04/22/2026
Thanks for to the Tri-County Vanguard for the great article!
Youth darts club hitting the bullseye: South Shore group offering unique opportunity, friendships
Author of the article:By Monique Smith
Published Apr 13, 2026
A relatively new South Shore Youth Darts Club in Shelburne County is introducing youth to the sport.
Kathy Rob Maxwell saw a need in their community of Little Harbour, Sheburne County. So, they are doing what they can to address it in a fun and educational way.
The couple started the South Shore Youth Darts Club in September in the community, which is located in the Municipality of Shelburne, after recognizing a lack of opportunities for younger people in the area.
βRob has a passion for darts and a passion for wanting to get youth involved in darts because, on this end of the province, we really have a lack of youth programming for darts,β Kathy says.
βEverybody else has one β in the Valley, Halifax, Cape Breton β¦ they all have a huge youth darts program.β
The South Shore club is not something that happened overnight. Kathy says it was a few years in the making. βWe pushed for this for two years in order to get grants, because itβs a lot of equipment you have to buy up front,β she says, adding the club has equipment for youth to use, if they wish. Dartboards, stands, flights, arrows, scoreboards, lights, different weight darts and more are available to use.
About 12 young people have participated in the club, which meets on Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Little Harbour and Area Hall. The drop-in gathering welcomes ages nine to 18, from the curious to beginners and more advanced.
For those who are new to the game, Kathy says she and Robert offer a variety of tips and knowledge. βWe can help them understand the game of darts because when they first come in, they just throw darts. They may hit the board or the floor,β Kathy says.
βWe help them try different stances. Weβve put tape on the floor, so they can try different ones β¦ and correct little things that might make you get the dart to the board a lot more accurately. Not everybodyβs (technique) is the same. You need to be aware of your own body,β she explains.
Kathy says there is a lot more to darts than just throwing them at the board. Precision, accuracy, confidence, development of skills, motor skills and math all play a factor. βHow you hold your hand, your arm, close, far away β¦ thereβs so many different aspects to darts that make the dart go to the board correctly. How hard (to throw)? How soft? You have to really think about it.β
Bailee Williams is one of the eager participants in the South Shore Youth Darts Club. The Shelburne-based gathering meets weekly and is for youth ages nine to 18. All levels of skill, including newcomers to the sport, are welcome.
For 17-year-old Bailee Williams, the club has been beneficial in many ways. Itβs a βgreat way to get better at the game, meet people, and have some fun competition. Itβs a social activity,β she says, through Kathy, βwith strategy and lots of laughs.β
Kathy adds that she herself has benefited from the club. Sheβs particularly impressed with the enthusiasm the youth have and their ability to learn, adapt and try new things. βTheir eagerness to try it and learn. I found that in (some) sports, kids (can) give up really quickly because it feels like too much. But I found with the darts theyβre sticking with it and trying different things instead of thinking itβs their way that works best,β she says.
When young people get involved in the sport of darts, it also helps Kathy relive her and Robertβs journey into the game. She says Robert has been playing for about 16 or 17 years, while she embraced darts about seven years ago.
Robert enjoyed playing at the Stewiacke legion and then became involved in more and more tournaments.
βI got involved because he was coming home and telling me how much fun it was, so we started to play in big tournaments. I would go in as his doubles partner,β Kathy says.
The couple is encouraged to see young people follow in their footsteps. βThey can have such great friendships that they carry through, and they can travel and do different things β¦ and meet other youth across the country, even.β
Regarding future plans, Kathy says she and Robert would be interested in possibly starting an adult group as well.
