Meet Tim Petri, Another Passionate Darter You Should Know!

Welcome back to the interview section of the passionate darter website. Today we're talking to Tim Petri of OK and his views on the dart world. This is one of the favorite parts of this website - meeting other passionate darters that you should know. Here's Tim Petri's take on the dart world. Enjoy and look for Tim at any tournaments you attend in the states!

Where is your home ciity and state - did you grow up in Oklahoma and/or how did you come to live there?

I was born in Buffalo, NY, but I have and still live in Tulsa, OK with a couple of stops in Norman, OK and Stillwater, OK, along the way.

Tell me about the first time you picked up a dart and played... What were your thoughts at the end of that day and did you ever imagine that you would be playing darts all these years later.

The first time I ever picked up a dart was just a joke. The bar that I normally went to, had a bar triathalon. Pool, darts and shuffleboard. The game in darts was 301 and I saw some people had thrown 100 dart games. I saw that, and go I can beat that. I promptly licked up three darts and threw them. Not really trying to hit anything in particular. After my 3 darts, a guy named Eldon, challenged me to a game of 301 and said he would play for $5. I figured what the heck and played him.

I won the cork and promptly won in 8 darts. Beginners luck I thought. Then a guy named Steve Swift, who was the city 301 champ for years challenged me to the same $5. I promptly beat him in 7 darts. Both players were skunked. Steve quickly asked me to play on his Classic team, which at the time was the highest class of players. I have thrown 18 darts and I am now on a classic dart team. 16 years later, I am still playing, although I never thought I would. I have taken some time off here and there, but I am still playing the game that I love to play.

Do you throw plastic, steel or both?

I throw both, but I really do prefer playing steel tip.

What kind of darts do you throw? (GTs, Widows, etc. & flight type...)

I throw 24gram Paul Lim's with nylon shafts and Ruthless kite flights.

Which do you prefer throwing and why?

I prefer steel tip darts mostly because I started with them and they have to stick in the board to count. Yeah, it can be an advantage to play soft tip where if a dart bounces out it will count, but to me that takes away from the challenge of the game. Steel tip has more strategy involved and I like to be able to use that strategy to my advantage.

Describe your dart setup at home...

I actually don't have a set up at home, I usually go to Ken Swanson's place to practice, he has a nice set up with the lights and board set up, so I go over there and practice with him.

Do you think steel tip darts are on the decline and is it difficult to find league/tournaments in your city? Why?

Steel tip in Tulsa is trying to pick up, but it needs a lot of help, with the size of Tulsa, you would think there would be a good sized dart league, but we unfortunately don't have one. There is one bar that has a blind draw, but it is like once a month, so it is hard to get anything going that way. There is only about 4 or 5 people from Tulsa who travel regularly to out of town tournaments. I am one of them, although I haven't been this year due to recent back surgery. I am making my debut in the Hawkeye Open in Cedar Rapids, IA the weekend of June 4th-6th. It will be good to get out on the road again to play.

Do you think soft-tip darts are "real" darts? If you play both, which is more challenging and why?

I like soft tip darts, but I think steel tip darts are the real darts. That is how the game was invented with steel tip darts, so it is only appropriate that steel tip be the real darts. I think that steel tip darts is more challenging, because the dart has to stick in the board to count, where as soft tip, the dart can bounce out and still count. There are different strategies in both games, but there is more of one in steel tip to me, and I like to use that to my advantage if I can.

How can passionate darters like yourself help other darters get into steel-tip?

I have tried to offer my services to help anyone and everyone, the last person I really helped, ended up number 5 in the country last year, so either I am one really good teacher, or I really do suck as a player, LOL!!! I enjoy helping newer darters. I try my best to help everyone with strategies, their outs and what might be the most comfortable thing to them. The thing that most people look at, is cost. They seem to think that soft tip darts cost less. In a sense that is true, but not always the case. When it is all said and done, it actually cost more to play soft tip than steel tip.

Have you had a mentor? Who do you admire in darts and why?

I have had a few people be mentors. The first was Steve Swift, the guy I beat out of $5 the first time I ever threw darts. There was also Johny Noe, Hank Johnson, but the person who helped me the most in the early years, was John Parker. John, as much flack as he took, was one of the best teachers I could have had. He had a lot of knowledge to share and he had some stories of other players as well. I remember the first time he asked to partner up, I was totally shocked and thrilled at the same time. We ended up taking 1st in Open Doubles 501 and top 4 in Open Doubles Cricket at the Air Capital Open in Wichita,KS. In the last few years, it has been Ken Swanson, yes the same guy I helped, is now helping me get back to where I once was. Funny how things go. It just seems like only a couple of years ago, I was helping Ken, now here it is, he is helping me. Although I am beginning to think there is no help for me. LOL!

How do you help other new darters learn the strategy and joy of the game?

I first off, tell them, there is no right way or wrong way to stand or hold and throw a dart. Do what you think is most comfortable. Now if there is something really wrong, I will tell them they might want to try this, but I will not tell them junk everything and start all over. I also try and tell them to relax. That is the biggest thing with new darts is trying to get them to relax. They sometimes have a tendency to over-try and therefore over throw. There are some different strategies really. A lot depends on the competition and your ability to throw as well. For beginners though, it is trying to keep it as simple as possible until they can get to a good comfort level to try and throw some more strategies at them. You don't want to make it so complex that they get so confused and then start throwing so bad that they want to quit. I also have the perfect line for them, and it has been drilled into my head by a couple of really great darters. Everyone misses. When I watched the Las Vegas Open last year, I watched Phil Taylor throw a couple of 26's. Even the best miss. They also miss doubles as well. So I try and tell them not to get to discouraged and stick with it. We have all lost our fair share of games. It is part of the learning. One other thing, I tell them, chalk as much as possible. I did this and learned a lot. You will see how others throw and the strategies they use to hit their outs.

Describe in your own words the meaning of good sportsmanship? How do you act in the spirit of good sportsmanship?

Good sportsmanship is showing respect to your opponent whether you win or lose. There are sore losers and there are sore winners. Try and be respectful of all players, whether you are playing, spectating or even chalking. I try and tell everyone good darts whether I win or lose. I will also thank a chalker for chalking. You cant get through a match without a chalker. It would be easy for them to say no and sit and relax, but they gave their time for you so you can play a match, so it is best to thank them for their time and service and I try my best to chalk for them if I am able to.

Describe your first league/draw and tournament experiences!

The first league experience was absolutely horrible. I had played a grand total of three days when I got to play my first league match. We were the second worst team in the league, and we were playing one of the top two teams in the league. I got to play in a couple of games. I was scared to death. I was so intimidated by who I was playing. I knew of them and their reputations, that I could barely hold my darts correctly. I did happen to throw a few good rounds, a couple of them bolstered by the wonderful catch on the trip 18. LOL. I don't know what has happened through the years, I now catch trip 12. The first blind draw tournament I played in, I drew Johny Noe, and we walked through everyone. Well OK, Johny walked through everyone, i sort of hit a couple of things along the way. LOL!

What are your favorite tournaments to travel to and why?

Hawkeye Open in Cedar Rapids, Tri-State Open in Joplin, MO, Sooner Open in Miami,OK, Hanging Judge Open in Ft. Smith, AR, just because everyone is so fun and they make it fun to play in, I guess my favorite tournament, although I had to miss it for the first time, is the Big White Dog Tournament in Fayetteville, AR, it is for the Northwest Arkansas Humane Society. I love playing in tournaments that are for charity, I love giving my time and efforts to those less fortunate. They definitely deserve our time and money. And we do need to be able to give back to the community and those less fortunate than those of us who are.

What was it like to throw your first Ton-80 in steel tip?

I was in 7th Heaven, it was in the now defunct, T-Town Open here in Tulsa, and I was in an Open doubles match and we needed every point of it. Of course I backed it up with a 3. thank goodness I hit triple 1 on my last dart, because the first two were nowhere to be found, LOL!

Darts is in part a confidence game. How do you get into the zone and find that mental focus?

I like to joke around while warming up, it helps take my mind off of what is ahead, and that really helps loosen me up. Well that and Jose Cuervo doesn't hurt either, LOL!

What are your thoughts about drinking and darts?

I don't really drink that much. I might have a couple of drinks, but not much. I have been drunk one time, thanks Tulsa Bob, LOL, who got me wasted by 9am on Saturday morning. Apparently I shot quite well after that though. I could have beaten the guy who won singles 501 if i could have hit my doubles, and apparently I had a lot of opportunities to do it, but couldn't have proven it by me. I know, I know, should have, would have, could have. Anyways, drinking is OK, as long as someone doesn't get to fubar. A lot of people drink to help calm their nerves. I think that is fine, but when someone overdoes it, they are not only making it hard on themselves to throw, but they are making it dangerous for everyone else. Some of their darts can become quite painful if they are not careful with what they are doing.

Do you think there would be more darters if dart bars were smoke free and what are your thoughts on smoking and darts?

No I really don't think there would be more darters if the bars were smoke free, although here in Tulsa we are supposed to go smoke free next year I believe or January 1, 2006. It wouldn't make any difference to me. I am going to have fun no matter where I am. You are also going to have one or two who are going to complain about something no matter what it is also.

Sherilyn and Tim Petri

Throwing Arrows at Sponge Reef, in Illinois

Thanks Tim for sharing your personal views and experiences on the dart world! It's darters like you who help to keep the sport growing! Good luck in your future tournaments, we'll be watching to see your future tournament results and I personally look forward to shooting a game together someday in person!

As always, shoot well and I'll see you at the line.