Northern darts championship underway in Timmins

Dozens of determined darts enthusiasts flocked to Timmins for a provincial championship this weekend, some vying for cash and others to represent the north on the national stage.

The president of the Northern Ontario Darts Association, Christine Stark, said people all around the region were eager to be back together putting their aims to the test.

"Everybody is thrilled to be back and be able to do a large tournament like this in person," said Stark.

"There've been darts online, over the pandemic, but everybody's meeting and greeting and with the restrictions lifting, it's great to be out in public again."

Fourteen mixed doubles teams took their best shots for a chance at a $2,000 prize pool.

The singles play was the main event, however, with 51 men and 22 women competing for the opportunity to go up against the country's best dart throwers at the national championship in Toronto this June.

"I want to meet all the girls that we've been playing online that I've never met before," said singles competitor Monette Gill from Sudbury, who played for the northern Ontario team in the late 90s and returned to the sport in 2018.

"Lots of them made it to the provincial in their province, so they will be at the national."

The return of championships after two years of cancellations has veteran Sudbury-based darts player Preston Noonan relieved to be able to get reacquainted with colleagues.

Having also competed in curling, he said darts is a particular passion of his, due to its flexibility to play with teams or as a single — plus the chance to travel the country.

"I never would have been to Newfoundland if it wasn't for darts, but I've been there two or three times now and all the way out to Victoria, B.C. and every province in between," said Noonan, who has played since 2004 and has been an organizer for the northern Ontario team.

"It's been two years since we've been able to play, so it's nice to get back out."