New Years Day rained cats and dogs
By Mary Lamken
January 1, 2012 was a memorable day, and significant in darts locally. First of all, the world certainly did not end, as is evidenced by the fact that you are reading this article right now; secondly, you survived New Year’s Eve, again; and thirdly, Cactus Moon Saloon hosted their annual Cat Fight, while Sporty’s Beef and Brew hosted the opposite, also annual, Dog Fight.
Teresa Hestkind, a veteran of coordinating at Everett’s Cactus Moon hosted another great event, this one just for the girls. Their male counterparts took issue with each other down the street. Cactus Moon was buzzing with excitement when 24 all-girl teams with cat scratch fever, signed up to play. New Year’s Eve hangovers not-withstanding, the women came with their proverbial claws out, ready for some stiff competition that would also serve as a warm up for upcoming State League Finals.
Nearly $750 in cash was up for grabs, and those impending Christmas bills still weighed on everyone’s mind. The women were ready to challenge various friends and acquaintances, taking no prisoners at the boards. We saw a great mix of veterans and rookies of the game come from all corners of the Northwest. The tournament began right on time as advertised.
As always, the “ass” trophy was bestowed on the team that got knocked out first. This year, that honor went to Ann Counterman and her partner Kris. They were given the opportunity to sit back, relax, and watch the football game being shown around the bar, while the rest of the ladies continued to scratch and claw their way through the tournament. One by one, the teams began to topple. Several teams were on fire the entire day, and everyone watched as they worked their way through the field.
Charissa Buxton and Jolene Harrell from Cloud 9 took the third place trophy, beating a northend team.
Shannon Livingston and Sarah Morris, from Flights, and Christina and Stacy Gustafson, from Cloud 9, shot amazing darts all day long. These two teams put on quite a show for those of us who stayed to the end of the tournament. Both teams opened strong in their 501 game, and after six rounds, Shannon took it out with a definitive 16. Cricket started off a bit slow as both teams were missing marks they had been hitting all day long. Christina really got the match off the ground when she hit a T16. Sarah responded by hitting a T17 and T15. The excitement mounted as Shannon hit the T18 and a S18, to ensure that she and Sarah led in points. A couple of near misses by Christina and Stacy left the door open for Sarah to hit the final Bull and end the match to become Cat Fight Champions for 2012! Way to go Shannon and Sarah!
Big thanks goes out to Cactus Moon Saloon, and Coordinator Teresa Hestkind for hosting another flawless tournament that ran clean and with precision. She kept the girls moving as quickly as possible.
As always, the staff at Cactus Moon was very attentive and helpful, making this a fantastic event that all Northwest females can look forward to every year. See you all in 2013.
