Teams in area leagues compete once a week for bragging rights, awards and cash prizes. For the traditionalist, though, steel tip is the only way to go. The Outlaw Dart League lets it fly on Wednesday nights from October through March at eight bars in the northwest Rochester area. Tuesday night is prime time for the largest steel-tip league in the area. The Genesee Valley Darts Association runs competitions year-round at about 44 bars and businesses.
Darts is a mental game, say darters.
It doesn't take a lot of brute strength to get one of those little darts 8 feet away,'' says Peter Varlan, an association board member and the league's scorekeeper. It's doesn't take daily practice, either. Well, not for the experienced darter. Bob Conant, captain of the Sports Page Gravediggers, used to practice every day. Practice consists of going to the bar early and throwing. ''Throwing and having a beer or two,'' Varlan says.