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Every once and a while I feel the need to center attention on people from my own
province. I believe you will find the following an interesting interview with a young gentleman from Manitoba who will, I am sure, become a name that
will be known around the country.
Hello Cory, thank you very much for your willingness to be put on my “hot seat” for a
little while. Before we get into the subject so dear to our hearts, I want to find out a little about you, personally. What do you do for a living?
Lifetouch International employs me, which is an American company. Besides other
services, the company processes film. I am employed as a Dark Room Technician. I am very fortunate in that they are very supportive of the time
that I have to take off to attend tournaments.
Are you a family man and do you have any children?
I am a single parent and very proud of the number 1 girl in my life, my beautiful daughter,
Mackenzie Lee who is 2 years old.
What is your favorite food?
I am a very plain eater. I guess you could call me a steak and potatoes man.
What is your favorite TV show?
I don’t watch very much TV at all, and if I do, it is usually sports.
Do you have any other pass times or hobbies other than darts?
Other than practicing darts, I don’t have a hobby.
I try to spend as much time as possible with my daughter, taking her tobogganing, ice-skating and to her swimming lessons. So, I guess you would say that my daughter is my past time.
Are you a Canadian by birth or by other means?
I am a Canadian by birth. My grandmother was born in England and met my grandfather
during the war, was married and returned with him to Canada as a war bride.
Fortunately, my grandparents had a daughter who married my dad and here I am! I believe that all my dart skills are inherited from my grandma’s side of the family because of the little bit of English in me.
How long have you been playing darts and what made you start playing?
I never held or threw a dart until the Christmas of 1995. My parents purchased a
dartboard as a family Christmas present.
This may sound strange, however, as neither of my parents were never involved in darts. They didn’t want the walls in our rec room damaged by darts, so Dad installed the board in the laundry room. This was the start of my darts. My friends and I gathered in “Tkach’s Laundry Room” each day to play darts. In the fall of 1996 I spared in a mixed dart league that my grandparents were members of, at the West Kildonan Legion Branch No. 30. I started becoming more aware of darts in that there were actually organized dart league, tournaments and organizations such as the MDAI and NDFC. I started enjoying darts and found myself practicing more and more each evening.
When did you first become involved with darts at the provincial level?
I became a MDAI and NDFC member in 1997, qualified both in 1997 and 1998 for the Manitoba
Provincial playoffs.
However, I was not successful in making the team in those years. In 1999, I competed in the Royal Canadian Legion Command dart competition and advanced through the Zones, District and Provincial playoffs up to the Dominion Championships, which were held in Windsor, Ontario. My partner and I were successful in winning the Dominion Doubles Championship.
How many years have you been a member of Team Manitoba?
I started reaping the benefits of hours of practice, making Team Manitoba in 1999, 2000,
2001 and 2002. Although I made the team in 2000, I was unable to attend the National Championships in Newfoundland due to the financial cost.
2002 proved to be a rewarding experience for me.
I was fortunate in winning the Saskatchewan Open, the Manitoba Open, the Golden Boy and the Winnipeg Open. I was Joint 3rd in Saskatoon’s Main Event, ranked 10th in Canada and have qualified as a member of Team Canada for the Pro-Am shoot vs. England this coming May 2003 in Calgary Alberta.
I don’t know whether you have had much involvement with the Youth or young members, but
what words of encouragement would you like to give to them?
I was not aware of youth darts until I joined the MDAI and often wonder of the possibilities
had I been a member of youth darts. For this reason I felt committed to making youth in our community aware of youth darts and make the sport available
to them.
I informed my Dad of my intentions and asked for his assistance in coordinating and starting up a youth dart program. We approached our branch of the Legion in West Kildonan with the idea of the branch hosting a youth dart program, which would be available to the youth in the community. My friend and doubles partner Kerry Loe and his brother Roy, both former members of Team Manitoba, volunteered to assist me in coaching. A lot of time and ground work was required for the start up in advertising, developing a league manual, rules/regulations, registration and waiver forms etc. However, I am pleased to say that the “West Kildonan Legion Youth Dart League” was born! The league is now in its second year of operation and with only five permanent dartboards available in our branch, a maximum of 24 junior members, 8 girls and 16 boys are currently registered.
Although I still consider myself a rookie in darts, I would encourage youth dart players not
to become discouraged in their early stages of darts or when they turn to the age of adult and compete in adult dart tournaments.
In all sports, there will always be a winner and a loser and I have yet to meet anyone who enjoys loosing more than winning! In saying this, I have learned that after the completion of any game, win or loose, it becomes history and you begin preparing yourself for the future, your next game. This is why practice is so important as you are preparing yourself for the future or next game!
Like all competitive dart players, I am sure you have a goal that you would like to
achieve. What is yours?
Each year I set a different goal to achieve.
Although I may not achieve a certain goal that year, it has made me more determined to practice more and to achieve the goal the following year. My ultimate goal is to one day appear playing in the finals of a televised event so that my daughter can see her daddy in action!
Are you interested in any other sports, either as a participant or a spectator?
I have participated in sports from an early age, hockey, baseball, soccer, basketball,
volleyball etc., and continue to participate in sports. During the winter months, I play in a sponge hockey league and during the summer I play in a
beach volleyball league. I also enjoy camping and fishing.
Do you think that John Part beating Phil Taylor for the World Darts Championship will
give a boost to darts in Canada?
I congratulate John Part for his recent championship and his accomplishments.
I believe that as a result, this is a very positive step for darts in Canada, especially for our youth dart players and youth dart programs. As in all sports, youth tend to look for someone to look up to. In most instances it is someone who excels in the sport and is a Champion. For many of our Canadian youth dart player’s, John Part will be this person.
Is there anything that the NDFC should be doing for our Canadian dart players?
I am not familiar with the current agenda of the NDFC.
However, when I look at the tremendous success Ken Finch has done in promoting darts in Alberta and throughout Canada by putting on one of the largest tournaments in the world, the Golden Harvest, and the corporate sponsorship he obtains, I wonder if more work could be done by the NDFC. With John Part winning the World Championships, wouldn’t this be an opportune time for the NDFC to act, be aggressive in its efforts of promoting darts through Canada, in lobbying the Canadian Sports Federation and obtaining support from the corporate and private sector?
That all sounds very good Cory, however, I must mention that membership with the Canadian
Sports Federation is contingent upon all provinces/territories being members of their own sports federations, which as you well know is not the case.
I believe that Sports Manitoba has recently eliminated Manitoba as a funded sport!
Do you think there is something that could be done in Canada to improve the level of
darts?
I feel that it is up to each dart player, past and present, to put back into the sport what
they have received or enjoyed over the years.
This would ensure that the youth of today could look forward and enjoy the same privileges that we have enjoyed over the years.
Thank you very much Cory. It has been interesting talking with you and I am sure
that there are many that will learn from your comments.
I would like to take this opportunity of wishing you continued success on the dartboard and I hope all of your goals become a reality.
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