Bull's-eye for N.W.T. as dart throwers win Canadian championship

Elvis Beaudoin and Keith Way could have been tossing darts at the Yellowknife Legion, aiming for 10s, double 20s and triple 20s.

Instead, they were on their way to winning a national championship.

The two defeated Team Nova Scotia 3-0 to win the men's doubles title at the Adult National Darts Championship in Saskatoon. It'sthe first national darts championshipfor a team from the Northwest Territories.

"The winning match? It was great. We got onto the stage, we were comfortable," Way said. "We just started playing darts, just like we were throwing darts at home.

"We knew the way were shooting, we knew we had a chance to win the tournament," he said.

The tournament is made up of some of the best dart throwers in Canada. The top eight men and women from each province and territory face of in team and individual events over three days.

"It's the best of the best, from east to west. It's a big thing. The Canadian national dart championships are the biggest event in the year for us," he said.

"Thanks to everybody for their support, it's much appreciated and we'll try and do it again today and tomorrow," Way said.

'On top of the moon'

Beaudoin and Way keep sharp by playing in leagues in the Legion in Yellowknife and in casual dart nights around town. They qualified for the championships earlier this spring at a tournament in Hay River.

"It's surreal, it hasn't sunk in what we just did, but I'm on top of the moon," Beaudoin said Wednesday, ahead of the men's singles event.

"You should see how happy every Northwest Territories player was after we won that," he said. "It was like a team had just done something. Everybody was just elated."

Beaudoin says he hopes their win can encourage more people to play the sport, which he compares to a round of golf another sport known more for being mentally instead of physically challenging.

"This is tough, it's a tough sport. You have to be concentrating at all times, especially at this level down here," he said. "You gotta love it, just shooting darts with your two friends, socializing? It's just great."

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