a couple of questions have come to mind and i would like some feed back. since we have a forum page i will make good use of it. if you read this please take a few minutes and leave your thoughts on these questions. and now the questions!!

1: do you participate in the tournament trails program?
2: do you like or dislike the program?
3: what would you do to improve the program?

we are tring to improve the program and any and all ideas that people may have would be considered. i would like to see the program brought back to the levels that it enjoyed back in the early 90's when i played. i went to trails a lot and it seemed like every night there was 25 -30 people or more at trails and when i went to vegas in 96 i seem to remember seeing about 12 -15 people from the club out there sent there by the club.
please leave your ideas
james london
vice-president
90-0278
:D :D :D :D :D

Trails is a great program that is offered by the CDC to its members. It's a chance for players at any level to shoot in a competitive, yet casual, dart event. The multiple times and locations that trails events are held are great because it allows members to pick and choose the nights/locations of their preference, depending on where they reside, and their own personal or work schedules. For relatively new darters, it provides a great opportunity to improve their game. And the cash payouts at some of our locations are the best in the area. And of course, the rewarding of trips for those achieving enough points helps promote dart tournaments across the country, and often provides newer darters with their first exposure to larger, out-of-state tournaments.

I also think its also a great opportunity for our Bar Affiliates. Every affiliate member bar is eligible to host a trails event at a day and time of their choosing. In fact, I have been in conversation with several bars that have expressed an interest in hosting a trails event in their bar, so some announcements for new trails events will be forthcoming.

As the recently appointed Trails Chairperson, I'll be working with the CDC office to help ensure that our trails program continues its tradition of promoting darts through this program. Most of my effort initially will be geared to improving the process and procedures for collecting trails scoresheets, tabulating and updating individual point totals, and offering and rewarding members with trails trips.

There was a previous thread on this topic where many ideas and opinions were offered. I have reviewed all of these and give them consideration. But in the meantime, I welcome any additional comments.

Jeff Inman
Trails Chairperson

I do not presently participate in this program, although I used to frequent trails in the 90's and performed well, unfortunatly I never took advantage of my points and lost them when I left darts for a period of years.

I think trails is a good concept, it allows darters to participate on an individual basis at a level they wont be able to participate in the leagues. Unfortunatly it rewards the smaller percentage of those who participate and the larger percentage wont support it enough to make it grow. Also it self-destructs the big picture of keeping darts in Cleveland. Lets look at it this way: I go to work to make money and use that money to invest in my future through savings, investments, home purchase and improvement, in other words I invest in myself and my family. The way trails works is that we go out and make money from trails and invest it by sending our darters and the money to another city to support their darts event and program while ours keeps dwindling away.

I dont think there is a way to improve trails itself. It exists the way it does because those who take advantage of it use it for a specific purpose. Unless you change the way darters are rewarded from the program only those who have a use for it will participate on a regular basis.

Leave it alone, it is self supportive and works just fine. Place your efforts on making the present membership more competitive elsewhere within the clubs structure and the trails program will grow from that effort.

thanks for your input dclotz. what i am about to tell you is a 100 % true story about my dart career. i started in 1988. a friend need a fill in guy and i was hooked. i am a very competitive person so from the begining i wanted to get better. after 1 month the gold team out of my home bar (hard times on 117th) wanted me on there team, i was in bronze 17 at the time and i asked what the difference between gold 2 and broze 17 was they showed me and i turned them down. i wasnt ready yet. they told me go to trails and come back in a year. i live in lakewood so i went to the ultimate sports bar on detroit, now bobby o's, and for three weeks i sat and watched, yep thats right, i just sat there with a glass of water and watched them throw darts for three weeks. finally i got the guts to put up two dollars after a month and i played doubles. i got killed but i learned, and for the next couple of months i went up, watched singles and played doubles and learned a lot and talked to my partner. my team started to move up the ranks and my game got better, and my team went to trails, and we all got better. we used trails and we won year after year. i used the trails program to elevate my gam and i credit it with some of my greatest moments in my darting career.
i beat gerald verrier, i went to vegas and got to the 4th round in singles 301 in 1996 (a trails trip), and in 2006 i went to the kentucky open and won the saturday night blind draw with alan mathews,another trails trip). so the trails program can vastly improve your game if you let it. practicing at home is important but live head to head play against an opponent in league or in tournament format is indispensable experience.
any i guess my point is that people can use the trails program not only to fine tune their game but to improve their game too.
:D :D :D :D :D

The beginning of my dart career was similar...it began at trails in the Oriole Cafe on a Sunday night and was I rewarded by playing John Fetchet in the first round. After that, I was also hooked and became a fairly accomplished player. Obviously the success of the trails program has a direct correlation with how the CDC is doing overall, and from what I hear, numbers are down in both areas.

IMO...Jeff is on the right track by improving the process and procedures. I believe the frustration of missing points lists and updating the information in a timely manner has turned a few darters away. Getting those tasks in line can do nothing but help. I also think the success of trails hinges on getting the relatively new members involved. Maybe compiling a list of members who have joined within the last two years and finding out how many have gone to trails? Maybe doubling their trails points earned for a given period of time? One month? Two months?...to get them interested. All it takes is a little success...

thanks for the feedback jtimko. not a bad idea doubling the points, it may be an idea to toss around. it just goes to show you people can use the trails program to improve your game. darts is about commitment, as a young or new player i would advise a player to sit down and analyze your own personal game and goals for you dart career. do you want to be a "get together with the guys for beers and throw darts" dart thrower, or do you want to be an "accoplished, win money and go to major tournaments and do well and impress the hot chicks" kind of darter.
once you decide where you fall between choice a and b you can decide how much you have to do to achieve your goals. the trails program has helped hundreds of CDC darters achieve thier goals in the sport of darts im sure, and it will continue to do so for those in the future.
keep those ideas coming

I can tell you this, I've never gotten any hot chicks from playing darts, not sure if it's because I'm not that good, or if it's because I'm fat. Either way'll i'll be at trails tonight doing my part to improve the turn out from all the way over on the east side tonight. See you all there hopefully.