FAHS Dart Club Shoots Their Best Shot with the Pros

Have you ever aspired to test how accurate your aim is? The Dart Club at Fleetwood Area High in room 106 invites students to throw darts every Tuesday. Recently, they hosted an event that featured professional dart players, teaching students the tips and tricks for throwing their best shot at the boards.

The club’s organizer, English teacher Marc Walter, invited local professionals listed on the “American Baseball Dart Association” (ABDA), an organization that hosts competitive dart events and ranks players according to their skill level.

“It’s a fun sport–not a game–that creates focus and mindfulness,” Walter said.

The players invited to the event at Fleetwood were Alan Miller, Traci Mengle, Kenny Terwilger, and Mark Wuerstle. All of these individuals are more than qualified in their skillsets.

Miller is ranked #3 nationally on the ABDA website for his impressive scores. Mengle has won multiple championships in women’s leagues and PA competitions. Terwilger is the director of the largest dart event in North America. Last but not least, Wuerstle is ranked 10th nationally on ABDA along with being an 8-time PA State Championship winner. 

“They [the ABDA players] are always willing to share any of their knowledge, including their own self-developed techniques. Every player develops their own unique hold, stance, and release. Being coached by the professionals helps the students learn what works and what doesn’t much faster,” Walter said.

The members of the ABDA most commonly play a dart game called “Baseball.” This game is fairly regional, and the board used is an American-style dart board. Baseball is played in nine innings, and players must try to achieve as many points as possible. Unlike the value of typical boards, the bullseye in Baseball is worth 0 points, while the thin inner line is worth 3, the thin outer line is 2, and the inner area of a number spot is worth 1. 

Overall, the Dart Club is the place to go if students want to socialize, practice throwing darts, and learn mindfulness and patience through the sport. 

If you would like to contact the Dart Club and ask any questions, the officers include Connor Schlegel (president), Grace Reed (vice president), Kylie Nagle-Yost (secretary), Carly Hayes (treasurer), and Sophia Dunlop (historian).