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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - Brenda Moreau is a woman on a mission.

Approximately six years ago Moreau, a resident of Fort Simpson, set herself a goal of becoming the top ranked female dart player in Canada by the time she was 40. Now that she's had her 40th birthday Moreau is pushing hard to make her dream come true this year.

"I want to be first," she said.

"I'm inching myself closer and closer."

To become number one Moreau needs points. Dart players receive one point for every game that they win in the knock out rounds of approved tournaments. In some cases a win is worth more than one point depending on the number of people playing.

"It's very complex," Moreau said.

Since the beginning of this dart season, which started in June 2008, Moreau has accumulated 17 points. Over the year Moreau has moved as high as six and as low as 13 on the official ranking kept by the National Darts Federation of Canada (NDFC).

"I know I have a chance to take this," she said.

The players' rankings constantly change as players from across Canada gain points. Thanks to her most recent tournament, Moreau expects to be ranked eighth.

Moreau placed second in the women's singles at the Snoflake Open in Edmonton from Feb. 6 to 8. Second, however, isn't quite where she wanted to be.

After placing joint third for three years at the tournament Moreau said she tried hard to place first.

Despite falling short, the games Moreau won will give her either four or six points toward the national rankings, she'll know for certain the next time NDFC's website is updated.

Currently, Cindy Der of Alberta with 33 points is the top ranking female player in the country. The top two players in the men's and women's divisions will receive sponsorship to attend the World Masters of Darts.

Moreau still has time to get more points. The dart season lasts until May, right before the Canadian Nationals in June where the final rankings will be announced.

On her quest for points Moreau will be competing in four near back-to-back tournaments in March. Moreau will be at the Halifax Open, the NWT Territorials and the Dan Cruikshank Memorial in Ontario. At the beginning of April she will also compete at the main event in Saskatoon.

If following those competitions, Moreau is still short of her first-place goal, there are five other tournaments she can compete in to make up the difference.

If she can't break into first place, Moreau said she'll aim to be in the top five.

Moreau said it's a place that any determined female dart player from the territory could reach.

"We have the potential to beat anyone from Canada," she said.

The NWT has a lot of strong players. Moreau said she'd like to see them take more chances and challenge themselves in darts.

With that in mind, however, Moreau admits that it isn't easy.

"It takes hours of practice to get your arm ready for a tournament," she said.

In the week leading up to a tournament Moreau practices four to six hours a day. The practice is all part of achieving her goal and representing the NWT.

"I really want this," she said.