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Tom Sawyer -- Cool, Calm And Up There With The Best
Of Them
By Mark Stokes
Some
twenty years ago Tom Sawyer was asked by some high
school friends if he would like to try his hand at
playing darts. Tom stepped out of the shadows and up to
the oche, and in the process found that hidden talent in
life which most of us yearn for but never discover.
Two decades on this Peabody (Massachusetts) native has
so much to thank his school pals for. He's at the top of
his game, designing his own arrows, traveling to exotic
destinations and rubbing shoulders with some of the best
players on the planet.
Tom is the pride and joy of Boston's North Shore -- his
Suicide 9 team, which operates out of The Barn in
Amesbury, benefiting from the 42 year-old's undoubted
talent.
Sawyer has the best of both worlds as far as sponsorship
goes. He's gone overseas to England for the tools of his
trade -- a very slim, but also quite profound custom
design tungsten, made by Target and weighing in at a
whopping 25.5 grams.
These arrows also boast a unique and quite sensible
flight placement -- plugging one-piece and practically
into the shaft rather than via the conventional quadrant
application. Why aren't all darts made this way?
Dartworld of Lynn (Massachusetts) has also thrown its
finances behind the American Darts Organization's
third-ranked player, while Tom can also boast a
following on yet another continent -- Japan's Cosmo Fit
Flight are proud to have him on board.
His career highlights are surely the envy of his
contemporaries?
"In the last couple of years I've qualified for the
World Masters (two years in a row) and just recently I
qualified for this year's Americas Cup."
Tom also remembers the hush of the crowd in Las Vegas
when he stepped up to the oche, three darts shy of a
perfect game in Cricket. He missed perfection, and the
$10,000 that went with it, by one dart.

Tom Sawyer and his signature Target Darts
The penny dropped for Sawyer in 2002
when he began traveling outside the area to play in
tournaments. It was at that point he realized he may
just have a future in the sport.
Unassuming and proud of his achievements in the game,
Tom exudes contentment as he speaks about his time away
from the oche, which is spent fishing, carving wood and
caring for his parents. By day he works in the shipping
department of a Boston area chemical company, yet one
senses that Sawyer could one day soon wave goodbye to
his day job and take up the game professionally.
"Tom has been at the top of his form all year," says ADO
number one Larry Butler.
"He's given me some of the toughest matches I've had all
year. He's moved into the number three position in the
ADO, I believe. He's had a brilliant year."
Steve Panuncialman, who hosts a Chicago-based darts
radio show, weighs in on Tom:
"At every big tournament, Tom's the one guy you heard
about this year. Throwing big shot after big shot, and
not just winning, but dominating. No one goes undefeated
on the circuit of course, but especially this year Tom
has set the standard for what it will take to win.
"But what I like most about Tom is that he's such a
great guy to talk with about the game. He doesn't
'big-time' people - he's accessible and attentive, the
way an ambassador of the game should be. No drama, no
excuses - win or lose, Tom's there with his friendly,
low-key demeanor, and a smile. Tom's a great example of
what an American dart professional can be, and I for one
am proud to call him a colleague."
But there are challenges to maintaining one's status
among America's top darts players, are there not?
"Physically it's a little tough," says Sawyer.
"People don't understand how much wear and tear goes
through your body standing for fifteen to seventeen
hours a day at a tournament. Mentally that's probably
the toughest part. To get yourself prepared mentally
there's a lot of stuff that goes on that people don't
see at a tournament."
In a sport where most players wear their nicknames on
their sleeves, Tom is proud to say that he's just Tom
Sawyer - nothing more, nothing less. This simplistic
formula also stretches to his home life -- Tom has taken
a unique, and perhaps crazy some would say, approach to
the game. His home is devoid of a dartboard!
"It's the way it's been for the past sixteen years," he
says with the confidence of one who knows something the
rest of us do not.
Tom's fondest Minute Man Darts League memory came four
seasons ago:
"It was winning my first state championship with the
team that I have now. Because it was with quite a few
players that I have been playing with for a long time,
and some of them had never won a state championship in
the Minute Man League," says Suicide 9's killer.
To those interested in taking up the sport Tom, who
doubles as an ADO regional director, recommends a lot of
practice "because there's a lot of muscle memory
involved."
He's also been down another road which has its pitfalls.
"Try to avoid the excessive drinking that tends to be
involved with this sport and the tournaments. People
think it makes them better but it really doesn't. I'm a
proven fact of that because I've played it both ways."
And what does it mean to Tom Sawyer to be playing in the
John Lowe event next month?
"It's interesting. It should be fun. I remember doing
the same type of thing years ago when I first started.
Against Eric Bristow and Keith Deller. I was one of only
two guys out of fifty that beat either one of them. I
have played John Lowe at the Witch City event years ago
so I'd like to get the chance to do it again and see
what happens."
Tina Proctor -- Darts In The Genes
By Mark Stokes
Spending
time with the kids for most parents conjures up images
of homework at the kitchen table, hot chocolate and
bedtime stories. But it's slightly different in the
Proctor-Figueroa household where mother of six, Tina,
puts her youngsters through their paces in front of a
dartboard before tucking them in for the night.
In this ultra modern era of smart phones and GPS, it's a
rare family indeed which can devote such time to a
communal event or indeed trace its lineage in the sport
back a couple of generations. But Tina Proctor is
indebted to her family for instilling a passion for
darts in her and her siblings. Grandmother and
grandfather, mother and father and brothers and sisters
all cut their teeth at the oche, and if the truth is
known the original Proctors, who settled in New England
in 1635, may have also been quite proficient with the
steel tips.
A native of the Leominster-Fitchburg area, Tina first
showed an interest in the game at the age of eight. If
someone told her that some thirty years later she would
be making a weekly trek from her Orange (Massachusetts)
home, to Worcester, to meet up with mad dogs at a pub
called Madigans, she might have been forgiven for
thinking it was an old wives' tale.
Known to her Mad Dog team mates as 'Lucky Darts' this
full time mom, swears by her gilded-ridge McCoy's. The
1.5 inch hyper-pointed arrows are as heavy as they come,
at 26 grams, and have taken her from success to success.
The Minute Man Dart League's top ranked women's 501
player is also ranked in the top dozen by the American
Darts Organization. As a twenty-one year old Tina knew
she had something of a talent for darts.
"I always knew I could play. Everyone was telling me I
was really good," she says.
"I loved playing and it was fun for me. It was also
something I wanted to pursue."
But the queen of the Mad Dogs experienced a life
changing event which helped kick her game up a notch.

Tina Proctor - ecstatic for the challenge
"I never really had the kick in the butt to do it
(pursue a career in darts), but when my brother passed
away on Christmas Day 2009 that was the kick in the butt
I needed. He lived his life to the fullest and I decided
that life is too short not to do what you want to do.
I'm doing pretty good at darts now."
She is indeed. Tina's just won the ADO Regionals and is
off to Vegas for the third year in a row.
Tina also won the women's pro singles at the Seacoast
tournament in 2010.
Does she have time in her busy schedule for hobbies?
"My kids and, (strangely enough) darts."
The key element of being a top player, for Tina, is
mental focus.
"It's total mental focus I play with my children. I have
six kids, I can play with them running underneath me.
It's the ability to block everything else out and
concentrate."
Two years ago the Marlborough Eagles asked Tina to come
on board. The team was playing at Super A level in the
Minute Man Dart League and made the playoffs. It remains
her fondest MMDL memory to date. It was also about this
time that the small town girl realized she had what it
takes to make a name in the sport.
These days the family tradition is in good hands with
all six Proctor-Figueroa kids already showing signs of
promise with the darts.
What advice does Tina have for aspiring young players?
"Practice. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of
focus."
She might also have added the word 'dedication' to the
list of qualities needed to succeed, for few players in
the present day can claim to clock up as many miles as
Tina and her fiancee, Michael Fici.
"Let's see it's a little over two hours twice a week
just driving and then depending upon how the match goes
- some nights it's been 1:00 am (when getting home). And
then there's a third night, Mondays in Lowell," says
Michael.
Trips to Worcester and Lowell (Massachusetts) are
necessary however.
"She wants to play the best so we go to where the best
are," says her husband to be, who met Tina while playing
darts.
"It means everything for her to be playing in the John
Lowe event. It is definitely the highlight of her career
so far."
Tina recalls her meeting with John Part and Trish Wright
as a highlight moment, and although she'll do herself
and her family proud on the night, one senses that the
pride of Orange has stars in her eyes when mentioning
the big John Lowe event on December 16.
"I'm ecstatic to be playing in it. I'm amazed by it. I
can't wait. I've never played in anything like this
before."
Sean Moran - Testament To
A Darts Minute Man
By Mark Stokes
Sean
Moran is testament to a lot of things -- to a New England
darts culture which is deserving of recognition by a
much wider audience, to the vast numbers of players who
operate locally and to the standard of competition in
the Minute Man Dart League, which is world's largest.
Indeed Sean is known as "The Testament" and just in
case his eye-catching blue shirt and array of lavish
tattoos didn't give it away, Moran's 22.5 gram tungstens
bear the nickname he picked up after being crowned 2011
MMDL Singles Cricket Championship.
This likeable Hanson (Massachusetts) native is among
the elite players in the United States. The wry smile
from wife, Laurie, during a recent interview, greets
Sean's tales of travel across the country to play the
top venues on the circuit. With success comes sacrifice
however, and not only is the 41 year-old Town of
Marshfield employee away from home for extended periods,
but he also commits himself to "staying focused, eating
right and two to three hours practice every day."

Sean and his wife Laurie
Moran took up the sport relatively late in life -- 19
years old -- and recalls the days when he played on his
father's teams. Father, Frank, and younger brother,
Scott, who was a darts youth champion in his time, were
the major influences in his career. Sean also recalls
fondly the input to his game that Johnny K, Larry Butler
and The King (an accolade shared by both Dave Kelly and
Jim Spinoza) have had.
Tom Curtin, Bob Sinnieve, Alan 'Warrior' Little and
a certain Mr Dennis Priestly have also brought their
influence to bear on Sean during his time in the game.
Sean was bitten by the bug as a teenager and his love
affair with darts continued unabated. And it is fair to
say that some two decades later he appears headed for
the upper echelons of the sport. Spend just half an hour
in his presence and one gets the feeling that they are
in the company of greatness. Moran possesses the desire,
temperament and dedication to go all the way to the top.
He's ranked 27th by the American Darts Organization,
but it's a placing which doesn't tell the whole tale.
Sean has defeated third-ranked Tom Sawyer in his time
while he's also walked away with hands raised against
long time US number one, Gary Mawson, perennial top
ranked Ray Carver and current ADO kingpin, Larry Butler.
But it was only in the last couple of years that the
game began to pay dividends for Sean. He's top dog with
his MMDL Round Of 9 team, which plays out of the Asia
Palace in Weymouth, and because of his new found status
Sean has picked up a catalog of sponsors.
Darts makers Winmau are on board with the 2011
champion, as is L Style, TUV, Prime Athletics and
Dutchman Darts.
"It is with great pride that I've signed with such
prestigious companies as L Style and Winmau. I would
like to thank Mr Tsuyoshi Yamasaki of California and Mr
Jinta Swizera of Japan for this great opportunity with L
Style. Also I would like to thank Mr Ian Flack of Winmau
in England for his confidence in me and for producing
such great darts products."
When he is not at the oche, this LPN and father of
three enjoys hockey, camping and his kids. Kyle, Jenna
and Rylee (both girls are avid shooters) are his pride
and joy and the big Irishman is ensuring that the Moran
name stays active in the sport. Frank passed on his
talents to son Sean, and now young Kyle is showing
promise -- he recently lifted the champion's trophy at
the Stanford Tournament and followed that up in November
2011 by being crowned Seacoast Open Youth champion.
Asked what advice he has for blossoming young
players, Sean says: "Never quit. Set small goals and
never be afraid to accept criticism."
Sean has many fond memories of the past two decades
in the game. Meeting Scottish icon Jocky Wilson was one,
as was the night "or two" he and his wife shared with
the Michael Jordan of darts -- Eric Bristow. There was
also the evening at Matt's Villa in Holbrook, in 1995,
when he played a certain Phil Taylor (before he was 'The
Power').
But Sean's successes in the sport have a special
place in his heart. The 2011 Cricket Singles title tops
the lot. He's won numerous state titles "but winning the
Cricket Singles and following up with the runners up
spot in the Minuteman 501, was something I'm very proud
of," says the Hanson man.
Larry Butler, the only American to win the World
Matchplay Tournament (Blackpool, England, 1994) sees
Sean as a very good prospect in the game.
"I've know Sean since he was a kid. I knew him and
his brother, Scott, from my time playing in Boston.
Indeed Boston and the MinuteMan Dart League have been
very good to me. But I'll always remember Sean coming
into the locker room to meet me when I won the World Matchplay in Blackpool in 1994. Sean is a very good
prospect and a great representative for L Style," says
the ADO number one.
Like most darts fans Sean recalls the halcyon days of
the sport when he witnessed John Lowe sink a
nine-dart-finish in Britain's 'Unipart' Championship. On
December 16 next, Sean will get the chance to pit his
wits against the legend that is Lowe, at a packed IBEW
Hall in Dorchester.
What does it mean for Sean Moran to take the stage at
the John Lowe event next month?
"It's a complete honor and privilege to be playing
against the three-time world champion. I've grown up
watching him on TV and I've spent time in his company
along with Cliff Lazarenko. To be sharing the same oche
with him next month will be amazing."
Holly Frary -- Former Prodigy Is Married To The
Sport
By Mark Stokes
Once
described by a Minute Man Dart League official as the
best female player he had ever seen, Holly Frary owes
much of her success to a well spent youth in the game.
The benefits of having an older boyfriend who could
vouch for her in an over twenty-one establishment, or
two, translated into hours of practice in front of a
dartboard. Hard work at any pursuit usually yields the
desired results, but Holly recalls that it wasn't
exactly by choice she became involved in darts.
"I hated it. I used to get so mad," she says as she
remembers the humiliation of being the sparring partner
for her ace shooter boyfriend.
The boyfriend took his talents to the local team "and he
used to practice on me and of course I'd lose every
game."
"So I thought, maybe if I beat him he'll leave me
alone," recalls Holly 'Pop'. "I got better and better
and I finally beat him. So instead of leaving me alone
he put me on his team."
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Sporting a set of antiquated 21-gram 'Atlanta'
tungstens, which were passed down from former husband,
Ray Carver, Holly went on to achieve number one status
on the female money list and number two position in the
rankings.
This former teenage prodigy, who these days plays for
the Atomic Penguins out of the Franco American Club in
Beverley (Massachusetts), and without a sponsor,
remembers being noticed as a twenty-one year old:
"Some gentleman from the Minute Man Darts League saw
me and he said I was the best female player he had ever
seen. I think it was at the Witch City Open. I won $25
in that tournament and I thought that was the best thing
that ever happened."
Since then her game has gone from strength to
strength. Like her fellow Minute Man champions, involved
in the John Lowe Event in Boston on December 16, Holly
can claim to have touched the summit in her chosen
sport.
"Two things I always wanted to do in darts were
making the World Masters team and the World Cup team. I
went to the World Cup in 2003 in France, and I went to
the Masters in England in 2002."
Are there hidden talents of Holly's which we might
not know about?
"I have nothing to hide...unfortunately. What you see
is what you get."

Holly Frary has lived what many players dream about
Yet the psychological side of the game has always
intrigued the former women's number two, who raises a
very legitimate question about the battle of the sexes
in the sport.
"Mentally I can't seem to figure out the dynamics
between women and men. Why men seem to be better at this
game than women? You know no matter how long women have
played, which is longer than most men - at least the
women that I know - they're still unable to beat them
(the men) on a consistent basis."
A native of Nashua, New Hampshire, Holly draws
support from a loving family of mother, sister and
step-father. She's resides in Salem, Massachusetts and
also called Canada home for a while "when I was married
to John Part."
It was shortly after the turn of the millennium that
Holly realized she had what it takes to make a living
from the game.
"It was definitely when I was with John (Part). I
believe I was ranked number two in the country when I
met John. So I think he had dollar signs in his eyes
when he met me too - you know a good mixed doubles
team," says the former Canadian Open Ladies Doubles
champion.
The past year has been a tragic one for Holly. Her
husband Dave Frary, who was revered in the MMDL
fraternity, passed following a long illness. Because of
the time she took away from work and the game, Holly has
neither a MMDL nor American Darts Organization ranking.
While others will remember this tournament or that,
Holly's fondest memory of the playing in the MMDL was
the time that she met her deceased husband.
"Don't give up. Just keep trying. You can't expect to
be good right away," is the advice Holly gives to
youngsters who are starting out in the sport of darts.
And she took her own advice at a recent exhibition in
Florida.
"I've gone through times when I've had hitches. I had
to go through an exhibition in Florida for Budweiser and
I had the worst hitch I ever had, and I was miserable. I
just had to work through it."
Holly also confesses that at such times -- she can
remember two in particular -- she's just wanted to throw
her darts in the trash. But she didn't and the Minute
Man League is all the better for it.
There is no one in the game that Holly hasn't met:
"I know John and Karen (Lowe) very well. I know Phil
(Taylor) and Eric (Bristow). I know them all. They used
to come over here quite a bit when they were younger."
And what about the big event with John Lowe in
December?
"I actually didn't even know I was playing until
about a month ago. I am honored. There's other women in
the league who are playing better than me right now. But
I stepped up and won the cricket tournament when it
mattered. I'm looking forward to it."
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