the current cycle.

The number of qualifying throws will be as follows:

• 50 Throws + 10 Overtime Killshots
• Killshots will be mandatory every 5 throws.
  • Throwers will throw a Killshot on throw 5, on throw 10, throw 15, Throw 20 and so on

Pro League Frequently Asked Questions:

Has WATL changed how people apply to be a part of Pro League?

The wording of the rules left ambiguity as to how Pro League Qualifications would be handled this upcoming cycle of Pro League. This was our mistake and we take full responsibility for that miscommunication. Thanks to player feedback, we were able to reconfigure how Pro League Qualifications will be won for the Second Cycle of Pro League. 32 of the highest scoring Pros will be automatically qualify for Pro status for the upcoming season. 32 spots are available for those who competed in the Open Qualifiers. 16 additional spots have been added for players who have thrown over 50% of all available Killshots. We have also included 12 spots for international throwers, who have been unable to compete for most of the first Pro League cycle. We apologize for the lapse in judgment and will work hard to prevent similar mistakes from happening in the future.

I’m a current Pro, do I still have to throw in the Pro League Qualifier to be included the next Cycle?

32 of the Highest Ranking Pros will be automatically accepted to the next Cycle of Pro League.

If you are a current Pro that ranked lower than 32nd place, you will need to complete Qualifying Throws in order to compete for re-entry.

How do Circuit Points factor into Pro League?

Circuit Points do not have bearing over Pro League participation. Throwers will need to prove their skills through the eligibility requirements above. Circuit Points were not intended to be a factor for Pro League Qualifiers but verbiage in the rules left that ambiguous and we apologize for the confusion and error. Those instances have been updated and clarified in the rules.

If you have additional questions about the upcoming Cycle of Pro League, please send us an email at [email protected]

Get Exclusive Offers & Stay Up-To-Date

Sign-up today and never miss an update in the exciting world of axe throwing.

SUBMIT

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.