The need to self-isolate because of the COVID-19 pandemic has most sports on hold.
But, a couple of enterprising soft-tip dart players are still throwing, competing with other players in Regina and beyond.
Deb Pryslak said she’s been playing online for several weeks, having learned of the opportunity from her usual live-darts partner Kurt Karcha.
“I’ve play in dart leagues a lot of years, soft tip darts,” she said, adding there is a league that plays in various bar venues in the city.
Of course as bars closed, so did the dart league.
But Karcha ended up acquiring a Gran Board which can be connected via bluetooth technology with other players anywhere in the world. A player throws on their own board, with opponents able to track scores, and chat as a game progresses.
“He’s (Karcha) bought it before everything shutdown,” said Pryslak. “Him and I would play doubles through the app.”
When the doors closed on the league Karcha let Pryslak know about a gran board on eBay, and about $250 later she too had a board, although not quite as tech-fancy as Karcha. Still, Pryslak said with her cellphone camera and the new board she was in business, playing games with players as far afield as the U.S..
“When I throw they can see me, and I watch on my phone to see what they are doing,” said Pryslak.
Pryslak and Karcha then learned of an online league set up through a rather active soft tip dart league in Regina.
“It’s all set up through Facebook,” said Pryslak, who explained they have an ‘A’ division for the better competitors, (like Karcha), and a ‘B’ division where she throws.
Matches are set and players make their own arrangements when to ‘e-meet’ for a game. Results are sent into the league and are tracked.
While Pryslak said she looks forward to the local league getting back to play this fall, she added that playing online games might still be a regular thing too.
“I think we may decide to keep it up ... I’ve met some very nice people,” she said.
