I've known Chicago darter Kat McCann for years now so it seemed only natural to interview her for this site. We played together on a woman's team in the city's open league division. Translation? I think we were the only team of women playing against mostly men. What do I know about Kat? She's quite a capable darter and well-known in the Chicago area, as well as by those who travel to tournaments. There are three things I admire about any passionate darter and Kat is no exception. She knows what she is going to do before she steps up to the line, she throws solid darts, and she knows its not over until the last dart is thrown. I will gladly partner with Kat any day of the week as I have seen her throw some amazing darts. Without further adieu, here is Kat's take on the dart world:

Well, actually in 1982...the summer before I got married we (my then-to-be husband and I) played at Landmark on Levitt, by Clyborn. Then we didn't play after we were married (bowling was always a big part of my competitive experience). In 1993 I was going through a divorce and a friend said she played darts, so I went to the bar where she bartended and started playing.

Where did your first set of darts come from?
My first set of darts? Big Joes 2&6, year 1982. They were feather flights Accudarts changeable weights.

Pentalthon cracker jack flights, with top-spin shafts, Hammerhead points, Bottlessen knurled barrel, 26 grams.

Would you rather be a Team Captain or a player?
I am a team captain; I put the team together with input from everyone and also get to hear the complaints too. I am a player who most of the time wonders "What was the captain was actually thinking???"

What is the max number of teams that you have shot on at once, and what is your preference in this regard?
4 (open league, Wednesday cricket, mixed league & Saturday) but no more, no more. I enjoy mixed league but also any open league team. Open league means I get to play against the guys, most of whom are respectful.

It depends what game that I'm playing. If I'm playing cricket I check to see what numbers are available and go through if I miss then where am I going to go? If it is '01, then I'm thinking about hitting what is required depending where I/we are in the game. Besides the checklist which is longer than the out or strategy...

Actually there are several but the one that comes to mind is when Sue Knight made it on Stage at the Cup in April, 2008 with her partner Tim Schmidt in mixed-doubles, to play against BamBam and June Bug. I hooked Sue and Tim up for that event. She was ecstatic!!!!! How cool is that?!

What has been your worst dart experience?
(Kat gave the politically correct answer to this question and preferred not to answer.)

It's pretty funny that you asked this because we were talking about this at the Bullshooter tournament. I prefer steel-tip but electronic is helpful because it improves my release - Release the dart incorrectly (in electronic) and chances are it doesn't count for anything because the dart hits the board but not tip first.

People have addictions - Me? I am addicted to darts because of the great people I have met through the years. Nothing like going to a tournament and having a pro shout across the room "Hey Kat how you doin?" and everyone looks at me like "Who are you?" It's an ego thing...LOL.

You have taken on the role of communicator in the world of Chicago darts and many people depend on you for information. How did you begin? Why is this important to you?

When I bowled I started doing this for the E-mail list that I had from several bowlers about tournaments, etc. Back in middle 90's (Wow! Is that back in the day???). Better over-informed than not at all. I started doing it because there were times that people didn't hear about things until afterwards. As a captain I try to make sure my team and the teams we play against have information because some do not pass anything on (oh they aren't interested in that or I don't have the time or I just play league so let them find out from someone else). Word of mouth would take too long and phone calls went out to a certain group. With the technology today between Internet and text-messaging I just really enjoy it. If people want something sent out to a large group even if it is not dart related (I have a couple of telecommunications E-mail address lists and Nascar), but may be of some use to someone, why not?

There just isn't one favorite. Let's talk Village Pub (River and Rand Road with the hubcaps on the side of the building, across the street from Village). Miss it and the people. I never went to Maxfields (know a lot that did though). I am more partial to the businesses run by women (Di's Den, Family Bar, & Gambler's). Mulligans is a visit to my past (the hood that it is in just about 6 blocks west at Roscoe and Levitt where I was bartending in 1980, and then of course playing at Landmark in 1982).

They promote the sport and they are always looking at new ways to get people interested, besides playing at one time or another. Keeping the supplies stocked, and the boards updated...Knowing the patrons is always a plus, but also fully aware of a new person looking sheepishly in awe of the people playing.

What have been the best changes in the world of darts, either tournaments or league, during the last decade?

Televised World Series of Darts. The PDC having shoots on Sunday at the tournaments. It gives the local pro the chance to play, make some money and also helps get darts recognized.

If you were a visionary, what changes would you like to see to league and tournament darts in the next few years?

I would like to see the pro's (local) or the higher rated player (Masters/Tungsten) have a shoot once a month with a child as their partner (blind draw format). This would promote the sport and also get children interested, as well as bring in new people to the world of darts. You could have a family league also which would bring in new adults and also get children interested. It's a great teaching tool for math, also without a calculator.

Go to the tournaments and play, and blind draws, and play. Watch some of the people in the area who are always finishing in the top 8. Talk with these players, ask for help on anything and listen. Learn your outs and cricket strategy from them. The out-chart is a wonderful tool for about the first 3 months and then you need to learn percentages, what happens if you don't trip the number and know what the other options are. You will get a wide-world of knowledge on outs and strategy. Don't sell yourself short by I'm not good enough - Play, play, support the tournaments, support your league and bring people with you and get them started in darts.

The board gives countless hours (they volunteered for this abuse). I do not want to commit to a schedule like that. I don't mind helping out but it is not a commitment I would be able to keep.

Most of the time (they don't know) what is going on in my head, my life. There's more than what is seen.

How about submitting a picture to go along with this interview so others can place a face with the name?

I will have to search my computer for pics. Me thinks I need to clean it up duplicate files and duplicate pictures. Hmmmmm, and also clean up my iTunes list too. Hmmmmm. Well, now that I mentioned it, I am overwhelmed with those two items...LOL. Okay, back to NASCAR! LET'S GO RACING!