Newfoundland and Labrador Darts Association
Right on target - By Pam Pardy Ghent - Special to the Telegram
Ladies dart leagues are alive and well in this province ... and contrary to popular
lore, the rarely have fights
Audrey Boyde of Burin has been doing it since she was legal age, and she loves
it with a passion. "One night we did it with candles lit on top of garbage cans
when the power went out," she says of the Ladies' darts that fill her Thursday
nights.
"Its nothing to find us doing a stepdance up to the tor line, dance a jig up there,
and have someone else swing you around before you throws you darts," Boyde
says with a laugh. "Ladies' darts is alive and well in Newfoundland."
And what about fights?
"Well, once we had a little incident with our top 10 players," Boyde says. "There
were words exchanged, but it was fine a few minutes later."
Sarah Mitchell, Newfoundland and Labrador Darts Association Youth Director,
(paper had her listed as president of the National Darts Federation of Canada)
says ladies' darts is a popular sport in the province. Darts is recognized by Sport
Newfoiundland and Labrador and not only is it thriving, but it's picking up in
popularity.
"We have provincial tryouts in February," Mitchell says of her youth league. "This
year, the playoffs are in Gander, and we will have about 80 players, and eight of
them will go to Saskatoon for the Nationals."
Three years in a row, a Newfoundlander from Marystown, Jenelle Legge, walked
away with the national honours.
Judy Murphy of Mount Pearl is president of the Eastern Division. She says ladies
darts on the Avalon is going strong, as well. There are 12 clubs in her division,
including the Star of the Sea in st. John's and the Blue Whale in Dildo - and
membership hasn't been hurt by the smoking ban in bars.
"Women just play their smoke breaks in," Murphy says, "and it's all a fallacy that
most women dart players are boozers. They drink Pepsi or water as much as
beer."
The eastern playoffs will be in Harbour Grace in April and the winner from that
will go on to the Ladies Provincials in May, she says.
Rennie Stacy runs the Legion in Fortune and, for the past 20 years, he or the
local Lions Club have hosted the ladies. Tuesday nights, husbands stay home
with the pots and the Pampers and the ladies go out to play. They start at eight,
play seven games, and are home by 10:30.
But, seriously. Are there any rackets?
"No problem with our ladies," Stacy says. "People come from Point May and
Grand Bank to play here. We are really lucky and there are no arguements."
The 10 to 12 teams they have each year are made up of six players each, and the
ladies range from 19 to 65 years old.
"Mixed darts on Sunday nights brings out one lady who is 71," Stacy says, adding
that darts is one sport where the elderly can sometimes outshine the young in
ability.
Is there skill to darts, or is it luck?
Rhoda Hollett of Fortune has been playing for eight years and has her own
opinion.
"Its all a fluke. For a long time, all I could shoot was 11," she says with a laugh.
"I'm still no good, and I've been playing for a long time, but now I can shoot 18,
fours, or I can go for double nines."
Hollett, like Boyde, thinks its all just a bit of fun. Boyde has nights she comes
home and isn't sure if she won or lost, and she hasn't had more than one or two
beer.
"Maybe for some of the ladies it's important if the win or lose, but not for me,"
Hollett says, "I just play for fun."
What's needed to be a good darts player?
Basically, a set of darts. there's no expensive uniform or equipment to buy, just
some personalized flights and a dart weighted to your throw. Long stems, short
stems, feather or tungsten - it doesn't matter.
And the game is flexible. One night, one team was stuck on double ones, so they
went on and played another game through, going back to finish that one later.
When the fun is gone, its time to find another game.
Evelyn Cranford of Dildo played for years and was president of the Eastern
Division for six when she realized the fun had gone out of ladies darts for her. " I
enjoyed it, I loved it," she says, "but when the fun went out of it I lost all interest
and I haven't played in two years."
Her game of choice now is crib.
Whether for sport or fun, darts are filling the nights of women across the province
and they are helping others in the process.
The ladies of Hollett's club donated a loonie once a month and raised more than
$200 for the Janeway Children's Hospital last year. The Fortune Legion is
thriving, in part, because of the revenue generated by the ladies dart league.
Seventy-year-old Alice Butler, a player on Boyde's team, stopped playing when
she got cancer last year. Everyone pitched in and brought her flowers. "She was
the oldest player we had, but she was always there for a bit of fun, she was
dedicated to her team," Boyde says of their former player.
Some ladies may be a little too dedicated. Boyde tells a story of the fun they had
one night when one lady had to rinse out her step-ins -- a consequence of
laughing too much. The unfortunate lass then hung them to dry on a cable in the
bar and, by the time darts was over, they were dry and good to go again.
"Like you would," Boyde says with a laugh. "She had to finish."
lore, the rarely have fights
Audrey Boyde of Burin has been doing it since she was legal age, and she loves
it with a passion. "One night we did it with candles lit on top of garbage cans
when the power went out," she says of the Ladies' darts that fill her Thursday
nights.
"Its nothing to find us doing a stepdance up to the tor line, dance a jig up there,
and have someone else swing you around before you throws you darts," Boyde
says with a laugh. "Ladies' darts is alive and well in Newfoundland."
And what about fights?
"Well, once we had a little incident with our top 10 players," Boyde says. "There
were words exchanged, but it was fine a few minutes later."
Sarah Mitchell, Newfoundland and Labrador Darts Association Youth Director,
(paper had her listed as president of the National Darts Federation of Canada)
says ladies' darts is a popular sport in the province. Darts is recognized by Sport
Newfoiundland and Labrador and not only is it thriving, but it's picking up in
popularity.
"We have provincial tryouts in February," Mitchell says of her youth league. "This
year, the playoffs are in Gander, and we will have about 80 players, and eight of
them will go to Saskatoon for the Nationals."
Three years in a row, a Newfoundlander from Marystown, Jenelle Legge, walked
away with the national honours.
Judy Murphy of Mount Pearl is president of the Eastern Division. She says ladies
darts on the Avalon is going strong, as well. There are 12 clubs in her division,
including the Star of the Sea in st. John's and the Blue Whale in Dildo - and
membership hasn't been hurt by the smoking ban in bars.
"Women just play their smoke breaks in," Murphy says, "and it's all a fallacy that
most women dart players are boozers. They drink Pepsi or water as much as
beer."
The eastern playoffs will be in Harbour Grace in April and the winner from that
will go on to the Ladies Provincials in May, she says.
Rennie Stacy runs the Legion in Fortune and, for the past 20 years, he or the
local Lions Club have hosted the ladies. Tuesday nights, husbands stay home
with the pots and the Pampers and the ladies go out to play. They start at eight,
play seven games, and are home by 10:30.
But, seriously. Are there any rackets?
"No problem with our ladies," Stacy says. "People come from Point May and
Grand Bank to play here. We are really lucky and there are no arguements."
The 10 to 12 teams they have each year are made up of six players each, and the
ladies range from 19 to 65 years old.
"Mixed darts on Sunday nights brings out one lady who is 71," Stacy says, adding
that darts is one sport where the elderly can sometimes outshine the young in
ability.
Is there skill to darts, or is it luck?
Rhoda Hollett of Fortune has been playing for eight years and has her own
opinion.
"Its all a fluke. For a long time, all I could shoot was 11," she says with a laugh.
"I'm still no good, and I've been playing for a long time, but now I can shoot 18,
fours, or I can go for double nines."
Hollett, like Boyde, thinks its all just a bit of fun. Boyde has nights she comes
home and isn't sure if she won or lost, and she hasn't had more than one or two
beer.
"Maybe for some of the ladies it's important if the win or lose, but not for me,"
Hollett says, "I just play for fun."
What's needed to be a good darts player?
Basically, a set of darts. there's no expensive uniform or equipment to buy, just
some personalized flights and a dart weighted to your throw. Long stems, short
stems, feather or tungsten - it doesn't matter.
And the game is flexible. One night, one team was stuck on double ones, so they
went on and played another game through, going back to finish that one later.
When the fun is gone, its time to find another game.
Evelyn Cranford of Dildo played for years and was president of the Eastern
Division for six when she realized the fun had gone out of ladies darts for her. " I
enjoyed it, I loved it," she says, "but when the fun went out of it I lost all interest
and I haven't played in two years."
Her game of choice now is crib.
Whether for sport or fun, darts are filling the nights of women across the province
and they are helping others in the process.
The ladies of Hollett's club donated a loonie once a month and raised more than
$200 for the Janeway Children's Hospital last year. The Fortune Legion is
thriving, in part, because of the revenue generated by the ladies dart league.
Seventy-year-old Alice Butler, a player on Boyde's team, stopped playing when
she got cancer last year. Everyone pitched in and brought her flowers. "She was
the oldest player we had, but she was always there for a bit of fun, she was
dedicated to her team," Boyde says of their former player.
Some ladies may be a little too dedicated. Boyde tells a story of the fun they had
one night when one lady had to rinse out her step-ins -- a consequence of
laughing too much. The unfortunate lass then hung them to dry on a cable in the
bar and, by the time darts was over, they were dry and good to go again.
"Like you would," Boyde says with a laugh. "She had to finish."
