NDA Team Dart XXII

LAS VEGAS , NV - Soft-tip dart players across the globe gathered at the Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas , Nevada for the National Dart Association's Team Dart International Championships, held April 27 through May 5. This year, Team Dart boasted more than 15,000 event entrants from five countries competing for over $500,000 in prize money.

The NDA prides itself on offering a tournament for players of all skill levels ranging from beginners to professionals. All participants are classified into levels according to their or their team's skill rating. In fact, there are anywhere from four to 16 levels in any one event each year depending on the number and skill levels of entries. And all levels in Open events pay the same amount of money for each place, be it Level 1 or Level 16.

The Association's Charter Holders work very hard all year to provide opportunities for their sanctioned players to compete in leagues and become eligible for the annual Team Dart tournament. Approximately 164 NDA Charter Holders sent teams to Team Dart this year. Team Dart entry qualifications include being an NDA-sanctioned player and playing at least 96 league games in a specified period for the coin-op vending company who enters the player in the tournament.

Team Dart XXII kicked off Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29, with Singles and Doubles Cricket and 501. Due to Nevada 's new smoking ban and the strict enforcement by the Riviera , this was the first year that Team Dart was a smoke-free tournament. Thanks to the cooperation of all the players and volunteers, events were not delayed and play was not slowed down due to this change.

This change was a positive step towards bringing in media and sponsorship opportunities related to Team Dart. And due to a new schedule, participants also enjoyed a less hectic week by holding Team Cricket and 501 events over three consecutive days rather than two. Players had the option of participating in up to eight events throughout the 10 days of competition.

An international competition would not be complete without an International Challenge. Teams from Spain , Germany , Canada , France , and the United States competed Wednesday, May 2 for international bragging rights until next year's competition. The U.S. Men's team defeated Germany , thus taking the Men's title for the second year in a row. The U.S. Women's team came back from the loser's bracket to defeat Germany as well, thus holding on to their title for a fourth consecutive year.

A special thank you to Mike Bates at Dart Master for sponsoring Team USA once again.

During the Monday night Opening Ceremony, the NDA inducted two additional long-time member opera tors into the Team Dart Hall of Fame. Kenny Price of Welch Music in Parkersburg , West Virginia and Dave Warner of Warner Coin Machine in Erie , Pennsylvania have been a part of Team Dart since its inaugural tournament in 1985. For their dedicated service, Britt Bruner, NDA Vice President, presented them with Hall of Fame awards.

Also during the Opening Ceremony, the NDA thanked its sponsors for their continued support of the tournament and the Association. The hard work and dedication of the Team Dart Tournament Committee, Tournament Staff, Referees, Set-up Crew and Administrative Staff was also recognized. Honored staff included the Tournament Committee, Adminiastrative and Tournament Staff and the Tournament Referees.

The NDA's manufacturer sponsors, Arachnid, Medalist, NSM-Löwen and Shelti, Inc. provided 284 dartboards for the tournament floor. It was on these machines that the best of the best battled for the title of World Champion. Manufacturers also provided games in their on-site booth for players to enjoy outside of competition.

Thanks to Menifee Valley Awards and Productions, Laramie Screen Printing and A-Z Darts for their continued support of the NDA and Team Dart.

The NDA is an international trade association of coin-operated vending companies representing approximately 300 members and 250,000 players worldwide. The NDA was formed by and for coin machine operators to promote the sport of electronic darting exclusively on an operator-owned equipment. The Association offers a variety of programs, materials, and supplies to support its members in increasing the profitability of their dart operations. The NDA and Team Dart is sponsored by the Amusement and Music Operators Association (AMOA), Arachnid, Inc., Medalist Corporation, NSM-Löwen Entertainment, and Shelti, Inc.

For more information about membership in the NDA, contact NDA Director of Member Relations and Marketing, Alyssa Pfennig, at 1-800-808-9884 x202 or visit the NDA Web site at www.ndadarts.com.