Dear Ben – Sep/Oct 2008
Letters To The Editor
AUSTRALIAN DART HISTORY
Dear BEN:
I am writing to you from Australia in the hope that BEN readers will be able to help me track down the history of darts in my home country, Australia.
This may be a strange subject to write to you about but please let me explain.
For some time now, the Darts Historian Dr. Patrick Chaplin and I have been in regular contact about all things darts and a few months ago Patrick set me a challenge; to research the history of darts in Australia (very fitting as I am an Australian darts player as well as collector of memorabilia). As this was an area about which Patrick knows little, I decided to accept his challenge. Patrick provided me with what information he held and my quest began.
One thing I immediately discovered was that darts was introduced around 1943. Then I get another email from Patrick that, according to a US encyclopaedia, ‘the Darts Council of Australia’ was apparently formed as early as 1927. However, at the moment I cannot prove this as fact until I can find some positive contemporary evidence.
The North American connection comes from a US darter named Wayne Crook who responded to a question I had placed on the SEWA website forum. Wayne wrote:
“My father, who is now 84, learned the game in Britain during WWII but his brother (deceased) brought the sport back from training in Australia. Virtually all US Marines returning from WWII picked up the sport directly from Australians and New Zealanders. However, these were still the days of the wooden board and wooden darts. Although the idea of darts returned with our troops, the English dart board and 01 games did not.
Vietnam was a very different story. Bristle boards and manufactured darts were readily available in Australia by the early 60's as US and Australian advisors, then troops, were sent to that country. The Aussies took their darts and boards with them where we Americans learned about darts and black tea.
Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney were major R&R destinations for our troops during that war. Among all the wonderful attractions in those areas, Darts were in every bar, pub, and recreation centre in your country. This time our troops not only brought home the idea of darts but sent home bristle boards, sets of darts, and all the things necessary to establish the "British" Darts Boom in the US during the 70's and 80's.
I understand you are seeking info about the history of darts in Australia. I am very interested to find info about the Australian - American connection during the 60's and 70's. “
Clearly I want to learn more about the America/Australia connection, and I would be grateful if you could publish this letter in a forthcoming issue of BEN in the hope that your readers can provide me with more information.
If anyone can help me with my quest, please e-mail me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Thanks to everyone in advance for any information they can provide.
—Mr. Warren Ackary
4/14 Lake Parade
East Corrimal
NSW, Australia
2518
THE ENGLISH RUINED DARTS?
Dear BEN:
I am amazed how often I hear darts should be more popular. Why? Who wants to watch someone throw darts all day at the triple 20 or beat a limp horse? The English ruined darts in the 1930's with the triple ring. So lets do the same and change the dart board. Make it American. Do what football did by improving on Rugby. Add a triple bull for Cricket and call it the American Board!. Let the simple shoot at the triple 20 all day. Make the bull 25-50-75 points and let Americans crush it. It would somewhat restore the traditional way darts were played and be more pleasing to watch. Football and Poker got smart. Time for Darts to get smart!
As far as television. You never knew what you were watching or when it would air, and when it did it, the matches were out of order. I play poker now. Poker got it right! Texas Hold'em is the improved English game of Noddy. We did OK with football and poker, why not darts? Hold on to the triple 20 and darts in America will NEVER succeed! We do not like it!
—Don Baxley
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CHANGE IS GOOD/BAD
Dear BEN:
I've been meaning to compliment you on the new format of the magazine! Great looks and informative material.
Keep up the good work and hope you are doing well!
—Tom Howard, AMF - KT SPORTS
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Dear BEN:
Just wanted to drop you a note saying how much I like the updated cover of the Bulls Eye News. It has an excellent and modern appearance.
I also wanted to say thanks for the renewal special at the Canadian Nationals. I look forward to receiving your magazine over the coming years.
Keep up the excellent work.
—Bill Brown, President
Topgun Darts League
Morden, MB. Canada
Dear BEN:
Great two covers of BEN. 'Legs' reminded me of the 'Lips' poster for North American. Sexy but classy! Page 5's advert is super, too – tastefully placed hands. Page 38 is not sexy…just CRASS. Entirely wrong message! And 'damn', although a timeless colloquial, is still a cuss word. Keep it classy! Golf never stooped that low!
Most Brits have a condescending attitude towards women – women are tolerated, valued for their usefulness but second-class citizens. Some of our gals feed into that notion…accent groupies…more into the players (especially foreign ones) than the dart play. There's some in every generation. But MOST of the gals in darts are in it as a sport and should be respected as such. Don’t portray them as ‘mindless sex dolls’…that's what the dropped panties signifies. Don’t do that to us.
Remember years ago, Verrier and Reitan in shorts, dresses or suits - class acts…Lois Miller sailing naked through the Phoenix hotel's fountain…not so much! Be careful what you put out there.
Sex sells, but as a 'sport'…it has to have class…not just 'ass'.
Anyway, just keep it classy!
—Katie
CARD PARLOUR DARTS
Dear BEN:
Your feature article really hit home with me and my vision for Card Parlour Darts. Since having Nodor agree to make my test marketing boards last July, I have put CPD in front of players of all skill levels and they have provided me positive feedback on how fun, challenging, and exciting my games are to play.
Recently, Dart World has agreed to help me market CPD in the US and we are ordering 500 boards.
CPD provides players with the opportunity to increase their accuracy and skill while adding a whole new level of strategy to win at CPD games. This applies to men, women, and youth darters. I have had new players join and play with a more experience players and they quickly learn the game and become competitive as a team.
My attendance at ADA tournaments has been very well received as well and I will be one of the vendor sponsors at the US Nationals in Orlando, in August.
This brings me back to your article on the future of American TV and darts. Several CPD games include dealing poker cards to the players, leaving them with the challenge of throwing for poker hands, building on the cards they were dealt. Card Parlour Darts does for darts what Texas Hold'Em has done for the traditional seven-card stud poker game! TV can be a great new medium for these games to get the public introduced to these new dart/card games and grow the sport.
Sexy dealers can be utilized in dealing the cards, and each player can have an associate that controls and manages their chip stacks (instead of registering just points as players score) during play. Both women and men can have seperate tournaments and hold mixed doubles as in standard dart games. Card camera's can be used as cards can be dealt face down, which adds the option of players bluffing just like in cards.
My games can also be played with five (5) darts, not just three (3). If players enjoy throwing three darts, just think how fun and challenging it is to throw 5 darts per turn! My various handicapping rules also allow different skill level of players to compete with each other and makes if more challenging for everyone.
CPD provides the skill of darts, combined with the strategy of poker and allows the skill ranking of players just like standard dart games. Remember, CPD is played on a regulation dart board and can be played with both steel tip and soft tip darts.
The ability to play CPD games for money just like poker opens the door to Casino's taking on darts as a new game as well.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration to this proposal. My web site is www.cardparlourdarts.com for those who have not seen the game and are interested.
—Charlie Hanes, President/Founder
Card Parlour Games, LLC • 303-359-9772
TOURNAMENT CANCELLATION
Dear BEN:
Regretfully, the Allstate Open X is cancelled for 2008. Last year’s turnout was 33% lower than 2007. We can speculate as to the cause…the economy, fuel prices, other local tournaments scheduled too close, but the sad fact is that the tournament fund is depleted. Attempts to organize fundraisers to restock the fund are also an ongoing struggle.
Our sponsor Allstate Billiards,Patio,and Hot Tubs has stuck with us and would have helped us again this year had we the nest egg to continue.
We hope to reorganize our efforts and be able to bring this tournament back in 2009.
Thanks for your support (both past and future).
Rose City Darters Tournament Committee
—Ron Spengler, Director
ANNUAL SCORE FOR CHARITY
Dear BEN:
It’s hard to believe the 11th Annual Score For Charity Champion’s Challenge to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation of Southern Nevada is now on the books. How time flies! And with the passing of time we, the dart players of the World, have raised, to date, about $102,500.00 for Children With Life Threatening Illnesses and their families. That is the way Make A Wish works. Not only do they grant a child’s wish, they include the family and caregivers in the wish too. How great is it when the entire family is addressed as a unit. That is from where so much of our strength comes…family, friends, and the people we love.
Everyone reading this note has played a special part in helping me raise money and awareness for the kids…and I THANK YOU ONE AND ALL. The task is not yet complete, though. There are always more children out there, each with a heart-wrenching story to tell. I know we can’t solve all the problems or cure all the ills, but we are, indeed, making a difference!
Unfortunately, our main benefactor, Joe McElligott, was unable to attend this year due to personal reasons and his presence was sorely missed. While still donating money to the cause, it just wasn’t the same without our ‘Champion’s Challenge’, with John Part joining McElligott in a ‘bragging rights’ match against Paul Lim and, myself. Hopefully, next year will see the ‘showdown’ once again take place at the ever famous Las Vegas Dart Bar, CDs Lounge.
A Special Thanks goes to everyone at CDs, especially Carl Amante-my business partner- Pat and Rose Carrigan, the entire Southern Nevada Darts Association, David Flowers, Cheryl Daughtry, Laserdarts, Dart Stop Backboards, Bull’s-Eye News, Halex Darts and everyone else who donated or participated in our undertaking. All of YOU are truly the ones making a huge difference in the childrens’ lives.
It is never too late to make a donation. If you are so inclined, donations may be sent to:
Make A Wish Foundation, Southern Nevada
3885 S. Decatur Blvd. Suite 1000
Las Vegas, Nevada 89103
Be sure to mark your donations with the note ‘Dart Donations’ so we will be able to keep an accurate count. Again, thank you all, and God Bless.
—Stacy Bromberg, Professional Darter
