Family win honours namesake
Lindsays take home trophy from annual Debbie Darts tournament at the Legion
Shawn Giilck
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, October 16, 2014
INUVIK
When it comes to the annual Debbie Darts tournament, the sprawling Lindsay clan decided it was time to keep the title in the family.
Friends and family of the late Debbie Lindsay gathered at the McInnes Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion Oct. 11 for the annual Debbie Darts Tournament. In front are Nicole Lindsay, left, and Ruth Pulk while in the back row are Anne McIntyre, left, Ellen Binder, Otto Binder, Corrine Bullock, Joy Cathers, Karin Binder and Mikkel Pulk.
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A team lead by Corrine Bullock and her sister Nicole Lindsay won the bragging rights at the tournament held at the McInnes Branch #220 of the Royal Canadian Legion Oct. 11 and into the wee hours of Oct. 12.
It's not the first time the sisters have had their name on the trophy but this is the first time it is together on one team.
"Our grandmother did the random draw, and that's how we ended up on a team together," Corrine said.
"It'd be awesome if we won," added Nicole during an interview early in the evening.
The tournament is named in honour of their mother, Debbie, one of the best-known players in the NWT, who passed away five years ago after battling cancer.
"It was her passion," Nicole said.
Debbie's fame in darts circles went well beyond the NWT, the sisters said. Her style was so distinctive that throwing a "Debbie dart" was a phrase coined to describe it.
"Debbie Darts is a real thing," Nicole said.
The tournament was created a year after her death, to mark that passion, by Debbie's best friend Joy Cather, who remains active in promoting the sport to this day.
Nine teams of four people each entered the tournament in the hunt for the title. While it's not cutthroat competitive, there's no question the trophy is a much sought-after item.
The McInnes branch is also the host of a popular darts league during the winter, and it's not difficult to recruit those players to the tournament. Playing darts is one of the popular activities during the long, cold sub-Arctic winter.
There's also no question that the fourth annual tournament is still as much a time for sadness as it is for celebration. Lindsay died unexpectedly of breast cancer in 2009. Her death occurred much more swiftly than anyone envisioned.
More than a dozen family members and friends gathered at the tournament, particularly for a cake-cutting that featured a picture of Debbie. The section with Debbie's image was reverently laid aside and not put out for people to eat.
Bullock said the tournament is the only time of year she plays darts, but she obviously inherited a little of her mother's talent. Nicole said she also doesn't play often. Rather, it's a younger sister, Michel, now living in Alberta, who's really the avid player, the two women said.
"She'd be here if she could," Corrine said. "And she's certainly here in spirit."
They hedged their chances of winning the tournament by recruiting Paul Morey, one of the top-ranked darts hurlers in the NWT, to their side. The team members laughed about him being their "ringer" for the tournament.
"Yeah, I'm one of the better players," Morey admitted reluctantly, but with a wink as well.
