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Who’s the hottest guy onthe dart circuit in the US today…and gals, we’re not just talking
looks, availability and personality here? At 29, single and at the top of his game, this guy has to be Johnny Kuczynski.
 Kuczynski is the 2002 ADO point
champion, is at the top of the ADO point list and is making another run at the title for 2003. Since the PDC Las Vegas
Desert Classic II in July, Kuczynski has won the 501 singles at the $20,000 USA Dart Classic II, won the 501 and cricket singles at the Believe In
Tomorrow/Maryland State Championships, won the 501 singles at the Allstate Darts Open, won the cricket singles and came in second to Roger
Carter in the 501 singles at the Miller Lite Louisiana Dart Classic (Carter came in second in the cricket event there), won
the cricket singles at the Sparkling City Open and came in second in the 501 singles there, and those are all steel
events. On the electronic darts scene, Kuczynski took the MVP honors at Arachnid’s BullShooter World Championship this year and he plays in only
one electronic tournament a year. So, who’s the hottest US guy on the dart circuit right now? It is Johnny Kuczynski!
Kuczynski isn’t just a terror in the singles events either. Partnering with
players like Darin Young, Ray Carver, Mike Abboud, Shane Meeks and his steady mixed doubles partner, Marilyn Popp, he is a threat in any other event
as well. The idea of having fixed partners is attractive to Kuczynski. He’s pretty much set with Marilyn Popp whenever they attend the same
tournaments, but he hasn’t really set with a fixed partner for the men’s events
. “I like to have things set. I like to know for sure when I go to a tournament
that my partner is going to be there and they’re on the same page as me,” explains Kuczynski. “I don’t care to have to worry about them showing up. I
like being comfortable and having a fixed partner is a good thing if you can get it going.”
Kuczynski got started early at the age of 9 or 10. His dad always had an
American Dartboard in the house and he used to throw with him. “I used to throw with my dad and he would try to teach me to play. As I got a little
older, I started to understand what was going on. He was one of the better players in the area and he taught me how to stroke the dart. I followed
everything that he did. I kind of went from there with it,” said Kuczynski.
“I just played in the house with my dad until I was about 16 or 17, I guess.
Then, I started playing at the firehouse. Well, I would not actually play, I would just go there and watch while he would shoot the league. Often, I
would be on the side practicing and playing against some of the guys that were not playing at the time. I did not play any tournaments or leagues until I
turned 21.”
American Darts is a different game than the English Darts most of America
plays. That’s the only game Kuczynski’s dad and the firehouse league played back when he was growing up. “The game is totally different. The lines (double and triple rings) are closer, and you use wooden darts with steel
tips and turkey feathers and play baseball (using the wedges) one to nine. A
good average game is 45 or better. At the leagues at home, I average around 48 or 49,” said Kuczynski.
Kucynski lives in Zion Grove, in south central Pennsylvania where the
American Darts game flourishes. Guys like Ray Fisher, Joe Baltidonis, Frank Ennis, Jerry Umberger and Rick Ney all got their start in darts on the
American Dartboard playing baseball. Kuczynski feels that learning the American Dart game first gave him, and those who started on the American
Dartboard, an advatage. “I think there is some what of an advantage because we just learned the stroke. When we switched to the English game, the
stroke was already there. We got everything from the American Dart game. The targets are small,” explained Kuczynski.
He continued, “Playing the American Dart game in leagues helps us stay
sharp. Since we do not have any steel tip boards locally around my house we all play the American Dart game, like 2 nights a week. It still keeps me
sharp, as far as playing is concerned. We all, Darin Young, Mike Abboud and I, have English dartboards at home, but no one else plays the English game.”
“My dad comes down and shoots with me every now and then. But, he
doesn’t play the English game. The board is there, but it is not something that really interests him. He tried a couple of times and it’s just different for
him. He is old school. He likes the American Board, so a lot of times I
practice just on the American Board with him. Like I said, it is still the stroke
that counts. You are still throwing, still playing, still concentrating. My dad
tries like hell to beat me, and he does, quite a few times. It seems like now
he is getting better than before because he is putting the practice in. So, that’s great for him.”
Kuczynski practices all the time, now more than ever. Practice is an
important part of building endurance and confidence, according to Kuczynski. “Practice does get boring, so that is why it is important for you to have a
system. For a while, I did not have a system. I would just throw. Then, I
started realizing I get lazy darts. You know, I start playing bad because I am
just practicing by myself. It’s tough to stay sharp and focused practicing by myself.”
“So at home, what I do is I’ll shoot the cricket innings until I hit three triples.
Not all at once, but I have to hit three before moving to the next number. I’ll just go around the board. Once I have hit three triples, I move on and do the
same thing for doubles. For 501 practice, I play complete 501 games and I
have to take it out in 15 darts or I lose. Fifteen darts and less, or I lose. I am
like playing against a ghost. If I have a shot with the fifteenth dart, then I have
a shot to win. If I don’t, I lose. I usually play between 10 and 15 games, just singles. No sets, no matches, just singles.”
“It’s always good to practice with and against someone in a real game as well
. Darin (Young) and I live about a half hour from each other, and Mike (Abboud) has a bar business now close by, so it’s not really too much trouble
getting together every now and then to practice against someone.”
Kuczynski has two brothers and two sisters. One brother and one sister still
live close to home, but the other two, the sister, Paula, lives in Missouri and Chucky lives in Las Vegas. Kuczynski has never been married which still
gives him the freedom to travel without responsibilities to a wife and kids. He works for the Office Max Distribution Center driving a forklift. He recently
earned a bit of a promotion and is responsible for the 16 other drivers on the floor. He has the prefect schedule to allow him to attend tournaments. He
works Monday through Thursday, 10 hour shifts, and has Friday through Sunday off every week.
When he is not playing darts or traveling to dart tournaments, Johnny...
Continued...
The complete interview with America’s hottest shooter, Johnny ‘K’ Kuczynski
, including his thoughts on the concept of some day joining the “pro” circuit, the importance of youth darting events, and much more, is available to our
print subscribers on pages 24 – 28 of the November/December 2003 print edition.
Not a BEN subscriber yet? Johnny ‘K’ is! Click here for info 
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