As the sport we love continues to grow and prosper, we want to take a moment to appreciate the many women player's in our league that helped MMDL become the world's largest league of its kind and who have represented us all around the planet with their skills at the oche. Below is some information that may be useful to any female player who aspires to succeed in darts as a local league player or even to become a top nationally-ranked professional!
We are also conducting another photo contest where you can win an Official MMDL Alien Dartboard courtesy of Dart World! -- see below for details on how to enter.
GIRL POWER !
Women's darts has been an equal part of the game and its culture since the sport's beginning. MMDL's female shooters have filled the national rankings for many years and some of our player's have even been chosen to represent the USA in International competition, including the prestigious World Master's tournament held every fall in England.
MMDL currently has 6 women appearing in the top 50 of the 2013
ADO National Rankings: Bette Cunningham (#6), Andrea Taylor (#14), Holly Frary (#20), Nicole Watson (former MMDL President; #30), Gayle Payne (#36) and Kirsten McCandless (#49). Ranking points are earned by attending ADO qualifiers, ADO regional tournaments and participating in other ADO sanctioned events such as MMDL's annual
Witch City Open. For more information on how MMDL players can participate in the ADO system,
click here. Players that want to give it a try have their first opportunity at our upcoming
free ADO cricket qualifier on November 17th.
THE MASSACHUSETTS ADVANTAGE
Any player, male or female is lucky to live in MA, one of the USA's main hotbeds for the sport. Players in other parts of the country struggle to find adequate competition and many do not have ANY local leagues in which to play. MA has approximately 21 independent dart leagues to choose from, tons of pubs and clubs that feature darts, and many tournaments of every size are available almost every week of the year. For anyone that is willing to venture out, you are guaranteed to find a competitive game.
MMDL IS HERE FOR YOU
Many MMDL members are not aware of the support that our league provides to players that put in the time to improve their game and who earn their way to the higher levels of competition. Here are just a few ways that MMDL provides players of ALL LEVELS with support and opportunities to play darts:
League Sponsorship - MMDL sets aside funds every season to support our players that qualify for trips to ADO tournaments and/or other professional level competitions. Any player that comes through one of our ADO qualifiers or otherwise secures a spot at a major professional event, will be offered cash to be used for travel and related expenses as well as provided with a custom-made tournament shirt.
FREE ADO Qualifiers - As the world's largest dart league, we want our players to represent us at the highest levels of the sport, so we have created this program to help us uncover the USA's next #1. Our free ADO qualifiers remove the barriers of participation and provide all of our players an equal chance to throw their hat in the ring and find out just how good they can become. These events are round robin and guarantee a day filled with playing darts, both cricket and 501. Those who are successful advance further up the ADO chain with the chance to have their way paid to represent us in ADO national competitions and possibly even international events.
Annual MMDL-Only Cricket/501 Singles Tournaments - Our annual singles tournaments bring members together once per season to battle it out for bragging rights and prize money. Entry fees are $10 and there are separate competitions by gender and division, so you can have a chance to test yourself against your league peers.
Witch City Open - MMDL has recently revived this major national event which has quickly returned to it's status as a favorite of players all over North America. This is a great way to experience a first-class major darts competition in a local setting where players from many distant lands make new friends while battling it out. You can take a shot at many of the top names in darts and more than a few local players have found themselves on the thrilling end of an underdog upset! The tournament is also sanctioned by the
ADO as well as by international bodies, the
BDO and
WDF which means players that finish in the top 16 or 32 receive respective ranking points from each group which can lead to invitations to play overseas and even corporate sponsorship.
Luck of the Draw Directory - If you love to compete but are looking for a more local and casual outlet, our region features one of the most active LOD areas of the country. LODs are small events at local pubs and clubs where partners are pulled out of hat to compete for small and sometimes not-so-small cash prizes. There are LODs all over Massachusetts on almost every day of the week. We maintain a rather comprehensive listing on our website, but make sure you call ahead to make sure the LOD is still happening as sometimes venues skip a week due to conflicts.
Lastly (we know this is a long email), we asked Bette Cunningham, one of MMDL's top female shooters to reach out to you in her own words to describe her journey in darts and how the MMDL can support ANYone that puts in the time and effort to become a competitive player. Below is Bette's open letter to her fellow MMDL players:
To female MMDL dart players,
I was asked to write a little something to my fellow female dart players in the Minute Man Dart League. I love playing in Minute Man and have for over 10 years. I think the talent of its dart players is such that you can only improve your game by participating. My goal in darts is to get better as a player, travel and of course have fun. MMDL has its free qualifiers for its members and now runs a "class act" Witch City Dart Tournament.
The free qualifiers have sent me to ADO regionals where I've earned trips to Houston, Austin, Dallas, Las Vegas, Stamford, CT and England. Besides shirts to represent the league, they also have given me needed money to defray the cost of these trips. If you go to any tournaments, take a minute and ask some of the shooters from other leagues how "supportive" their leagues are? I've met many players whose leagues do nothing for them.
I personally feel very lucky to be a member of MMDL. I would encourage you to go to MMDL events...they are fun and will only help you get better as a player. Just know I would not have traveled to any of these places or met some of the incredible people I have if it wasn't for the support of the Minute Man Dart League.
Hope to see you at upcoming MMDL tournaments,
--Bette Cunningham
Bette Cunningham at this year's Witch City Open, on her way to another 501 Singles Title which also got her an automatic invite to next year's World Masters in England.
GIRL POWER DARTS PHOTO CONTEST!
WIN AN MMDL DARTBOARD!
Email us a picture of any female MMDL player(s) in action (even yourself) and get a chance to win an Official MMDL Alien Dartboard courtesy of Dart World!
HOW TO ENTER - Submission deadline is 12/03/13:
All you have to do is take a picture of any female MMDL dart player(s) that grants you their permission (either in action at the oche or near the dartboard holding darts or any other dart-related theme) and email it to mmdl.bod@gmail.com by the deadline of December 3, 2013. MAKE SURE YOU IDENTIFY THE SUBJECT OF THE PICTURE AND INCLUDE YOUR NAME, TEAM NAME, AREA and NAME OF VENUE WHERE PICTURE IS TAKEN with your picture. Images must be in good taste, PG, and family-friendly PLEASE!
We'll send the winner an official MMDL Alien Dartboard - a $59.95 value! Pictures can be taken with a camera, tablet or cell phone, but be aware -- the better quality the picture, the more likely you are to be selected as the winner.
If you are with any female players, just take a picture at your league match Tuesday night and send it in for your chance to win! There are more than a few Tuesdays to do this before the deadline, but take your picture tonight and send it in to get your chance to win the MMDL dartboard!
IMPORTANT: When submitting your photo, make sure you include your 1) NAME (of person(s) in picture as well as name of entrant), 2) ENTRANT'S TEAM NAME, 3) AREA and 4) NAME OF VENUE WHERE PICTURE IS TAKEN. Failure to include this information may prevent you from winning.
E-MAIL YOUR ENTRY TO: mmdl.bod@gmail.com (and don't forget the attachment!)
Submission deadline is 12/03/13:
Terms and Conditions:
Sorry, but you must be an MMDL member to qualify for this giveaway. You may submit only one picture per entrant. Entrant does not need to be the subject of the photo, but the photo must feature a female MMDL player. The female player may appear in more than one entrant's picture, but may only submit one entry for themselves. Winner must supply a valid US shipping address to receive prize. All submitted pictures become the sole property of Minute Man Dart League, Inc. and may be posted on the MMDL website, Facebook page and used in promotional materials, all rights reserved.
Next Board Meeting: 11/25/13 6:30pm
Meeting location -
Donahue's Bar & Grill
87 Bigelow Ave
Watertown, MA 02472
* MMDL BoD meetings are open to the public. If you wish to attend an MMDL Board Meeting, please contact your Area Director to make sure there are no last minute changes to the meeting time and location, and make note if you want to address the board with an issue to add to the meeting agenda.
Please encourage your team mates to sign up for this email list. To subscribe, go to the MMDL website or just send an email to
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MMDL Knit Hat - $15.00
