PORT AUX CHOIX, N.L. — Provincial champion Brad Dobbin, 18, of Port aux Choix placed second at the Youth National Dart Championships in Drummondville, Quebec May 17-20.
Dobbin, the provincial champion for the past three years, enjoyed the challenge of the national championships.
“It was a lot of fun to go to it,” Dobbin said. “The competition was pretty stiff.”
Dobbin has been playing darts since he was 12, learning the game from family members.
“All of my family play, and they are all pretty good at it,” Dobbin said. “I got into playing it with them.”
While the rest of his family primarily plays just for fun, Dobbin has been playing competitively for the past two-three years. He takes his training very seriously.
“I try to practice two hours a day,” Dobbin said. “I do half an hour intervals so I don’t wear my arm out.”
The majority of his practice takes place in Dobin’s basement, playing against his father, or against a computer with electronic scoring.
In addition to Dobbin’s second place finish in Senior Male Singles, he and Erica Spracklin took second place in the Mixed Doubles category, and Team Newfoundland brought home the coveted Nodor Cup (Youth) for the first time.
Dobbin encourages other youth to give darts a try.
“It’s really fun,” Dobbin says. “You can meet a lot of new friends playing darts.”
