Dart games ignite friendly competition
By Glenn Wallace

Glenn Wallace/Staff
Tourney organizer Phil takes aim in the back room of the Firestone-Walker Brewery.

Staff Writer

So is it the money and beer, or the win which brings an interesting collection of dart enthusiasts to the Firestone-Walker Brewery every Monday night?

This was the question I posed to my fellow tournament participants last week as we queued up to take a few practice throws between rounds.

“The prizes are nice, but I like the win,” said Mark Lane, who is usually found throwing soft-tips at DJ’s in Lompoc.

“Oh it’s the beer and cash,” asserted Isaac Oltmans, who has participated since the start of the tournament some seven months ago.

“I make sure there’s no beer in the house Monday just to motivate me.”

What began as a weekly individual tournament between friends, castaways from the established Santa Barbara Darts League, began attracting more area players.

“The night can vary from anywhere from 8 to 20 players,” according to Phil O’Neill, the founder of the event.

They gather in the back room of the brewery, where up to four steel tip dart boards can be put to use, with ample space left for spectators, or eliminated contestants to sit and enjoy the competition, perhaps with beer in hand.

O’Neill calls it one of the best venues for darts in the area.

“Tons of room, we have our own stereo to play whatever music we want and we don't get in the way of any of the patrons or each other. It's a very comfortable room and we're so happy Firestone has embraced the darts and all of us.”

I had attended one of the first Monday night tournaments, and was quickly eliminated in the one-on-one format. The beer was tasty though.

Now with more people attending, the tournament features a random pairing, double elimination system. My gain was Oltmans’ loss when he and I were paired together.

Oltmans, together with O’Neill had the idea to start up a dart night a year ago. The British half of the Adam Firestone/David Walker brewery loved the idea, and the event was born.

Relatively new to the sport — four years of throwing — Oltmans told me he is striving for professional success.

“This year I’ve done four national tournaments,” he said, expressing hope to become a Top 100 player like O’Neill within the year.

I did him no favors in advancing his craft.

In the game of 501, players attempt to earn exactly 501 points before their opponent can. Triple 20 is the scoring zone of choice, as it offers the largest possible score of 180. I would toss out something resembling my shoe size, leaving the left-handed Oltmans to try and make up ground for our team. That he did, and with superior accuracy, carried team G.I. to the semifinals where we were beaten soundly by the eventual champs.

Sent to the consolation bracket, we (meaning Oltmans) could claw our way back into the championship match with one win.

Standing in our way was the team of Tammi Sherman, one of the newer players in the group, and O’Neill.

My proudest moment of the night came when I somehow managed to toss a 101 during the first game of 501. I credit the throw, called a “ton and one” in darts lingo, to the beer consumption.

Team G.I. won that opening game thanks to a flashy bull’s-eye finish by Oltmans. The opposing team came right back and won handily at Cricket, setting up a winner-take-all third game of 501. We had a slight lead when Tammi nailed a double-19’s to grab the win.

Tammi’s team would eventually lose to the team including her husband Ed Sherman.

“I didn’t play at first. He’d bring me here and I would just shoot if they were short of people,” recalls Tammi. “Now I’m hooked.”

Hooked enough to threaten Ed with sleeping in the barn for winning.

The Shermans and several of the other participants regularly play soft-tip at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez.

Lane, who sports an almost underhanded throwing style, literally and figuratively owns the soft-tip board at DJ’s. Working in Buellton across the street from the brewery has made his attendance at the Monday night tourneys automatic.

Still others, like Pat “PK” Keith, live and play in Santa Maria, but still make the trip.

“I’m here every Monday night. It’s just a good time and usually my son and daughter come too,” said Keith.

Keith has played for over 30 years, competed internationally and has won two soft-tip championships.

“There’s some really good shooters here. But any given day, anybody here can win just depending on how they’re feeling and how they’re throwing.”

Case in point, Tammi and I making it to the final three of the tournament (with more than a little help from our partners of course).

“Perfect,” was how Oltmans described the Firestone-Walker gatherings for beginners and newcomers. By way of example, a woman who had only competed twice before, at that moment managed to throw a 180 in her team’s match of 501.

As numbers grow for the informal Monday night events, O’Neill hopes to form league teams.

“I run the Santa Barbara Dart Association and we're talking about maybe even combining some of the new teams with the league down there,” he said.

Until then, it is just a collection of like-minded dart players, getting together for some fun once a week.

After being knocked out of the tournament, I finish my beer while listening to the soft “thunk” of the darts hitting the board. I watch Ed beat Tammi, though he may regret it later, gather my six-pack prize and turn to go. I have to drink it all before next Monday, you know, for the motivation.

Glenn Wallace can be reached at 688-5522, Ext. 6007 or gwallace@syvnews.com.