Many a sports coach has pointed to a strong correlation that exists between athletic success and academic success.

Not many a darts coach, perhaps – though Eryn Whyte will take issue with that.

The 18 year-old born and raised Sudbury thrower will make her fourth appearance at the Canadian Darts Youth National Championship next month in Saint Hyacinthe, Québec.

For as much as she acknowledged the presence of certain character traits that might be inclined to steer her towards target sports, a big part of the joy for this only child is steeped in the numbers.

“I’ve always been a very organized person, always liked to be precise – so perhaps that plays into it,” said Whyte, a product of a family where darts have always been part of the mix. “You have to finish the game on a double and I like trying to figure out what I have to hit, specifically, to finish out that game.”

Lengthy delays as one performs arithmetical gymnastics prior to throwing the dart from the line are frowned upon – and pocket calculators are a no go, so having the ability to juggle numbers swiftly is a virtual necessity in this world that exists largely in service club halls and restaurants and taverns and the like.

All of which seems like a very different place to spend one’s childhood.

Different, maybe – but also cordial, friendly and inviting.

“A lot of my earliest memories are being surrounded by darts tournament,” said Whyte, who competed in her first event against adults at the age of 12, battling her own age bracket roughly a year later.

“I always felt very accepted in the darts community; it’s almost like a second family. As I grew older, my dad’s friends became my friends as well.”

In fact, even prior to her playing days, Eryn Whyte could be found offering a helping hand to tournament organizers, her passion for the structure of efficient administration rising to the surface. Darts of 2026 bear little resemblance to any kind of smoke-filled setting rife with non-stop beer consumption.

The interplay of generations, these days, is not terribly different to the family outing of curling or golf that parents and their off-spring might experience. “My first tournament was with my father,” recalled Whyte. “I felt safe and comfortable and played well.”

A handful of years later, she knows better than attribute that early success to skills of any kind.

“It was definitely “flukey darts” – hitting big scores but not on purpose,” she said with a smile. “But that gave me confidence and my flukiness eventually turned into good throwing.”

In no way is Eryn Whyte a physically imposing presence. That simply is not a prerequisite according to the Northern Ontario Darts Association (NODA) silver medal winner from playdowns in Sault Ste Marie earlier this year.

“There are people at nationals who are younger than me (and smaller than her) who are way better shots,” said Whyte. “You first learn to stop lobbing your darts. That was key – following through with my throw and not cutting it short. You are stopping the momentum.”

It will come as little surprise that most accomplished dart throwers will suggest the trick lies far more in the mental than the physical – a statement that Whyte is more than happy to corroborate. “If I think about the physical aspect of throwing too much, I start locking up,” she stated.

The truth is that practice should make for muscle memory that withstands the test of time – and folks in these circles put in an awful lot of time at perfecting the dart game. A typical practice regimen might involve shooting each of the doubles then triples then singles, working around the board in either ascending or descending numerical order each time.

Throw in a boatload of game play and doors may be opened.

Part of the eight person contingent who will represent NODA at the Canadian Championships, Whyte will compete as part of a mixed team, all-girls team as well as singles play. “I prefer singles,” suggested the young woman who has already hit the workforce, her heart set on owning her own bakery some day.

“I create more of a connection with my opponents.”

Whether it be with the numbers bouncing around in her mind or the friendships that have evolved through a game that she loves, Eryn Whyte is all about building connections.