BEAVER BANK: When her mom was going through chemo last year for cancer, Emily Alford made a promise she would make sure she got to ride a red bus. And now, after her successful weekend at the Canadian Dart nationals in Quebec on Victoria Day weekend, she gets to keep that promise.
On top of the plethora of medals Alford, a Harold T. Barrett Junior High Grade 8 student from Beaver Bank, won a $1,000 bursary and qualified for Team Canada for the World Masters this fall in England. That’s where the red bus comes in—it means mom Krista will get to ride on a famous double decker bus.
“Mom wasn’t going to do the chemo because she doesn’t like needles,” said Alford. “I told her that if she did and when she beat it I would take her to London and she would get to ride a red double decker bus.
“I’m so happy I can follow through on that promise for her.”
She beamed knowing that she can fulfill that guarantee.
“I started to cry because I knew what it meant,” said Alford on her 4-2 match win. “For it being my dream to go and to complete the promise to mom, it was so many feelings mixed up into one.”
VIDEO: Emily Alford talks about winning dart championships
Alford, who never strayed from her focus during her games, picked up medals in junior mixed doubles (joint third with Liam Campbell); was a finalist in America’s Cup to go to Trinidad and Tobago (they only send one female and one male); junior girls doubles champion (with Kaylee Mosher); $1,000 bursary shot on May 18; Nordor Cup (team joint third; chosen to play in tiebreaker against a sr. boy from NL); Canada Cup (joint third); and world masters qualifier win.
She was still speechless two days after the nationals ended.
“It was amazing,” she said. “My goal every year is to try and lift the bar higher, and I lifted the bar extremely high this time. I’m extremely excited to be the champion.”
Alford said getting to go to England and compete in darts has been a longtime dream of hers, and now it’s about to become reality.
“That’s been my dream ever since I started,” she said. “I know players like Dave Cameron and Jeff Smith that go over constantly, and I’ve always wanted to go over and meet the players because they’re all amazing. It’s great.
“It was crazy when I hit the last dart and the whole place rumbled with excitement for me.”
She thanked Coast2Coast Darts; BEN Magazine; Shot Darts; and her parents for all of their support.
“I’m nothing without the people behind me supporting me,” said Alford.
