OIG Analyst & Professional Darter Heads to Nationals

OIG Analyst & Professional Darter Heads to Nationals

Holly Dye is retiring in 2017. Not from her position as a program analyst supporting the OIG’s Overseas Contingency Operations Component, but from her status as a professional darter with the American Darters Association (ADA).

“It’s time. I’ve earned a lot of titles and now I’d like to turn my attention to mentoring players to become professionals and growing the sport of darts. It’s time to mentor and to coach,” she said.

It’s true; Holly has had immense success. She is the 2011 Women’s Professional Champion, her current team is the defending National Women’s Express Soft Tip champion, and she has won championships in Doubles, Mixed Doubles, and Mixed Triples divisions.

Dart Board: Contrary to popular belief, hitting the Triple 20, circled in the photo, is worth the most number of points, not the bullseye.  Holly started playing 17 years ago, while serving in the Air Force as a way to meet new people. She competed as the only female in an ADA Military Cup

Challenge and was quickly hooked on competing. Only a year after her first tournament, Holly found herself competing at the Professional Dart Championship Worlds competition in Las Vegas. Amid the cheers from big-time,international darters, Holly threw her first Ton 80 at an International tournament.

“A Ton 80 is when you throw three darts into the Triple 20,” she explains. Contrary to popular belief, hitting the Triple 20, circled in the photo, is worth the most number of points, not the bullseye.

So how does one get good enough to throw a Ton 80 in a high-pressure environment? “Practice,” Holly says.

Advances in technology have made practicing more efficient. Today, electronic dart boards are synced with cameras to allow players to virtually connect and compete against darters around the world.

“You can see the other player on a screen and scores are automatically registered online. The virtual component really helps create a close knit community, despite being spread across the country,” Holly says.

What Holly fails to admit is that she plays a large role in creating that close knit community, especially in the National Capital Region. In 2015 she was named as the ADA Representative of the Year for her dedication to the sport and for establishing ADA’s presence in the region.

“Since winning [her national championship] in 2011, she has been getting more dart players and especially more females interested in darts, mentoring them to help them earn pro status and eventually win the title that she won,” explains Holly’s husband, Darin Dye, an investigator with the OIG’s

Whistleblower Reprisal division. “After moving to Northern Virginia in 2012, Holly mentored several new female darters. One was the top seed last year and several are going to the 2016 ADA National Dart Championships this month as top seeds in both the male and female division, including herself!”

At the end of July, Holly will compete at the 2016 ADA National Dart Championship.  Then she will compete to represent United States players in January 2017 for a chance to play at a soft tip Dart Championship in Spain.  She then plans to put away her darts.

When asked if she’s going to have a party to celebrate her retirement, she laughs and says, “No. I’m going to find darters to mentor, celebrate their successes with them and continue to grow the sport of darts!”

The DOD OIG does not endorse the American Darters Association.