The outstanding tournament that this thrower compiled at the BullShooter Finals in Chicago this May was part of a very surprising journey to this old darter. Let’ s get to know Adam Stella. Adam lives in New Brunswick, Canada with his wife Amanda, 13 year old Kaylen, and 4 year old twin sons, Chase and Keegan. He is the owner of KCK, a residential construction company. Let’ s learn why his journey to Chicago was surprising to me.
Pacer: I grew up in Rockford, Illinois where Paul Beall took a crazy idea all the way to the creation of electronic darts. For decades the game has not only been there, it has truly become a part of the city itself. I guess that is why I found what you told me about your introduction to the electronic game almost unbelievable. Adam: I had never played softtip until last September. We got our first machines in New Brunswick last year, and it is already growing and getting more popular. I really didn’ t think much about it at first, and then I started getting involved in extreme leagues and tournaments and I was impressed right away. I lost in the finals of my first tournament to Don Stewart. I was impressed not only with the level of competition, but also the tournament format. It was well run. I am playing a lot of extreme leagues now that will allow me to qualify for some really exciting electronic tournaments. I have to admit, after the experience I had at the BullShooter last year, I can see soft-tip being a big part of my dart game. In fact, I think the two games, steel and electronic, are going to feed off of each other and not only make the game stronger, but give dart throwers more and more opportunities. Now I am playing remote leagues sometimes up to six nights a week, four matches a night so I can qualify for the tournaments that are paying out some legitimate money. Pacer: Some people might think that sounds a little greedy, but as a former competitor I understand completely. Adam: Oh no, it has nothing to do with greed. The fact is that both Canada and the United States are so big that it costs a lot of money to compete. There are times when between airfare, lodging, entry fees, and so forth, you have over a thousand dollars invested before you throw your first dart. You better have a good weekend, or you are taking a beating( both laughing). Pacer: Some countries, like England in steel tip and Japan in soft-
Adam Stella
tip are small enough that players can reach every major tournament with a short drive and little cost. That just isn’ t the case in North America. Adam: That’ s why I think the opportunity to compete in both venues is so important. I know being introduced to the electronic game in the last year has caused a lot of excitement on the east coast of Canada. Pacer: Tell us, how did Adam Stella become a dart player? Adam: Well, I was always competitive. I played a lot of baseball growing up. When I was a little older, I played a lot of slow pitch. I played for our Provinces team a few years, and one year was an alternate for Team Canada. Once I started playing slow pitch, I was on a team that won the National Championship three years in a row. Pacer: Wow, you weren’ t a ball player, you were a hell of a ball player! Adam: I was okay, but once I subbed for my Uncle Keith Livingston’ s dart team six years ago, the game just grabbed me. Nothing has ever quite gotten my adrenalin flowing like competing in darts. I have had my share of success in steel darts and now that they introduced our area to the electronic game, it has really