Annual atlatl competition hits the bull’s-eye at Meadowcroft
AVELLA – Douglas Bassett is the Michael Jordan of the atlatl world.
He has won numerous competitions, including five world championships, using the atlatl, a spear-thrower utilized by prehistoric hunters and a predecessor to the bow and arrow. Since deploying the atlatl is not as easy as it looks – it’s much more intricate than just slinging a spear toward a target – Bassett said there are some fundamental tricks to the trade.
“Eye-hand coordination,” he said. “Patience. And a desire to do it.”
He added, “Any person can be world champion after a few years of commitment.”
Bassett, who also goes by the name “Hatchett Hounddog,” traveled to Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village outside Avella in Jefferson Township Saturday for its annual atlatl competition, which is now in its 19th year. He was joined by many other competitors from outside the area, some of whom came from as far afield as Missouri.
Tim Whaley journeyed to Meadowcroft from Winston-Salem, N.C., and explained he nurtured an interest in the atlatl for about 10 years. It was sparked by “an interest in who we were. We associate it with Native Americans or Africans, but no matter who you were, you used an atlatl at some time.”
The atlatl was used by prehistoric hunters, allowing them to kill prey from a safe remove. The American Heritage Dictionary definition of an atlatl is “a throwing device usually consisting of a stick fitted with a thong or socket to steady the butt of a spear or dart and extend the length it travels.”
The atlatl predates the bow and arrow by several thousand years, said David Scofield, Meadowcroft’s director, and hosting the atlatl competition there is a natural fit for the museum, since the rockshelter was used by the region’s earliest inhabitants around 16,000 years ago – and that’s just about the time the atlatl was being developed.
Wintersville, Ohio, resident Frank Takoch said atlatl competitions are “like getting together for a weekend picnic.” He joked he likes to use the atlatl because “I like to do things right. And if you do things right, you can hit the bull’s-eye.”