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Dear BEN,
If everything everyone says to me is true, then we all want darts to grow.
There is an old saying: “The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat.” Both
the thrill and agony come in various forms and actions.
I’ve seen the unattractive winning and losing side of people. It is competition and things are going to happen – it’s hard to lose and be gracious, it’s even harder to win and not be excited. I’m not excusing the behavior of anyone, including myself. I am going to say that darts may be the
“gentleman’s sport,” but we still like to see LIFE.
To be quite frank, I have come a long way from where I once was, and unfortunately, some
things will bring out the ugly side of me.
And not only do I embarrass myself with those moments, but I also believe I have let others down – fellow tournament players, people that show me support, and the various people that I am fortunate enough to call “friend.” More than likely after I have an occasional episode you don’t hear from me the remainder of the tournament, unless it’s my name being called to a board. However, these are the stories in print – the squeaky wheel gets the oil so the saying goes. What a refreshing article Roger Bick wrote about the tournament when Johnny K actually thanked Roger for what Roger and the ADO do for us darters.
Something positive, not for Johnny K, but for darts.
I think we should all focus on the positive aspects and get that information in print and
out for the public to see.
After all, if we are going to re-hash negative events, how many new players do you expect to draw. I could go on and on about the negative things I’ve seen in darts – without me being a participant – and this letter would NEVER get sent and would probably scare quite a few people away from darts. Of course I have traveled quite a bit more than others.
Instead, I’ll take these last few sentences to acknowledge people I admire – people that I
have and will continue to learn from – people that realize a negative episode here and there does not make one “bad.”
It is simply put, a temporary fall from grace. And if you are honest with yourself everyone has them...
My undying gratitude and thanks to Laurett Meddis, Scott Cook, Buddy Bartoletta and the LB
Darts Tournament staff.
—Doreen Berry
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