Player Profile Shannon Carter Seattle, WA

Shannon Carter has helped to sculpt the Seattle dart landscape for the past decade as Dart Coordinator at a popular little place in the heart of the SODO district – you may have heard of this place – The Siren Tavern!

Shannon and the Siren have been synonymous with darts for as long as we can remember.  His influence spans many generations of players and skill levels.

Shannon has seen his career in darts blossom over the years and we’ve seen him take the Pit at State and Worlds more than once.  He’s also been an integral figure on the steel tip dart scene on a national level with his friend and longtime dart compatriot, Ron Chick, who actually used to own the Siren with his wife, Laurie.  Shannon and Ron have traveled far and wide in the name of darts.  His reputation precedes him wherever he finds himself, having coordinated for one of Seattle’s most historic and storied dart bars.

We caught up to Shannon to pick his brain a bit.  Apparently, he’s got some pretty big news to share with y’all, so pay attention!

Shannon, how you doin’ friend?  Doing Great!

Very nice. How long have you actually been playing darts anyway?  Been playing darts for 13 years.

Kinda gets in your blood! Who introduced you to the game anyway?

My sister Sonya, bro-in-law Lotto and The Macaroni Micheal Young.

So, what’s the big news then?

Sad that I’m not at the Siren anymore.

Seriously?! Wow! Man, you’ve built some incredible memories at the Siren over the years.

The past ten years, we have made the Top 40 nine times!  My Women’s Cup teams were fantastic – hats off to all those wonderful ladies: Sonya {Chatter Box}, Randi {Enforcer}, Crystal {Mz. Confident}, Maria {Sofie}, Sally {Booty Slapper}, Mandi {Point Monger}, Danelle {Closer}, Lynnette {Hottie}… Held the Cup for 13 months!

How did you find yourself in the position to be Coordinator at the Siren?

When Connie bought the Siren in 1999, she was in search of someone that she could trust to step in and try to keep the program going strong. So she offered that job to me.

Who was your biggest influence when you were just learning?

Joe, who use to own the dart shop on Pacific Highway, which is where I first met John Husman. I think he was a 12 at that time. Maria helped me very much with building teams and running tournaments. Thanks Maria!

Who have been your favorite dart partners over the years?

The best was with Colin Sims from Hawaii. We beat Robert Heckman and Bulldog… from the loser bracket… Yessss!  Leonard Grote was another winning partner of mine. And of course, my friend and best partner of all, Ron Chick.

What was your most memorable winning experience?

Winning the Pit 11 times at Worlds was great!

Amazing! Now, if I’m not mistaken, most of your family shoots darts too?

I must note that everyone in my family has gone to the Pit… Pam, Lotto, Darryl, Hj, Charles, Crystal, and Sonya!

You’ve been instrumental in so many people’s lives, both at the Siren and in your hometown of Yakima. Tell us what you’ve done for the kids there.

Once a year I have a big dart shoot for the kids in my family and their friends. There’s no entry and they win cash and prizes. Thanks to Ty for writing an article on them.

So, what are your plans from here forward?

I recently started a Residential Cleaning Business: Marvelous Clean!  I’m offering a 50 percent discount to the 1st people that contact me from my Web page (www.marvelousclean.com) because of this article. One person from Tacoma, one from Seattle, one from the North Seattle area, and one from Everett!

Now that’s an offer! Anything else you’d like to say to your friends and fellow shooters?

Connie, I thank you for opening doors for me in the dart world, and allowing me to work for you for the past 10 years. You and Larry are the BEST!

I’d like to thank the many supporters who have wished me well at all the events I competed in, my mom Elizabeth, Dad  Hj, and my Aunt Eleanor, who flew from Washington DC to see me play with my Dad, her brother, in 1999. Angelia, thanks for all your time and support. Melvin Cherry, I owe you a beat down!

And on that note… The Medallion has also had a very long friendship with Shannon over the past decade and beyond! Shannon, we give you a huge high-five and a hug for your undying support of the game, the people, and us at the newspaper. We salute you for your great contributions at the Siren for so many years! Cheers buddy, and best of everything to ya!