'Bulls eye!' Tournament showcases blind dart throwers in Downtown Harrisburg

Competitors were at the Crowne Plaza in Downtown Harrisburg on Friday morning at the PA Conference for the Blind to take place in a blind dart throwing tournament.

Ryan Davis, the owner of Team 717 Darts in Harrisburg was contacted over the summer by a blind dart thrower, and was astonished to learn that a significant amount of people come to the conference each year to participate in a tournament.

Davis was contacted by a group from western PA and was told that the Conference for the Blind was being held in Harrisburg for the first time.

"They were looking for volunteers," said Davis. "We were more than happy to help out."

Davis said that he never knew blind darts were a thing, and that it was humbling to learn about.

"We rely so much on vision, and to find out these guys are out here doing it without their vision...its astonishing," said Davis.

Davis' team at 717 Darts gathered a group of volunteers to set up the tournament in Harrisburg and serve as spotters for the competitors, helping them get in position to throw.

The tournament was played similarly to any other game of darts you may observe, but with special boards.

Instead of traditional felt boards, blind dart games use electronic boards that make noises, such as beeps, that allow participate to locate where to throw.

The boards also speak to players, letting them know what section of the board they hit and how many points they scored.

Blind players at the tournament gave the seeing some pointers on how to play, and they time take a crack at throwing without sight.

Volunteers put on blindfolds and tried their best to play without sight. Some volunteers were competitive dart throwers, and even they struggled hitting the board.

Blind throwers are also required to wear blindfolds while they compete to even out the playing field, as not all individuals experience the same level of blindness.

Players are required to remove their darts from the board on their own after the round, and hit a button on the machine to start the next round.

Boards are the same size as the sighted use, and players are required to stand the same distance from the board.

One player at the tournament, George Holliday from the Philadelphia area, has been throwing blind darts for over 20 years.

"I would miss the board at the beginning, and people would say "just keep at it,"" said Holliday. "Now I've been competing in tournaments for over 20 years, and I teach darts.

Holliday says blind dart tournaments are not just exclusive to PA, but take place all over the country.

Holliday was just at a tournament in Atlanta, Georgia last week.

"I did pretty good!" said Holliday.