Dart throwing fingerless man outranks scores of competitors
Wayne Chapman, of Northwest Calgary, Canada, garners jaw-dropping attention with his dart throwing ability. But it’s not just because he’s great at the sport. Chapman has overcome the loss of ten fingers and blindness in one eye from birth, to become ranked 30th in darts in Alberta.
As CTV News reported, it was during a work trip to Northern Canada that Wayne was caught out in the cold. It left his fingers so severely frostbitten that all ten had to be amputated, leaving just the lower segment of his fingers. But the loss of his fingers didn’t slow Chapman down from the job that he held at a tire shop. Surprisingly Chapman said, “Well, I’ve done it with fingers and without cause I lost them twelve years ago. But other than that, I think it’s easier without fingers.” The lighthearted 38-year-old even says he goes by the nickname, “Knubbs. That’s how everybody knows me actually.”
Another activity that Chapman enjoyed before and still after his amputation, is darts. He went through an adjustment period, changed to textured darts, and figured out a successful technique. “Everybody thinks that I, you know, gotta hold it a different way or whatever, but it’s like that. And I mean everybody else pushes with fingertips. I just kinda let it fly,” the dart whiz said.
Wayne’s friends are still as amazed as strangers who witness his skills. One of his dart buddies told CTV, “Like they’re shocking, dumbfounded that he can do as well as he does. I don’t know how he does it. I really don’t.” It’s something that makes Chapman laugh saying, “It’s really nice when you can actually go, see their jaw drop at the end of the game, go, ‘Hmm, good games.’”
With his talent, Wayne’s friends feel like he can climb the sport’s rankings. Chapman says that his hands aren’t preventing him from progressing up the ranks, rather it’s the expensive travel and entrance fees. In fact, one may think that the loss of all ten fingers would be Chapman’s biggest hurdle in life. Instead, Wayne says his biggest challenge relates to darts: “Just trying to hit the same spot every time.”
Video and more info: CTV News, Darts Alberta
