At the invitation of Southern California Darts Association (SCDA) Vice-President Harvey Fischer, I spent an hour or so Friday night taking in the League Championship competition amongst the league teams at the Moose Lodge in Reseda.  Let me tell you, I would be embarrassed to play a round with these gentlemen who can pick off the numbers in a game of Cricket before I can write my name on the scoreboard.  As Harvey and I discussed that is one of the reasons that steel tip darts are on the wane in this area and around the country: beginners don't like getting whupped every time they play and soon drop out of the leagues.  The folks at SCDA are a friendly group though and are trying to get around that in a number of ways such as having mixed doubles on Wednesdays that aren't quite so competitive and trying to get enough newbies on board to have a C League for newcomers.  Even with the highly competitive play of many of the League's players, ample opportunity exists for even the greenest of players to play, have fun and increase skills.

Still, the fight to increase steel tip darts play is uphill all the way.  Self scoring soft tip boards, video games and the lessening enthusiasm of corporate sponsors all play a part in the decline of steel tip play.  The key to the future of steel tip, as with all of the more traditional pub games, is getting the younger players and more women involved.  We're going to do some brainstorming along those lines, along with looking at opportunities for more tournament play and sponsorship.  Feel free to drop me a line or post a comment if you have suggestions and, as always, clue me into good places to play.