Mean Max does darts

By Ben Westcott, Chronicle Staff Writer

Thursday night in downtown Glens Falls, for 20 people at least, means darts at Mean Max Brew Works on Glen Street.

There’s actually a waiting list to get into the league. Teams of two face off against two opponents a night. The pair with the most points at the end of the season is the champion and wins some merch.

But really it’s not about the competition, although that’s certainly part of it.

“It’s just a break from the normal week,” says Brice Amsden, 29, of Glens Falls, a league member for four years. He originally joined because his friend is a bartender at Mean Max. He had never played darts before. “You get together with a bunch of people that you know for a couple hours every week and hang out, throw some darts and have some drinks.”

On this night Mr. Amsden was without his usual partner. His friend Brian Blake, 32, of Saratoga Springs, filled in. Mr. Blake said of the missing competitor, “His partner just had a child, and his wife took away his dart privileges.”

The elder statesman of the group is Mike McElroy, 75, of Moreau, whose wife hasn’t yet taken away his dart privileges — in fact, she’s his partner. They won the championship a few years back.

Mr. McElroy has been part of the league for nearly a decade and played darts his whole life. “When I was a kid I used to sneak down to the bars in Albany and watch the guys throwing darts,” he said.

For Amy Fasulo, 30, of Corinth, joining the league six years ago was a great way to meet people after she moved back up to the area from North Carolina.

Her involvement with the league started when her brother needed a sub, which led to her playing more and more. She had never played before.
“There’s been some turnover but there’s several people who have been here for a long time, so it’s a good mix,” she said.

Mean Max Owner Matt Barry started up the league in 2015, shortly after the bar opened the year prior.

He said he played in a league in South Burlington, Vt., where he grew up and had always enjoyed it. “It was a fun middle of the week night out, to take a break from the usual stuff,” he said. “So I decided when we opened this that I wanted to get a league going.”

“It’s grown quite a bit,” he said. The league started with six teams on three dart boards, and now it’s grown to 10 teams on five dart boards. It’s capped there because of space, Mr. Barry said.

The darts are the steel tip variety.

“I prefer the steel tip darts,” Mr. Barry says. “Some people like soft tip, some people like the wood darts. It’s personal preference.”

Regardless of what’s being thrown, he said, “It’s a great game. We have players of all abilities — some players that throw pretty much lights out and some that have never really formally played in a league before. Across the board it’s just fun to come down and hang out. It’s a good group of people. It’s competitive, but it’s not overly competitive.”

A session runs from the middle of September to right before Christmas, and another from the middle of January through early May.

Mr. Barry says the wait list isn’t an insurmountable barrier to entry.

“It’s not too long,” he notes. “We try to get members in as soon as we can. Sometimes it takes a little longer than other times. Honestly, the best way to get in if you’re interested is to show up on a night and introduce yourself to some players and offer to be a sub, because oftentimes throughout the season somebody will need a sub here or there.”

And Mean Max recently opened another taproom in Troy. Mr. Barry looks to get a dart league going there as well.

“We just want people to come and enjoy the sport,” he said.

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