American Dart League Youth Division a success!

American Dart League Youth Division a success! 
By Erin Fetzer, ADA Rep Wichita Falls TX
Have you ever asked someone why did you start playing darts?  Or when did you start playing darts?   Earlier in the year I asked a few people out of curiosity and what I heard was most of them got interested in the game by watching their parents play at home.  Occasionally as they got older they would be allowed to play also but it was not until they became young adults that they really got into the support because there was no real outlet or league that they could be a part of.

I decided I wanted to change that, I had a vision in mind to be able to offer young inspiring players a chance to learn the game while being mentored and encouraged by seasoned players.  Not only would they be mentored on proper grip, stance and release.  But they would be taught the importance of concentration and strategy and that win or lose it is about having fun and loving the game.

So in March of 2015 I started a Youth/Adult Doubles Open ADA League in our area for youths between the ages of 12 and 18.  The first obstacle was to find a location that would host the league that was not a “normal” bar setting.  It was very important to me that the kids were able to play in a smoke free area and away from the drinking aspect.  I contacted one of the American Legion posts in our area and pitched it to them with what I was looking for and they immediately liked the idea and agreed to host the league at their establishment.

Next came finding the teams, this was a lot easier than I thought it would be, I started with a couple of my local players who I knew had youth that enjoyed throwing darts and asked them what they thought of a youth adult league and if they would want to be a part of it.  They loved the idea and were on board.  After get the building blocks established I then turned to a member of my management team Vivian Rojas and asked her if she would like to play in the league with her son and also to be the division rep for this league.  She quickly agreed and we started working on finishing up the recruitment of teams.

All of the teams the first session were “family teams” most were parent/child teams but we also had a Sister and younger brother playing together.  There were a lot of hard matches played and there was no advantage given to the youth players.  This league was not a neutralizer league so no marks are given up before the start of a game and during 501 they play straight up against the adults with the format being open in/double out split bull.  One might think that is unfair to the youth players  and that the seasoned player would have the advantage but it wasn’t, they played very well and on several occasions beat the adult they were matched against.

One of the things that really made this an excellent league was the encouragement the youth players would receive even from their opponents.  Coaching and guidance did not only come from their partner but several times from another team or even the team they were throwing against.  And occasionally they would even have them try throwing with their darts to see if they needed a different weight, grip or flight to help improve their shot.

I think this league is great for several reasons, not only does it help with their math skills, probability and critical thinking but it teaches them sportsmanship at the same time all without them even realizing that they’re learning anything.  They are just having fun with friends and family.

Every one of these players have shown a great love for the game, have played very well, had a lot of fun, met some tough competition and came away winners.  We are now in our 3^rd session and hoping to be able to branch out and add more nights and locations to our league.

Session 1 – youth MVP – Xavier Garvin

Session 1 – third place team Seth and Ashley Green

Session 1- First place team Chris Robertson and son Clem Robertson, and Vivian and Xavier second place

session 2 – Youth MVP Seth Robertson

Session 2- Third place team Sarah Terry and her nephew Anthony Terry

Session 2- Fourth place team Devon Hood & Kayte Stetina