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The Pros are coming to the National Championship and I can’t wait! This year the ADA shifted the Professional Darters Championship from New Orleans to Orlando. It will take place on Wednesday August 6th one day prior to the 17th ADA National Championship. Smart move! Don’t misunderstand I attended the first one and it was a great event. However adding it to the Nationals is getting two Championships for the price of one!
I called Karl at the office and he informed me twenty four Certified Professionals will compete an increase over last year. He also told me all four reigning Champs will be there to defend their titles. So the stage is set.
The format is great; 501 best of 3, best of three sets. So there is a minimum of four games (two straight sets) and a maximum of nine games (all three sets). All matches are seeded based on the Pros points per dart average. The averages are updated after each round so the Pros will be compete based on how their darts are thrown that day. Here is how the first round plays out at 1:00 PM:
Men’s Soft Tip
- Number one seed Mark Youngblood 29.16 plays tenth seed Rob Nelson 21.36
- Number two seed Bill Cross Jr, 28.74 plays ninth seed Casey Boudreaux 21.50
- Number three seed Wehde, Bob 27.61 plays eighth seed Mike Milan 22.03
- Number four seed Chris Cartwright 26.71 plays seventh seed Ott McNeely 23.22
- Number five seed Thad Fraedrich 25.17 plays sixth seed Brad Meyer 23.36
Women’s Soft Tip
- Number one seed Jean Purgold 20.51 advances to the second round
- Number two seed Amy Beard 19.96 advances to the second round
- Number three seed Brenda Lemon 17.00 advances to the second round
- Number four seed Codi Nelson 16.67 plays fifth seed Ines Harris 16.42
Men’s Steel Tip
- Number one seed Tony Simko 21.15 plays fourth seed Christopher Dove 18.23
- Number two seed Bill Dye 19.25 plays third seed Charles Berthelot 19.02
Women’s Steel Tip
- Number one seed Wanda Weaver 14.58 plays number six seed April Stafford 12.25
- Number two seed Marilyn Nolasco 12.98 plays fifth seed Sally Thorson 12.27
- Number three seed Kim Crisman 12.91 plays fourth seed Brandy Orgeron 12.91
This format is so cool. It’s great to be a part of a darts organization that follows the footsteps of other major sports with Pros. It reminds me of my days when I followed both Pro Golf and Pro Bowling Championships. No luck of the draw brackets and lots of action so there is no excuse for losing.
In addition to the Pro Singles Champs returning I see the names of several Pros who attended the first Pro Championship. Colorado’s Bob Wehde comes to mind. He upset Dan Lauby (IN) to advance to the finals and then had Champ Bill Cross (VA) on the ropes! What a great match to watch as Bill battled back to capture the title 9-7. In fact Bob went on to become the Championship MVP.
Following the Pro Singles is the second Pro/Am Doubles. Karl tells me there are Pros looking for Amateurs so if you’d like to play contact him at the ADA office and he’ll get you on the list. Here are the Pros already paired with Amateurs:
Pro Bob Wehde with Amateur Sal Herrena
Pro Thaddeus Fraedrich with Amateur Larry Johnston
Pro Brad Meyer with Amateur Scott Seamen
Pro Ott McNeely with Amateur Pete Musslewhite
Pro Robert Nelson with Amateur Stewart Erickson
Pro Amy Beard with Amateur John Craig
Pro Codi Nelson with Amateur Camey Lauden
Pro Ines Harris with Amateur James Robinson
Pro Bill Dye with Amateur Mark Fair
Pro April Stafford with Amateur David Vertz
Pro Kim Crisman with Amateur Dale Labine
Pro Brenda Lemon with Amateur Denise Hall
Reigning Pro Singles Champions:
Bill Cross, Jr.
Jean Purgold
Christopher Dove
Wanda Weaver
MVP’s
Men’s Soft Tip – Bob Wehde
Men’s Steel Tip – Charles Dufrene
Women’s Soft Tip – Shannon Wood
Women’s Steel Tip – Wanda Weaver
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