Well it appears that a grand time was had by all at the picnic and the season ending grab bag. Thanks to everyone for attending and we look forward to a new and exiting season that will start this coming July 14th - Tuesday.

Some important dates to note:

Thursday June 25th Dane Texiera will be at Brady's with blank sign-up forms 

Final Sign-Ups are due June 30th

Sign Up forms can also be obtained electronically by emailing ed.mesco@browardcountydarts.com

Packet Night will be July 9th - Thursday

Winter 2009 Season will start Tuesday July 14th.

Please note that Master's will have a new 17 game format this season. This was tested last week using 2 mock teams to play the format and should be an improvement over that old format.

4 Singles 501 sodo (1 played by girl)

2 Trios 501 sodo (1 played by female)

2 Doubles 501 sodo (1 played by female) 

1 701 DD

2  Trios Crickets   (1 played by female)

2 Doubles Crickets  (1 played by female)

4 Singles Crickets  1 girl (1 played by female)

Sign up at 11:00am         Start time 12:00pm 

Location: Moose lodge Pine Castle - 5665 S. Orange Ave. Pine Castle, FL  32809 
Phone: (407)857-2345  

There will be a $25 tryout fee per person that will go directly to the team.

July 19th there will be a $1,000 Caribbean Cup Shootout Tournament.

The host country for the 2010 CC Championship is Jamaica, as more information becomes available we will update this listing. 

They are looking forward to seeing everyone there.

As usual any concerns feel free to call 772-633-1162, Joe Cebrynski, C.C. Director FDA, or send an e-mail to  josephallen7164@yahoo.com

Directions and Hotel below

Thursday June 18, 2009 with be the Season Ending FREE Grab Bag to be held at Archie's West at 8 pm. No call-ins, you must be present in the bar to sign up and you must currently play in BCDA.

The Season Ending Picnic will be held this Sunday, June 21st at Snyder Park. We are looking for some volunteers during the day to help out, please contact Gerard Piette at 954-536-5129.

June 12th-14th 

Friday Night events start at 7 pm with the Pro Singles Cricket followed by the 9 pm Doubles Draw

Saturday starts at 10:15 am with the Mixed Dbls Cricket

Sunday starts at 9 am with the Youth event

Flyers are available with more specifics and hopefully we will have one posted on-line soon.

Contact Dane Teixeira at 954-328-0124 or danetex002@hotmail.com

Sheraton - Fort Lauderdale Airport Hotel

1825 Griffin Road, Dania, FL 33004

954-920-3500

Have you ever watched other players, or yourself, buying this particular set of darts and then that particular set? You see them, and yourself, buying this particular style of flights and/or that particular type of shafts, big ones, short ones, front loaded, back loaded, heavier, lighter, continually tinkering with how you set up your darts, looking for that MAGICAL piece of equipment.

If you stay with the game and have a rational mind, you will realize sooner or later that the real magic to the game lies within yourself....not in any MAGICAL piece of equipment.

Oddly enough we think we will come across that magic dart, that magic set-up. The reality of it all is that your performance can only really be sparked with confidence within yourself. You have to mentally spark your confidence.

As far as your equipment goes, you only have to be comfortable with it. How it feels in your particular grip and how it looks to you are really trivial matters compared to the really important discovery that the real magic in darts is within yourself.

The toughest opponent you, most likely, will ever face won’t be in front of your eyes...they’ll be behind them! 

Handling the Pressure of Competition 

It’s a crucial point in the game; the outcome hangs in the balance. You’ve been here before! Your mind and body remind you of the unpleasantness, the self doubts, and concern about losing. There is tightness across your shoulders, neck, and throwing arm. This includes a lump in your throat, your mind instructs your body to loosen up, but it’s not listening. As you get set to release; you wonder what has happened to your feel for the darts. Why is your hand trembling so much?

The most difficult of emotions in darts to handle is: frustration. Frustration in the sense of a loss of belief in yourself; in other words, the frustration of a slump! The mental part of your game will be the most difficult to master. This involves an inborn desire to succeed and includes confidence. In the past Silberzahn has mentioned that “choking” is from a lack of confidence? If you hit what you wanted before, you can hit again-now! You have to “know” that! In the course of every dart career there are periods of inaccuracy and lack of concentration. Your own personal drive should be the force that motivates you when your doubts about your ability begin.

This week GP’s Corner brings us an article by George Silberzahn about “Spot Shooting”, he reminds us….

To concentrate on a specific spot within the double or triple you are aiming to hit, Spot Shooting requires locating a shadow, tuft, indentation, etc. that catches your eye. Locating that spot requires concentration; that is why attention to this detail is so important.  It is what helps prevent you from taking that shot you want back, the one that missed because you had one of those momentary lapses.  We’ve all shot a dart and realized afterward, or as the dart is moving off in launch, we’ve lost the spot.  The problem is not that we don’t know what to do; it’s keeping it at the forefront of our attention and preventing the loss (of focus).      Once you've identified that "spot".....

Practice; Not a popular word. It can conjure up excuses like no other. “Oh, I don’t have the time,” or “I can’t practice by myself. It’s just too boring,” or “I never practice, but think how good I could be if I did,” and “I’m good enough. I don’t need to practice.” And the excuses go on......

Any of these sound familiar? Well, all I have to say is that excuses are just a cop out. Do you ever, for a moment think, that a Pro Basketball, Baseball, Football player, or Olympian would go to their next game or event without practicing their sport or their techniques? Of course Not! So what makes you the primadonna of darts that you don’t need to practice? Cut the excuses! The reality is, learning anything physical takes practice. Relentless hours of practice. Putting in relentless hours on the dart board is a requirement for lifting your game to the highest possible level....