Berrien County natives crowned World Champions at Axe and Knife Throwing Championships

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich. -- Knife and axe throwing; it’s not just a popular leisure activity anymore. For two Berrien County individuals, it’s become a passion that’s taken them all the way to the top of their game.

Not everyone can say they're a world champion at something. But as of last Saturday, Berrien County's Louie Perkins and Colbe Pudell can, after winning the knife dual in the World Axe and Knife Throwing World Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The two sharpen their skills at Lumberjax in Saint Joseph. 

"Going in, I wasn't super nervous, it was a lot of confidence because we had hosted a tournament here about a month and a half ago here at Lumberjax, it was a regional tournament, big tournament, we had a lot of great throwers here. I ended up winning the amateur hatchet part of that, and so just going in my confidence was through the roof," said Louie Perkins, knife and axe thrower from Berrien Springs.

Colbe Pudell, a knife and axe thrower from Berrien Springs, is also a senior at Lakeshore high school -- and says yes, he would've believed you if you told him years ago, he'd go to Worlds.

"I would've believed that I would've went there, but I wouldn't have believed that I would've won, because I've been throwing since I was already in 8th grade, I've already went to worlds before that so I was like alright, but if you told me that I won, I would have never believed it," said Pudell.

Colbe says his talent with the axes and knives wasn't something he'd mentioned to many people at school, until he became a world champion. Once that happened, the cat was out of the bag.

"Until a week ago, nobody really knew that I threw, so that was a whole thing that happened yesterday because I didn't go to school until Tuesday so when I got to school Tuesday, it was like 'how long have you been doing this, how did you win, congratulations', it was more of that because nobody really knew that I did it," said Pudell.

Louie and Colbe have known each other for around 5 years, creating a strong bond.

"I've watched him grow up and now he's a senior in high school, I'm graduated and watching him become the person he is and the thrower he is, I was just like hey we should throw a duel sometime, let's not mess around, and see what happens. Here we are, four months later after us throwing duels, now we're world champions," said Perkins.

Colbe and Louie are already looking forward to next year, when they hope to become the first ever back-to-back world champions.