A 14-year-old Pontiac High School student will be travelling to Budapest, Hungary this weekend to compete in world darts championships.
Nathan Brown will be competing in three tournaments between Oct. 9 and 13, including the World Junior Masters, one of the premier global tournaments for junior players.
Brown started playing darts just two and a half years ago by watching his mom Melissa and older brother Roger, both of whom are experienced players themselves, play in their living room.
He took to the game immediately. “I like the competition of it, and the way that it sets my mind. It feels good,” he said.
“When I’m playing the game, I just put my mind and I get in my own bubble.”
Nathan’s first taste of competitive play was by watching Roger play in a provincial tournament. The youngster wanted to play too, but due to his learning disability he didn’t know how to count.
“He was very upset,” his mom said. “So Nathan asked me to help him to start learning to count properly.”
In darts, players have to be able to add up their scores on the fly. For example, if you throw a dart at the double-18 target, you have to be able to calculate that 18 times two is 36. A triple-20 adds up to 60 points. You also need to be able to quickly subtract, as each round begins at 501 points and players remove points from there.
“We would sit every night after school and he would practice with me,” Melissa said. First they worked on doubles; then once he mastered that they moved on to triples.
As Nathan got more comfortable counting he started to compete in more tournaments. He had great success, winning his age group’s provincials in his first year of competitive play.
This victory got him an invite to the national youth championships, where he didn’t place on the podium, but Melissa said his play was stellar.
“He played amazing darts. It was all top competitors at nationals. Considering it was his first year playing in a big tournament, I thought he did phenomenal.”
This year, his second year of play, Nathan became the two-time defending junior youth champion of Quebec, and got a second consecutive invite to nationals.
He didn’t place as high as they had hoped, but was able to shoot a 180, the highest score possible in a round of darts. Achieving this feat involves throwing three consecutive darts at one of the smallest targets on the board, the triple-20. For this rare feat, which is even rarer in the junior divisions, Nathan was awarded a pin.
He didn’t place at nationals, but still managed to qualify for the World Masters because the NDFC (National Darts Federation of Canada) was granted additional qualification spots this season, which they awarded to competitors according to various criteria. Because Nathan had a high enough standing from last season, he was extended one of Canada’s final invites to the global competition.
“It was overwhelming when I heard that he got the invite because to be honest I never thought I would see him at the worlds,” Melissa said.
“My dad, his grandfather, that he never got to meet, was a big dart player,” she said, adding that he is continuing the family legacy.
As excited as the family is at this opportunity, Melissa said a trip for two including flights, accommodations, meals and more is going to cost a pretty penny — around $4,000.
As a single mom with three kids to take care of, it has been hard to come up with the money.
They’ve played in a few local fundraiser tournaments, but the money only went so far. The pot was split three ways with Cathy Scharf-Matthews and Pierre Matthews, two players from western Quebec who are also travelling to Budapest for the World Masters.
When Zandra Charbonneau, a seasoned darts player herself and longtime friend of Melissa’s, found out Nathan had qualified, she wanted to help out as best she could.
Charbonneau has been using her position within the community to raise money for Nathan’s trip. First, she organized a draw where the winner will receive a dart board and light system.
She got a custom jersey made for Nathan at a darts store in Ottawa. The shirt features a green camouflage background and an illustration of a dart-throwing goat — an animal representation of the phrase G.O.A.T (Greatest of All-Time). The words “Brown The Kid” are emblazoned on the back. Charbonneau also had towels made with the design on them, and is selling those at $20 apiece.
She has witnessed Nathan’s development first-hand and said she wanted to see him play on the biggest stage. “We want Nathan to be able to have this experience,” she said.
Charbonneau appeared once at the World Masters herself, and even got to meet, and play against, her darts idol. She hopes Nathan can have a similarly positive experience.
“It’s unbelievable to be invited to the World Masters and to be on that kind of stage with the top players in the world,” she said, adding that as an amateur this is the highest level of play that can be achieved.
Melissa said the donations have been huge in helping them make it to Budapest.
“We don’t even know how to thank her. Without her, I don’t think we would have been doing this,” said Melissa, expressing gratitude for Charbonneau and everybody who has donated to Nathan’s trip.
The mother-and-son duo don’t know the first thing about Budapest, but they are looking forward to getting on an airplane for the first time and doing some sightseeing.
For his part, Nathan has been focusing on his game, practising his throws and preparing himself for the big stage.
He knows he’ll be up against some stiff competition, but he’s staying focused on what he can control — his own play.
“I’m going to try to go do my best,” he said, adding that he is also looking forward to meeting new friends from around the world.
Nathan and Melissa will fly to Budapest on Oct. 6, and he will start playing on Oct. 9.
Zandra is still selling towels with the goat logo on them for $20 apiece. She said they are still short of their fundraising goal of $4,000, so donations are still welcome and can be sent to nathanthekidbudapest@gmail.com.
