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The atmosphere certainly looked and felt like New Orleans in the American Darter's Association Region IV Challenge at Boomer's Down the Hatch on the Westbank on Saturday night.
 All six women who qualified for the event from the six-state region were from the Westbank. And even the losers had a good time.
While the prize money was nice, none of the competitors were too concerned about what was in their wallets when they left. Most of them were just as excited to walk away with a bottle of Jim Beam, courtesy of one of the tournament's main sponsors.
Top seed Sue McCartney had little trouble winning the $600 top prize. She breezed through her first-round match, defeating sixth-seed Marilyn Nolasco, which earned her a bye in the second round.
In the championship match, she cruised to an 11-2 win over fourth-seeded Jamie Knecht.
The format for all matches of the tournament was 501, where a player begins with a score of 501 and subtracts points, getting to throw three darts per turn. The player who gets to zero first wins that game, but she can only get to zero by doubling out -- by hitting the bottom portion of that particular number between the two wires.
 And although McCartney said that 501 is not her game, no one in the crowd could tell. In the championship match, she doubled out using eight different numbers in her 11 wins.
"I was lucky," she said. "I felt good, but we were both getting tired toward the end. Jamie played 10 more (games) than me."
Both McCartney and Knecht went through a stretch in the championship where fatigue appeared to play a factor. Instead of averaging in the 50s and 60s per every three darts in the early games of the championship, both players routinely scored in the 20s, 30s and 40s in the middle games.
McCartney appeared to catch a second wind after losing a game that followed seven consecutive wins, as Knecht cut her lead to 8-2.
She started the 11th game with a ton (the term for 100 points in three darts), a ton-40 on her fourth set and a ton on her sixth set, to easily win the game and take a 9-2 lead. She then began the next game with an 85, and never was seriously challenged again.
"I don't know how Jamie did it playing 10 more games than me," McCartney said. "She did an excellent job. I know I was tired."
In the earlier matches, Knecht defeated third-seeded Nita Miller 5-3, and second-seeded Linda Bankston beat fifth-seeded Charleste Gondrella 5-2 in the first round. Knecht then defeated Bankston 7-3 in the second round to advance to the championship.
By winning the tournament, McCartney became the resident professional of Region IV, which is something she never thought about when she picked up darts 18 years ago.
"It's really nice," she said. "Unbelievable, actually. I've always played for fun, and this just gave me something to do. I started just playing on Tuesday nights and got in a handicapped league and an Open. (Region IV director) Larry (Bordlee) thought I was good enough. . . . It was hard, because there are a lot of good people in Open, but I learned a lot from it. As unbelievable as it is, I'm a pro now."
ADA director Glenn Remick awarded the prizes to the competitors, and he is excited to see darts becoming popular again in the metro area. Even he can see that this region is so much different than the other seven regions in the country.
In almost all other areas, men dominate the association, but here, only these six women qualified.
"These gals here are professionals, and they are playing for prize money and sponsors," he said. ". . . In the other regions, there are far more men than women. This is very unusual. . . . And because they have to qualify by throwing a certain point-per-dart average, every dart these ladies throw during their leagues is important. They take this seriously."
But, they say, having fun is just as important as their average.
Knecht has traveled throughout the country playing darts, and for her, the sport is just something to help keep her mind off the daily grind.
"I try to keep it fun, no matter what," she said. "When it stops being fun, it ain't worth doing anymore. I have a job, and this is just for fun, and I keep it that way no matter what the prize is. That way, I don't get as nervous, and I stay more focused on my game."
And, oh yeah, she also stays a little more loose to get in a few dance steps in between shots.
Only in New Orleans.
. . . . . . .
Jim Derry can be reached at jderry@timespicayune.com or (504) 232-9944.
Listed below are the event results.
| Finish |
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Seed |
|
Name |
|
PPDA |
|
Wins |
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Losses |
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| 1st |
|
#1 |
|
Susan McCartney |
|
14.7 |
|
15 |
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2 |
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| 2nd |
|
#4 |
|
Jamie Knecht |
|
14.1 |
|
17 |
|
14 |
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| 3rd |
|
#2 |
|
Linda Bankston |
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14.6 |
|
8 |
|
9 |
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| 4th |
|
#3 |
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Nita Miller |
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14.0 |
|
3 |
|
5 |
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| 5th |
|
#5 |
|
Charleste Gondrella |
|
11.3 |
|
2 |
|
5 |
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| 6th |
|
#6 |
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Marilyn Nolasco |
|
12.7 |
|
0 |
|
5 |
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