PLAYER PROFILE
Renee Davis

The purpose of the Medallion’s Player Profile is to shine a light on dart players from month to month in order to make perfect strangers with a similar interest more familiar. It is our hope that those being profiled will become less of a mystery to our readers and fellow dart players.
We try to find out certain things about how these people think, act and live outside the game as well as in – giving your otherwise “faceless” opponents a platform to define what makes them special as a person.
The Player Profile is not meant to highlight the best dart thrower in the area or the person with the most achievements under their belt. It is meant to “expose” the inner workings of regular folks that we come in contact within our dart travels. These people, and all people, are very special and have their own story to tell. It’s always fascinating if you really take the time to listen.

This month, we’d like to introduce a fairly new player on the scene, Renee Davis. She’s been shooting very well and is building quite a reputation as a tough shot in the community of darts.
Take a moment, sit down and let’s listen to what makes Renee so special, won’t you?

Renee, how and when did you ever get into darts? I first started playing darts around August of 2004. It started out with just a group of friends playing for “fun”. I say fun like that because there was no money on the line, just bragging rights, which among your friends is far more valuable. We had a lot of fun playing very close, competitive games. I really enjoyed the game and started to pick up on it quickly.

You throw a mean game, who taught you to throw like that? I guess I’ve always had a pretty decent throw from the beginning. When I started playing tournaments with Mike Williams, he showed me a few pointers that helped me to fine tune it.
As for my strategy of the game, I’ve learned different things from a couple different people. Mike being one of them, just playing with him and watching what he would hit and when really taught me a lot about the game. Sometimes he would tell me to go for something and I wouldn’t know why until later on in the game. Just learning by experience, I got to see first hand how different things played out rather than someone trying to sit down with me and explain different scenarios.
I think the best thing I was taught was not to let what my opponents hit or what I don’t hit get in my head, and I owe that to Ed Winkle. I used to get pretty upset when I’d miss, especially when I only had one chance to do it. I’ve learned that me getting upset with myself only makes my next round just as bad, or maybe even worse. I ended up beating myself instead of letting my opponents do it. ‘Cause after all, it is just a game, you win some and you lose some. I just try to have fun, no matter what the outcome.

What kinds of interests do you have outside of darts? Outside of darts I enjoy a vast arrangement of activities ranging from snowboarding, wakeboarding, camping, fishing, playing pool, spinning records and going out dancing with my friends.

Any brothers, sisters or other family in the area? Yes, I only have one sibling, my sister Randi Davis, who also happens to be my roommate. My parents still live in Montana where I was born and raised for the first 18 years of my life.

Does your sister play darts too? I just got my sister into darts this season. I play with her on a CCC Trios team and she is currently a FT2. She is just starting to really get the game down and improving every week she throws. I’m very excited and proud of how much she’s improving.

What do you love most about the game? I’ve been involved in sports my whole life and just enjoy good competition. When I first started playing I thought, this should be an easy game you just aim and throw – not much to it – but I was wrong.
The physical part about it is quite simple yet the mental part is what makes you the player that you are. It’s not only whether you hit or miss, it’s how you do it that can make the game for your team. Being fairly new to the game, I definitely miss more than I hit, but I don’t let that get me down anymore, ‘cause if I do, I’m only hurting myself. It took me a little while to figure that out but it makes perfect sense to me now.
If I don’t think I can hit the next time up, chances are that I won’t. I love competing against myself and my opponent. Darts is cool because it’s an individual sport with a team aspect.

What bothers you most about how the game is played? When I first started I had a lot of people get upset when I would shoot well. That really bothered me. I wasn’t trying to “sandbag”, I didn’t even know what that meant then. I actually bumped myself twice so people would know that I wasn’t trying to cheat.
There were a few nights that I didn’t even want to finish playing because people got so upset. I was just playing for fun and that made the game everything but. It’s not like I haven’t had it happen to me, but what can you do? Sometimes you just get outshot that’s how the game goes. Everybody has really good nights and everybody has bad nights, I wish everybody could just play and have fun.

Who is your favorite dart partner? My favorite partner right now would have to be Ed Winkle. I enjoy playing with him because of his outlook on the game. He doesn’t get down on me if I do something wrong, he just talks to me and tells me what I did and how to fix it. I like how his focus is directed toward the game and not our opponents.
I’ve played with a lot of people that get stressed out if they don’t open with huge darts. Not only does that put stress on me, but I have to worry about my partner’s next round at the board. If they’re still upset about their first round, chances are that they’ll do the same thing on their next turn. It takes my focus off my game and I tend not to shoot as well.
Ed and I have the same drive, the game’s not over until it’s over. All I want is a chance, I don’t give up.

Where do you call your “home location” for darts? I guess my home location would have to be Jimmy Jack’s Classic Rock Café, since I play three out of my four league nights out of there. I also play out of Kodiak Ron’s on Monday nights.
Yes, I’m playing four nights of league my first season of darts. Everybody thinks I’m crazy for doing so, but I’m halfway through the season and still haven’t gotten tired of playing yet. Considering that I play in tournaments after my leagues are over I think it’s safe to say that I really do love the game.

What’s the coolest place you’ve ever been? The coolest place I’ve ever been so far would have to be Mexico. I loved the weather and the ocean. Although, if you ask me this question in a month I know I’ll have a different answer. I’m taking a ten day cruise of the Caribbean with my family over the holidays. I can’t wait, it’s gonna be awesome!

What kind of music do you prefer? Since I did grow up in a very small town in Montana where we only had two radio stations, both of them country, and have also been a DJ for the last four years, I have a very wide preference of music. If it has a good beat, great lyrics or just an overall good song, chances are that I‚ll like it.

Do you like bar food or do you prefer a home-cooked meal? I love to cook and seriously thought about going to college to become a chef. I decided to go to massage school instead, and am very glad with the choice I made. I’ve been a licensed Massage Therapist for three years now and I love what I do.
I’m still a really good cook and would definitely take a home cooked meal over deep fried bar food any day.

What was your rating when you began and what is it today? With Fall 2005 being my first dart league season, I am currently rated a FT5. I could have brought myself in as a T3 or T4 since you can roll at least two marks without busting your team, but I’ve been playing in tournaments for the past year as a T5 and I wouldn’t feel right bringing myself in lower than that. It just didn’t seem fair to me.

Are you superstitious about your darts? I’m not really superstitious about my darts anymore. When I first started, I had little things that I would do every time before I’d shoot because I thought that it really made the difference in my game. But now that I’ve been playing for a little while, especially in league, I’ve realized that it’s not what I do before I throw, but more how I throw and my focus on what I have to do each time I’m at the line.
Without all the little things I used to do, I have less distraction now and I just focus on my target and throw.

What has been your greatest achievement so far? I think my greatest achievement so far would have to be how much I’ve been improving in the short amount of time that I’ve been playing. I’ve always been a quick learner and am very excited with the way my game is progressing.
I can’t wait to experience State for the first time. I’ve heard so many cool things about past years from my friends that it should be one awesome weekend!

Do you prefer leagues or tournaments? With Fall being my first season of league, it was a little weird to me at first. Since I’d only played in tournaments before, league took some getting used to. I have to find ways to pump myself up, whereas in tournaments you play the best out of three, so the intensity is already there. It’s more do or die, and I love that about tournaments.

What are your long term goals in the sport? My long term goals in darts would have to be to continue to have fun when I play. I don’t want to do something that I don’t enjoy. I really love the game now, and I can only hope that I don’t get “burned out”. Eventually I want to be a 10, I think that would be awesome.

How do you feel about competing with higher-rated players? Personally, I would much rather play against a high-rated player than a low-rated player. I love a challenge, and want to be the best I can be. When I play higher-rated players I tend to “pick my game up” so to speak, in order to be a contender. I know that if they give me a chance to take the game, that’s probably going to be the only chance I get. My focus is better and I love shooting under pressure.
On the other hand when I play a lower-rated player, I tend to not shoot my best maybe because I think they’ll give me more chances to win and I find myself relying on them to do that. Which in most cases doesn’t happen.

Wow, Renee, it’s nice to meet a player with your viewpoint and optimism. Your outlook on darts, competition and life is refreshing, to say the least. Thanks for your honesty and may I speak for everyone when I say, “It’s very nice to make your acquaintance”.
Shoot well and stay on track, nevermind the nay-sayers, keep your focus right where it is. See ya at State!