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THUNDER BAY, ONT.
Darts throwers in the territory might hit closer to the mark if Fort Simpson's Brenda Moreau has her way.

Moreau, who's in her second year as the director of NWT Darts, said she's driven to make darts players in the territory stronger as a group as opposed to just focusing on chasing points to improve her own standing.

Moreau's new view came into play at the darts nationals in Thunder Bay, Ont., from June 12 to 14.

Aside from playing her own games, Moreau was also constantly thinking about the other 15 members of the NWT team and how they were doing in their games and if they were earning points.

"It was hard to get my mental game going," Moreau said because of the distraction.

As a result, Moreau said she did well overall, but not as good as she has in the past.

Moreau finished joint ninth in the ladies singles and joint 17th in the ladies doubles with Michel Lindsay of Inuvik.

In the mixed doubles, Moreau played with Keith Way of Yellowknife.

The NWT pair came up against Kenny McNeil and Cindy Pardy of Alberta who provided some tough competition.

It was a close match, said Moreau, who added the teams had to play all five games in the best of three series.

The two teams swapped wins and were neck and neck in the fifth game before the Alberta team pulled ahead and knocked Moreau and Way out of the competition and into joint ninth.

Moreau also played in the Canadian Open on June 16, finishing joint 17th in the ladies singles.

As a unit, the NWT team was also quite strong, she said.

The team was comprised of seven senior male and seven senior women players who had all been to the nationals before. Only one male and one female player were new to the competition. Moreau said the female players in particular were stronger than she'd seen in awhile.

Although they played well, Moreau said the team has a long way to go and she has some plans on how help them improve. Moreau's first goal is to hold more darts tournaments in the territory.

Darts players in the NWT need to play in more tournaments in order to gain experience and skills, she said.

Playing in tournaments allows darts players to hone the mental and physical aspects of the game and get used to playing in that setting.

Tournaments also give darts players the chance to learn from other players. Moreau said she learned how to construct a stable stance by watching male players at tournaments.

Moreau would also like to see more tournaments in Yellowknife that would

draw in darts players from

outside the territory.

Playing against competitors they meet at the nationals might give NWT players more confidence when they go to that event, she said.

Moreau is also working to host the nationals in the NWT within the next six years.

In addition to promoting darts in the territory, Moreau also has her own goals for the new darts season.

Canada is hosting the World Cup of darts next year. Moreau said she wants to compete in the World Cup and as a result will be trying to win first place in one of the world ranked tournaments in order to get an invitation.

If she is successful, it will be her first time playing at the worlds.

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