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Chicago, Illinois 60659
Phone: (773) 583-4365   FAX: (773 583-4913
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For 31st Consecutive Year, Chicago to Welcome World's Top Dart Players

New $37,000 Pro-Tour Singles Event Maintains Chicago Tournament’s Elite Status

CHICAGO, IL -- September 4, 2007 --  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.  Windy City Darters, the nation’s largest single-city darts organization, in conjunction with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) announced that the Windy City Open, long viewed as one of the world’s premier dart tournaments, will celebrate its 31st anniversary September 13-16, 2007 with the addition of a prestigious singles event.  The PDC Pro-Tour 501 Singles raises the total tournament payout to over $57,000, making the Windy City Open the richest event of its kind in North America, and one of only four North American events to receive the Pro-Tour designation.  “I’m extremely pleased that the PDC has decided to further the relationship we’ve built over the past decade,” said Peter Citera, President of Windy City Darters, “they are the world’s premier sanctioning body for professional darts, and the Pro-Tour showcases their commitment to promoting the best our sport has to offer in Chicago, and across North America.”

Indeed, the tournament’s players list for 2007 once again reads like a Who’s Who of darts across the world.  Eighteen of the top 25 players on the worldwide money list (or “PDC order of merit”, as it is referred to in darts), have already committed to play in the Windy City Open this year, as have the top 20 U.S. professionals as ranked by the American Darts Organization (ADO).  Even casual fans of darts will recognize the more famous names, such as Canadian John “Darth Maple” Part, Dutchman Roland “Tripod” Scholten, Englishmen Colin “Jaws” Lloyd, Peter “One Dart” Manley, Ronnie “the Rocket” Baxter and Dennis “Heat” Ovens.  John “Johnny K” Kuczynski of New York and Chicagoans Ray “the Razor” Carver and Isen “BigE” Veljic will lead the American charge and are sure to be fan favorites throughout the tournament.

All in all, the Windy City Open will likely see over 450 players square off against each other with 4 days of scheduled events open to all players.  Thursday evening kicks off the tournament with a blind draw event (where doubles teams are drawn at random) at 8:00 PM, and the Open concludes with the headline PDC Pro Tour 501 Singles event – the only event for which pre-registration is required – on Sunday.  “We are tremendously excited about this year’s Open,” said Citera - a 2005 National Darts Hall of Fame inductee, “Chicago has always been one of the world’s great dart cities, and we’re looking forward to hosting the best in the world for another great tournament in 2007!”  Indeed, attracting both world-ranked players and the casual darter has never been a problem for the Windy City Open, which is one of only two tournaments in the world sanctioned by both the ADO and PDC.  The tournament holds the record for most entrants in a single U.S. dart event with 826 in a 1991 blind draw.

2007 also showcases the 6th Annual Windy City Nickel / Brass tournament which runs in conjunction with the Windy City Open but is restricted to intermediate- and novice-level players who participate in leagues run by Windy City Darters and other cooperating organizations.  “The reception for the Nickel / Brass event has been tremendous,” said Jim Askham, Treasurer of Windy City Darters and another Hall of Fame member, “as far as I know, Chicago’s is the only tournament in the world that offers events exclusively geared to lesser skilled players, giving them the chance to experience the atmosphere of a world-class tournament while allowing them a realistic chance to win some money.”

According to the American Darts Organization, over 20 million people play darts in the United States each year. With England’s longtime loyal fan base and a recent explosion of interest across the globe, darts has a worldwide following that would rival that of most major professional sports.  Indeed, the game of darts offers many of the same pleasures as other sports: the camaraderie of friends, challenge and excitement of harnessing personal skill and the necessary mental toughness to make the game winning shot.  Perhaps best of all, the game of darts is inexpensive. The only equipment needed to get started in the game is a set of darts, which retail between $5 and $200, and a dartboard, which runs about $45.


About Windy City Darters:
 
Windy City Darters (WCD) is a 501(c)(7) not-for-profit corporation dedicated to preserving and advancing the game of steel-tip darts in the Chicagoland area and across North America.  The corporation currently boasts over 1,400 active members in the leagues it sponsors throughout the North side of Chicago and the Northwest suburbs, making it the largest single-city dart organization in the United States.  Leagues run by Windy City Darters include players of all skill levels, from beginner to professional.  WCD hosts two major tournaments per year – the Windy City Cup is held in March and is the Illinois State Championship event; the Windy City Open International Darts Tournament is held in September, and showcases the game’s best from around the world.  The Windy City Open is also the longest consecutively-running steel-tip darts tournament in the United States.  Sponsorship and advertising opportunities are available year-round by contacting the corporate office.

About the Professional Darts Corporation

The Professional Darts Corporation was initially formed as the World Darts Council in January 1992, and is now the leading professional body in the sport.  The first WDC event, the UK Masters, took place nine months later and the first World Championship was played over the 1993-94 festive period, establishing a partnership with Sky Sports which remains in effect to this day. The PDC has built a reputation as the leading innovator in terms of staging professional darts tournaments and is constantly looking towards the future and improving the organization in every area. The PDC's commitment to spreading professional darts worldwide led to the Las Vegas Desert Classic being introduced to the calendar in 2002, and the PDC Pro-Tour events this year. The PDC continues to go from strength to strength with its central aim to ensure the sport receives the recognition and respect professional darts deserves.


For more information on the Windy City Open or Windy City Darters, contact:

Peter Citera
President
Windy City Darters
3530 West Peterson Avenue, Suite 209
Chicago, IL  60641

Office: 773-583-4365
Mobile: 847-373-9176
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www.windycitydarters.org

For more information on the Professional Darts Corporation, contact:

David Allen
Media Officer
Professional Darts Corporation Ltd
Mascalls,
Mascalls Lane
Brentwood, Essex
CM14 5LJ
UNITED KINGDOM

Office: +44 (0) 8712 501180
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www.planetdarts.tv

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