A year ago he never would have missed the thuds of the dart tips hitting a target. The raucous laughter and talk of the bar around him, the clinks of glasses and cheers of people around the tables. For others his age, his hobby might be obscure, but he plays for his own enjoyment, something to pass the time.

Jake Hartman, senior, has been playing darts for over a year. “It’s just something that kinda happened,” said Hartman. “I’m decent enough at it, it’s just something fun to do in my free time,” Hartman said. 

Hartman got involved in participating in the game when his dad introduced it to him. Thirty years ago, his father had played darts, but stopped for a while. Then when he got back into it, he showed his son the game. “It’s brought him and I a lot closer,” Hartman said. “It’s nice to spend time with him on it.”

He also plays with others that are not quite family, but feel like a family. “Along with playing with my dad, me and my best friend play together. We’re partners, and then are teamed up against each other,” Hartman commented. “We don’t really have a main goal other than to have fun together.”

Hartman plays at a bar in Cedar Rapids that hosts a weekly dart league. They meet every Sunday at two o’clock in the afternoon, where he throws darts for a couple hours. His league doesn’t travel, but others are known for traveling all over the state, or even the country. They only play against their own league, and “other leagues at different bars for a quick draw.” 

There are different types of activities involving darts that the league plays. Cricket 200 is one of the more popular ones, and it is Hartman’s favorite. “You just try to cancel out the numbers before your opponent does. It’s just a fun simple game,” Hartman said. Other darts games can be more complex, but others are easier. “There are simple games like trying to get to get close to a certain part of the board, try to pin things on the board, even playing a game of Tic-Tac-Toe with it,” shared Hartman. “I mean, there’s just like little mini games you can play.”

According to Hartman, there isn’t a main goal for the league. “Basically just get better every season, I mean, it’s not something that you’re going to get quickly. You just gotta practice.” Hartman isn’t planning on making his hobby a job or getting a profit from it. “I don’t plan on stopping,” Hartman said. “But it’s just a fun thing to do when I have some time off. I’m glad I have something fun and exciting to do.”