PEIDA calendar filling up with plenty of events
As we approach the Red Rock Open on October 20-22, the timing is perfect to talk about PEIDA events that will have a regular fixture in the darts calendar of activities on the island.
As you all know now, the Red Rock Open will be the first open tournament on PEI since 2018. The members of the PEIDA board have been working very hard to bring an unforgettable event to the island and we are convinced that the event will be a huge success in the dart community in the Atlantic provinces and beyond. This event will take place the third weekend of October annually, which fits perfectly within the schedule of the other open tournaments happening in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in the fall.
In the past weeks, we have also held the Mike Prowse Memorial Tournament at the Summerside Legion. This tournament will be held annually in September as a fundraiser for PEIDA Youth Darts activities. Another PEIDA Youth Darts fundraiser that will make an appearance on our calendar is the Jeremy Stretch Memorial Tournament that will be held at the Afton Community Center on Sunday, November 19 at noon.
One of the most anticipated events in the darts calendar is the annual qualifiers for Team PEI. Historically, these were held between October and January. Trying to hold the qualifiers in the fall has become a challenge with a number of holidays as well as other open tournaments in the Atlantic region, making it hard to settle on dates to keep annually. After a lengthy discussion, the PEIDA board members settled on moving the qualifiers to January and February. This will allow us to setup 24 boards at the Emerald Community Center semi-permanently, creating a mini “Darts Season” on PEI. The qualifiers will be held on January 7, January 28 and February 18, 2024. Additionally between each of the qualifiers, we will hold fundraiser tournaments, including a Sweetheart tournament on February 5. Two other fundraisers will take place on January 14 and February 25. The funds raised during those tournaments will go towards the trip to NDFC Nationals in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec for the players qualifying for Team PEI. The fundraisers will also allow us to try different tournament types to get as many dart players as possible to participate in those events.
Further down the road, we will also have our second open tournament the East Coast Open, set to be held on April 5-7 at the Rodd in Charlottetown. As we are convinced that the Red Rock Open will be a success in October, we are already looking forward to hosting this great event in the Spring.
The PEIDA surely has come a long way since its humble beginnings as the new association on the island. Our long term objective is to try and host one tournament per month during those that the opens are not held. This will help keep the darts community active on the island and hopefully word of mouth will allow the events to grow and bring new players.
We look forward to seeing you at all those events, until then, shoot well!