DARTS: Bad Luck Streak at Darting school (and Ready for More!)

A 180 Thrown in Practice... I would be totally OK with these showing up in league games, honest!

OK, it's still early going but I think it's safe to tell you right now that I'm not the top shooter on my summer darts team.  Fact is, I'm somewhere in the middle, quite possibly upper middle but middle nonetheless. 
I'll let you in on a secret; I am perfectly fine with that.  I'll do my best to shoot as well as i can of course and if I come out on top, so be it.  I am just feeling lucky to have good team mates to make that a tough proposition for me.  It is an easier ride though being middle of the pack on a team with some talent (if not so much experience) than being the top shooter on a team that struggles a little.
What can be said for both scenarios however, is in each i can feel confident that I am not only contributing, but contributing on a equal or better footing.
What about being a part of a team and feeling outclassed, like everyone is so much better than what you feel you are able to provide except for in sporadic bursts? 
Some people are very intensely competitive in darts and some people are very casually nonchalant about darts.  What if you know you aren't going to be one of the super intensely into it people, but also know that you have more fire in your belly than to be satisfied with throwing a dart and saying 'oh oopsie' as it lands, well god knows where?  
What do you do if you are that person, and what do you do if you are the team mate of that person? 
As you may well have guesseed by now that while I am speaking in the general i am referencing a specific situation, but think there is a utility in discussing it in the general as I suspect there are elements of universality here that we can all share and learn from.
Since we are dealing with human beings here, and human needs and wants that the path to dealing with it will vary from situation to situation.  
First of all I think we should define the team sitation.  If the team is purely about putting up wins, then it could simply eb a matter of making the tough choice of deciding whether that member is ready to be playing at that level. That is a tough choice, but perhaps one that can make itself clear (albeit disappointing)
When you are in a team liek I am in now, one that is self branded as a 'developmental team' you have a different kettle of fish.
Ostensibly, since the team isn't so much about winning that member shouldn't have to worry at all how they do, should they?
perhaps, but I think if that were the case they'd respond more favorably to being told 'just relax and enjoy it'.
While winning may not be the be all and end all purpose of the team, I don't think there is a single one of us that doesn't step up to the oche without thinking about getting the job done.  
Maybe that's it?   Maybe the anxiety and stress that someone might feel isn't so much about hitting and missing ? Maybe it is about seeing and recognizing that competitive spirit?  
I am so new to all of this that I am really out of my element. How do you be a good team mate to someone who is in that situation?  How do you make them feel relaxed, and thus able to contribute the best they possibly can? How do you encourage them without making them feel patronized?  What can they be doing to help themselves?
It's all about perspectives isn't it?  I find that a lot in darts.  You can learn a lot about yourself throwing a pointy object at a board...

The Road Ahead

Summer darts are short but provide some tough competition and the next game for the Stagger ins dart team looks to be one of our toughest matches of the season.  Can we win?  The sensible answer, quite plainly is no.  It is not unreasonable to assume that we wont win a single game.
That being said, I have no doubt the team will put the effort in, and you just never know!  I think that even if history and results wont bear testimony to it, our can do team will acquit itself with customary aplomb. 
Of course it is easy to be positive when you are getting positive results.  Will a loss, possibly one the might resemble a bit of a beating bring us back down to earth?  
That is something that we cant know until after the fact, but I think it can be helpful to reflect on this if done in a positive light. The only problem,is how do you get a positive light on losing? Losing sucks, we all know it, right?
Well losing and winning have one important thing in common.  They are an indicator that when the proverbial bell was rung you were there to answer the call.  Nobody starts out great.  Everyone crawls before they can walk.  Maybe there is work that needs to be done before a likely loss can be turned into a likely win, and each of us will relate in a different way, but to never lose is to never try, and we really aren't a never try team. At least that's what I'm hoping.
What all of this makes me think about is that Micheal Jordan quote on failure. I think I have posted it here before, and maybe not all that long ago, but I really do think it is excellent so I will post it here again. 

I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
 And that is why I succeed.
— Michael Jordan

Let's see how we do and how we come out on the other end!  I really do like that quote. Maybe you have heard or thought of something that inspires you in darts? If you're willing to share I'd love to hear them!

Ask The Darts Nutz!

This time around I went and asked the Darts Nutz community their thoughts on how best to approach developing and refining ones skills.  Is  it something you build up bit by bit and a continuous series of tweaks until you force yourself to learn the correct way to throw a dart, or is the answer something a little more organic?

Click here to see what the Dart Nutz had to say on the topic and maybe jump in yourself!

and finally...

You Win Some You Lose Some...

The Wife got the better of me this time. She closed out the bull in two darts, first go at them. I hate losing, but very proud!

Thanks for sticking around!  See you all next time! 

-Dave 'The Abominable Throw man' Sproull