Darter Lisa Rouse

How long have you been playing darts?
I have been playing darts for about 12 years now

How did you get started?
I had never played darts until I met my boyfriend - now husband. He was an avid darter and from the first throw I was hooked. I began playing regularly alongside of him at local tournaments.

Do you play steel-tip or electronic?
Steel tip

What do you say about darters who insist electronic darts are not real darts?
Everyone has their own preference, whichever works for them is their decision. It is about the same as telling a hockey player what kind of equipment he needs to use, it is all ones own preference.

Where did you get your first set of darts and what kind were they? What do you shoot with today?
When I started playing, I used an old set of my husbands darts, they were 23 grams. I have since bought another set almost the same except they are hammerheads. I still have my original set, and occasionally use them - you know when you can't get your darts to fly just right, sometimes switching up helps.

What is your favorite game and why?
I enjoy playing all games of darts, I prefer 501, but I think the main reason for that is that is what is played at the majority of the tournaments I participate in.

What is your favorite out?
I don't really have a favorite out, but if I had to choose, I like the lower right hand side of the board - 6, 10, 15. Most people say I'm crazy for trying those numbers, but that is the side of the board I am most comfortable with.

What is your personal cricket strategy?
I like to try to keep ahead of my opponent. If they close their 20s, I shoot for my 19s and so forth. I don't usually try for points unless I need to catch up, and then I just get enough for the lead.

Tell me about your first dart team...
When I first started playing darts in a league, it was just by chance. My husband was asked to join an all mens team, leaving his old team with an opening. He was asked by his former teammates if he knew of anyone, and there I was. Over the years I have played on many different teams, but I am now back playing for my original captain our team name has changed over the years depending on who we get to sponsor it. Our league plays every Monday night starting at 7pm. We start the night with a quads cricket match, then we play best of 3 quads 1001, followed by 2 matches of doubles and four matches of singles. We can have 6 people on our team, but the most that play any one event is 4. The team I am on now plays for fun, we don't care about winning, just enjoy a night out of the house. Points are awarded for each match, with a possibility of 9 a night. Our last season we ended up second by 3 points, it was really close right through the season, with the last night determining the final outcome.

Are you still friends with some of the darters from that first team?
Yes, I am still friends with everyone that was on that team. We have all gone back and forth between teams, but those of us who still play are back on the same team again.

What pet-peeves do you have about competitive darts?
I don't really have any pet-peeves about competitive darts. I hear people complain about noise, but it doesn't bother me ( I have 3 small children ) I guess if there was one thing that bothers me it would have to be the people that complain about everyone else then 5 minutes later are doing the exact thing they were just complaining about.

What is the best way for a darter to learn to chalk?
Practice, practice, practice. As well as support and encouragement from fellow darters.

What is your practice routine like?
I like to shoot at doubles to warm up - start at double 1, then 2, etc. I try to improve how many shots it takes to hit each double.

Do you have a dartboard setup at home? Describe it!
I have an official tournament board set up at home. My husband made a back board for it using some leftover wainscotting from a home repair job he had done. We have a lamp hanging above it, shining straight onto the board to reduce shadows from the regular lighting.

Tell me about your favorite dart pub!
In the town I live in, there is only two places to go and play darts. The first is the Royal Canadian Legion which has four boards set up in the main clubroom and ten boards set up in the auditorium. Unfortunately, liquor laws here prevent us from using the auditorium without hired supervision, so it is very seldom that we play there. The four boards in the main clubroom have electronic counters (you type in your score and it automatically calculates it for you), unfortunately these boards are often blocked by tables of people when there is entertainment at the legion. The second place where we can go to play is Harrys Pub which has three boards set up. The downfall here is that we always have to rearrange furniture and lighting before we can play, it is very discouraging.

What would be the perfect dart pub?
I'm not sure what would make it a perfect pub, however I know what I dislike about our local pubs. I would like to see boards set up for easy access, proper lighting to prevent shadows on the boards, and a good cheerful bunch of people to be around. I don't think the place would really matter as long as there is appropriate boards set up and good company to be with.

Everyone wins and everyone loses. In your opinion how does a darter win and lose graciously?
Attitude says it all. A gracious darter will congratulate their opponent regardless of the outcome, will help with finishes when the opponent is struggling, and will offer advice whenever possible. Many people take the game too serious and that is discouraging for us regular players, there is no reason to curse and swear about a bad score, no reason to hoot and holler about a good score, it is a game played for fun by many and I find it disgusting watching the people that get very vocal regardless of how they are playing.

What are you thinking about when you step up to the line?
I try to focus on what I want to hit, and if I miss what will help me the most for my next shot.

Do you ever get nervous at the line and what do you do about it?
I often get nervous at the line, when this happens, I take a step back, take a few deep breaths, and try to focus on my game, ignoring what my opponent has left.

Tell me about your first blind draw experience...
My first blind draw experience was also with my first major tournament experience. I played in the local tournaments to qualify to go province wide to compete. The local tournaments are played on four different days, and the top 40% go on to represent our area province wide. I luckily qualified to go on. Going from the small local tournaments consisting of 40-50 people to the province wide tournament consisting of a few hundred people was a huge difference, and was very nerve wracking. The blind draw is played on the first night, before the actual tournament takes place, and is very busy. I drew another rookie to the tournament, needless to say we were both so overwhelmed we didn't do very well.

What goes through your mind when you draw someone as a partner who has never thrown darts before?
I play darts for fun, I don't care who I have for a partner. Everyone has the right to pay and needs to learn sometime. I try to be as supportive as I can, and encourage them as much as possible.

Tell me about your first tournament experience...
The first tournament I was in was no surprise to me, it is an annual tournament in town on Groundhog weekend ( February 2) and I had helped with organizing it for two years before I played in it.

What is your favorite tournament and why?
My favorite tournament will always be the Groundhog Weekend tournament. It is a fun tournament that gets everyone together in the dead of winter. It is more of a party and reunion than an actual tournament, it is a lot of fun!!

What is your best experience at a tournament?
My best experience would have to be this past year during our annual provincial dart tournament. I was 9 months pregnant (had a beautiful baby boy the following weekend) and everyone was very helpful. All of the big names in darts were there, and they couldn't have helped me more. There was never a problem finding somebody to chalk my games, they all graciously gave me a seat, did all my running, etc... I felt so pampered, and I was so relieved as I really needed the extra help.

What words of wisdom do you have for the darter who has just started playing?
Don't get discouraged!!! Darts takes time and patience to get skilled with. It can be very fun and rewarding, just remember everyone had to start sometime and has been in your place before.

What has been some of your best experiences playing darts?
I have had many great experiences playing darts, too many to really even count. I have met a lot of wonderful people and some not so wonderful people. Based on experience though I would say that 95% of the darters that I have met and competed against are the most wonderful, caring people I have ever met. Darts may be mainly an individual sport, but the friends you can meet make it a team sport. They are right there to support you and cheer you on when you need it the most. It is very rewarding.

Are there any darters that you would like to meet? Who, and why? What would you talk to them about? Do you have a favorite professional darter? Who and why?
My favorite person that I have already met playing darts has to be Andre Carman. He was the winner of Darts Ontario this year, but he is the most down to earth player I have ever met. I have competed in many tournaments against Andre, by talking to him, you wouldn't know how skilled and professional he really is. He will sit down with everybody after the games and suggest things to improve their shots, he will help you with finishes if you are having troubles, all in all he is a wonderful person.

Have you ever been a team captain?
I have never been a team captain, however I have organized many tournaments and seen what troubles some captains have. Finding a team that clicks is the most important thing. If there are players that bicker, the team will not do well. It is a very difficult job to be the captain, they need to know the strengths and weaknesses of every player and pair them up accordingly.

What are your own goals with regard to darts?
I would like to improve my game enough to qualify to compete at the National level. I have made it to the top 64 in Ontario, had I won just two more matches, I would have gone national, I guess that is my main goal right now.