Player Profile: Lenna Shiley
Renton, WA
Lenna Shiley is one of darts’ true VIP’s. Rising through the ranks years ago to rest high atop the female shooters in the Medalist program, Lenna became one of the most feared shooters throughout the U.S.A. Her reputation precedes her in veteran dart circles. We are fortunate to have Lenna Shiley residing close to home here in Renton, WA. Recently, she’s found a new outlet to busy herself, and still managed to find a way to incorporate darts into her latest venture.
Join us as we exploit the woman who helped to put darts on the map in the Pacific Northwest, and learn more about the way darts was, is, and will be.
So Lenna, how long have you been involved in darts anyway? On the 4th of July, 1991, my son Skylar and I came up to the Seattle area to spend some time with my cousin, TC and her family, and for Skylar to meet my Dad for the first time. Yes, that was the first time my Father had seen me since I was 13 and Skylar was now 3 ½ yrs old.
Do you remember how you were introduced to the game back then? My cousin TC asked me if I had ever played in a dart tournament or shot in a dart league before? I was like, no…we don’t have dart leagues in Sweet Home Oregon, or Corvallis… does it involve dancing at all? I’m game. So she took me to a Parity Draw, Friday night tournament at the Mustard Seed II in Crossroads (used to be a huge dart house). That is where she introduced me to her best friend, Jamie Daugherty, who also played on her dart team. He became my husband from 1998-2003, go figure. I played as a zero in the Parity Draw, and took 1st place. We moved to Seattle within a month. Yep, a player was born that night. I couldn’t get up here fast enough.
So were you raised in Oregon? I was raised down on the Oregon Coast and Willamette Valley. Born here in Seattle, but sorry, I’m a Beaver fan. Probably because I had a chance to receive a full ride 4-year athletic scholarship to play Volleyball at the University of Oregon, which I turned down to get married at 17 years old. I know, if there was one decision that I could go back in time and change… having a chance to be on the 1988 United States Olympic Volleyball team should have been the correct path, but no! OMG, right?
Oh Lenna! What kind of special interests did you have as a kid? I was a real “Tom Boy” until I was at least 12 years old. Raised on the farm, cattle, gardening, horses, chickens, and of course peacocks. Who needs a guard dog when you have some of those birds man! Love the feathers but those are the loudest things I’ve ever heard. I played all sports but really excelled in softball, volleyball, and basketball as I got older. I eventually focused my efforts on being the best volleyball player that I could, which helped me to receive the honors of being an All-State and All-League player, scouted by some big colleges. I also enjoyed softball and continued to play for several years after school. I even played on the co-ed team out of the Pickled Onion, just a few summers ago. That was a blast too. Oh “those” muscles haven’t been used in a LONG time. So hella sore, but it was fun.
Who were some local greats in the sport back in the early days? After 20 years of playing darts several nights a week, losing brain cells from drinking alcohol, working in the aerospace business for 15 years, killing more brain cells from stress, and being sick for the last 7 years, killing even more brain cells from all the medications I’m taking, I am surprised that I can even remember MY name! I remember Dave Swensen and Brad Bogart from Bogarts, Randy Ebbesen and Johnny Woo from the Mustard Seed II, Norm Groendyke from Casa Miguels, Steve Areonis and Mark Bauch from Shoot the Breeze, Chuck O’haran from the University Sports Bar. Jim Pope and Allen Nutter from the Portland area, and if I just sat here and texted TC, we could come up with a whole bunch more. The White Spot (now Cloud 9) was full of top players back then, along with the Lucky 7, Pub at Juanita Bay, Sluggers, Yen Ching (Grand Peking). I miss them all too. I was so lucky to have friends in the dart community down in the Portland area. In the summer, I would take my son down to meet my ex-husband (halfway), then go stay with friends and play in a few tournaments for the weekend. I always had a blast and got to meet so many more players. I hope I didn’t spell anyone’s name wrong – sorry if I did.
With the few brain cells you have left, what’s your favorite memory in darts? There have been so many great memories for me over the years. 18+ years ago, I was playing CC Trios (I think) with my cousin TC and Diana Parris. I think we were all or 2’s and 4’s but not sure. Anyway, I made TC a special “pregnant” team shirt, by putting some panels in the sides, that way we could all look like a team (which used to be a big deal). Wouldn’t you know it, we made it to State. Our flight played at 9am on Saturday morning, but Mark Firestone, Jamie and I played in a Trios Bring Friday night. We ended up going to the pit and winning. At like 2:30am we go up the motel room and TC is awake. I’m like, “Honey, please tell me that you are not in labor, right?” She was overdue by a couple of weeks already, I think, but she said, “No, just so excited to play and my back hurts, so still awake). I don’t think that either one of us got any sleep and were down in the dart room warming up by 8am on Saturday morning. We did so good that we made it to the pit and were so excited we cried all the way from the starting of the Pit march to the end, hugging and high-fiving everyone. Going to the Pit used to almost bring the whole tournament event to a halt. Most of the dart players would walk over to cheer on the final teams, it was so exciting for everyone in the room. Anyway, we got into the Pit area and started to play. We had been on our feet since like 8am and it was now around 2pm(ish). I turned around to see TC all squatted down behind us. I was like, “OMG! Are you going into labor? This is so not a good time, OMG”. Totally freaked everybody out, including the Sundowner girls we were playing against. We took 2nd place that day and enjoyed the whole experience, money and trophies. TC’s baby Kayla, born almost a week later, was almost born at State, yep! Pretty crazy.
Tell us a bit about your son and granddaughter. My son Skylar is 24 yrs old and my Grandbaby, Maryjane (Janie) is 5 years old. If you ask her what my name is, she will tell you, “it’s Grandma Honey”. Can’t beat that for a name, EVER! They both live with me, in my Renton Highlands Mobile as does one of my BFFs, Michelle. Skylar and I have been pretty ill for the last 7 years, so we’re trying to find something to help with our health and take things day to day. We are both now on Social Security Disability, so the sooner we can get better, the sooner we can get back to work. He has a blood disorder called Pyroluria that causes worse stomach problems than Chrones disease and there is no treatment available for this disease. All we can fight are the symptoms for him. Myself, I have had 8 sinus surgeries, so sinus infections almost monthly for years, tendon problems, severe depression and multiple other problems which now are being researched at a Neurological level. Hoping that MS is not the cause. We do our best, and on my good days, I try to go to a tournament or stop by and see TC at the Pickled Onion. She always lifts my spirits and makes me laugh. She has always been there for me and I love her – xoxo
What sort of activities do you and Maryjane share? Maryjane and I love to watch music videos and cook together. She comes into my room and hops up on my bed and asks to watch videos of Lady Gaga, Britney, Beyonce, Katy Perry, LMFAO (the Party Rock Anthem) which means my whole house has that song stuck in our heads. If you’ve heard the song, there’s a very deep voice part where they say, “Everyday I’m Shuffling”, and she does it at the weirdest times. I was walking by the bathroom the other day and heard this little voice say it from behind the door. I know she wasn’t really “dancing” in there, you know. She is the best “Egg Sheller” and “Corn Shucker” on the block, seriously. Oh, and loves to unwind homemade noodles, “Cause they look like worms”. Quote from Janie.
Now tell us about this new business venture of yours and how it’s coming along. To try and keep myself from going crazy at home, I have now completed both the Paraprofessional Accounting Certificate and the Licensed Massage Therapist program, at Renton Technical College. I am enrolled this Fall 2011 to complete my Associates of Applied Sciences Degree, so at least my mind is working. I plan on opening my own chair massage company and a personal massage room in a Women’s Non-profit Health Center. I’ve already started doing chair massage at a lot of the dart locations, at State and Worlds this year. I had so much fun, and was so happy to finally be giving back something to the dart community. I have so enjoyed my dart career and have met so many amazing people, I am just blessed. I hope to complete this quarter, at RTC, and graduate from college (for the third time in three years), and finish my business affairs licenses and marketing preparation. Hopefully my health will let me head off on my dream of working 2 to 3 big dart tournaments a weekend, and open up my massage room for 2 to 3 days a week.
Alright Lenna, so you started as a zero, what are you rated now? Yes, I started in 1991 as a zero! Since I had NEVER played darts before, that is what all females started at back then. Currently I am rated a 6, after barely playing for the last 7 years. Thanks to meeting Eric Teschendorf, who is now my boyfriend, at a Parity tournament at the Pickled Onion in July of 2008. I am back into playing darts more regularly. The best I have ever done is when I was ranked in the top 100 of ALL players, in Zone 1 (all male except me) and the first female rated a 12 in Washington State!
Incredible! Which venue was your favorite for State and for Worlds? I loved playing the State tournament at the Tacoma Sheraton, we had so much fun there. Definitely had everything that the dart players needed to have a great time. Bar and the dance floor, big rooms. I remember the “after tournament” parties – WOW!
What do you find motivates you to throw your best game? I have a very competitive spirit and think I can really get focused when I need to. I love to have a great time and that’s usually when I throw my best darts anyway. I’m a happy player, that’s how I like it. One time there was a guy at a tournament that had on a “BAD” brand shirt that said, “YOU PLAY LIKE A GIRL” on the back. I was like, “Hey, I’ll play you a game of Cricket, straight up, for your T-shirt?” To which he laughingly accepted. Jamie and Brian started taking bets in the background. I STILL have that T-shirt as a keepsake. Good times.
Does your preparation differ for a tournament than for leagues? I try to practice daily for State or Worlds, but for a weekly tournament, I just show up, have a shot, play some good music, and start playing.
What is your best advice for brand new dart players? Just have fun and play with someone that can help you with your skills and your outs. I always tried to play with players that were better than myself, and I tried harder. Also, just watching good players play each other. Wow, if you can sit to the side and watch their arm stroke, stance, follow through and their strategies, and learn from it – that will help you so much. It’s a little distracting to watch the facial expressions, but there are some out there that are so funny it’s hard to keep from busting up. I’ve caught myself and had to walk away before.
What was the biggest pot you’ve ever won playing darts? Taking 1st Place in the Women’s Grand Master Doubles with Tina Marie Cunningham, from California one year (like 1996?) at the Medalist Worlds in Reno was the most at one time. That was actually the best winnings that I’ve ever had taking 3rd place in the Women’s Grand Master Singles. So, I believe that was $2,500 and 1,750. I think.
Do you think soft tip darts will ever be televised? Hard question to answer, but sure. Soft tip darts use the same skills as steel tip, it seems like it should be treated the same. I know that most of the soft tip players have a ways to go to get to the level of good sportsmanship and appreciation for the actual game, but I am sure that day will come. We have some excellent players that are already showing the steel community some great competition.
What is the big difference between soft tip and steel tip darts? I only played steel tip for a few years, but I noticed that the players seemed like they were more of a close-knit group. They ran their own leagues and called each other about matches, scores, and subs. So, they were all friends it seemed. Since I was new to that kind of darts and couldn’t subtract worth a crap in my head, they helped me with outs, chalked for me (yes, you have to stand right beside the board and subtract quickly in front of other people), they would actually just yell out the remaining score just so I didn’t take too long between players turns. It was pretty embarrassing at first. Then as the night went on, we all had a few shots together, danced together, laughed together, and played quite a few dart games. I just started laughing at myself.
Of course, soft tip boards tell you the score, what your outs are, what options you have for outs, way easier than steel tip. Also, at the beginning of league, we would of course go to other locations and sometimes not even know some or any of the players on the other team. We even got lost several times trying to find some new locations. And guess what? We didn’t have cell phones then, can you believe that?
What’s your favorite kind of music? I like Top 40 and Pop music mostly, but I really like all music. When Karaoke started up and happened to be on a league night. OMG, that was the worst thing that could have ever happened to me. I was the one who ran around the bar, asking for quarters (yes, quarters) to play some music for the whole night of league. If I could get enough, I WAS THE DJ!
Does it bother you when players drink only water? I drink just water sometimes. Just kidding. But I don’t care if anyone drinks or not. FYI, if you are on my team, just so you know now, I’m drinking both alcohol and water. Well, most of my drinks come with ice.
What is your beverage of choice? Used to be Bud Light and Peppermint Schnapps, then Bourbon and Cokes, then Margaritas, then Jager, then Fireball, then Bud Light Lime, now it’s Dirty Martinis. Yep, I’m having potato vodka and green olives for a drink. I have become a full-fledged vegetarian. Not really, just trying to stay away from allergy reactive drinks these days.
What makes you an interesting person? How am I supposed to answer this question? Isn’t that one of the questions you ask other people about someone else? I just think that I am who I am. All the time. I like everyone, and have always loved the sport of darts and the players. Even some of them whose family didn’t even play, but was there just for support. I love to laugh and make other people laugh. If you know my cousin TC and I, when we get together, it’s a laugh-fest.
Who has been your greatest mentor in the sport? One of the first people that amazed me in darts was Steve Areonis. He taught me a lot of the game strategy and skills that helped me become a better player. He was calm, helpful, a true gentleman, and a great player. He had great sportsmanship skills, just an all around nice guy. He asked John Husman and I to go play in the Oregon Open Steel tip tournament, back in 1996? John was a 10 and I was like a 6.
What has been your biggest obstacle as a player? Finding a babysitter and getting to the league match on time. Traffic was horrible!
Which location was your favorite to shoot from? There have been a lot of favorite locations, starting with Bogart’s in downtown Seattle. That was the first place that I really liked to hang out and have fun with friends, including the owner. I think that all of my favorite locations included the owners.
Do you teach, motivate and uplift your fellow players? I think that I motivate, but I try to uplift and sometimes teach. I do my best to have great sportsmanship and respect. Even if I don’t know the player, I give support and say good darts. I try to share my knowledge of outs and strategy, even try to boost low spirits with a “Throw it like you mean it” statement.
Is there anything in particular you’d like to say to our faithful darting compatriots? I would like to send a special “THANK YOU” to my cousin TC. She has always been my BIGGEST fan, supporter, helper, listener, co-conspirator, partner in crime (lol), drinking and dancing partner, road-trip co-pilot, roommate, babysitter, wife, cousin, sister, friend, and the BEST DART PARTNER YOU COULD EVER HAVE! THANK YOU TC FOR JUST BEING YOU, ALWAYS! I love you for all that you have helped me do in my life, you are my rock. xoxoxo
To my son, it has been a long road of Mommie playing darts, but I always had you in my heart and with me every night. You helped me try to do my best so that I could win money in a tournament and by milk and bread on the way home. I always wanted the best for you and hope that you are as proud of me, as I am of you. You are a wonderful father, and great son, I love you.
To everyone else in the dart community, I just wanted to say, “Thank you and I miss you all”. I wish that my health was better so that I could come out more and travel like I used to. I loved going to different tournaments, every weekend and getting to see everyone. I know that I forgot a lot of names and I am so sorry for that. To all of my past dart partners, bar owners, dart coordinators, and operators, please know that I appreciate all of the times that I got to play with you, or for you. I have had a wonderful 20 years of playing darts and am glad that I’ve crossed paths with so many wonderful people and times. I hope that I get to play for 20 more.
Till we see each other again, Live, Love, Laugh. Or laugh at the one you love.
~ Lenna (Amazon) Shiley
