Greater Omaha Leagues to Introduce Arachnid's Shot Clock Feature to Speed Up League Play

As of Sunday October 12th, 2014 all Greater Omaha Leagues will feature the new Arachnid “Shot Clock” feature to promote faster league play. Everyone has had an experience in which a team has caused a game or match to last way longer than it should by not coming to the line when it was their turn. The occasional circumstance is understandable, but there are times when it becomes counter-productive to the sport.

Due to ongoing complaints of slow play and after many discussions, we have decided to activate Arachnid’s “Shot Clock” feature. We hope that by now, this season’s new players will be well versed in how the dartboard works and this feature will ultimately improve everyone’s experience as a whole.

Basically, once a game is started each player will have 60 seconds to throw each dart. This may seem like a small amount of time, but it is actually much more time than needed. The average dart game lasts 8-10 minutes for higher average players and 15-18 minutes for lower average players, so allowing a player 1/3rd - 1/6th of that time for a round of darts is more than enough. Some remote leagues are using the 30 second shot clock, but we decided that could be too short of a time limit.

FAQ:

Q: Do I have 60 seconds to throw all three (3) darts?

A: No. You have 60 seconds to throw each dart. Once your turn lights up, the shot clock will begin to count down from 60. After you’ve thrown each dart it will restart to 60.

Q: What if I don’t throw my dart in time?

A: Once the 60 second shot clock has run out, the board will disqualify that dart and your 60 second shot clock for your second dart will start.

Q: What if I am ordering at the bar or kitchen?

A: It is important to time trips to the bar accordingly and/or work with your partner(s) for trips to the bar. Once you get used to working as a team, it becomes pretty easy to work out bar trips.

Q: What about bathroom breaks?

A: Try to take bathroom breaks between games or when you are sitting out a game. If planning to take a bathroom break between games, please have the courtesy to text/call your opponent and make them aware of it before hand…this way they can also use that time for a bathroom break, cigarette break or a bar run.

Q: What if the internet connection is lost during my turn?

A: The shot clock is powered by the internet, so if connection is lost…so too will be the ability for the shot clock to continue counting down. Upon reconnection, the shot clock will begin where it left off, so be prepared to continue your turn.

Q: Where do I find the shot clock on the screen?

A: The shot clock is located in the top center of your screen, colored brightly for easy detection.

Q: What if the “time abusive” players just start taking long breaks between every game?

A: This is an issue that has been stressed multiple times. Players, remember that you are part of the league and you are expected to be playing darts once league has started until completion of the match. As much as people love this sport, many of them have to work early in the morning…if a league match lasts longer than normal due to massive points being scored or an inability of each team to close out a game; that is part of the sport and is understandable. Continuously slowing down a match throughout the night will not be tolerated. If this occurs, we urge the team Captain to notify via text to (402) 350-4125 upon the 2nd & 3rd instance in a match. Once the offense has been done a 4th time, please call (402) 350-4125 at which time you may be instructed to cancel the match and be awarded the remaining games as a result of disqualification.

We will be uploading the Captain Contact sheets to the league website, so you have access to them there. We have found that many have lost or never received their sheets and communication in remote leagues is peril. With this contact information, it will allow you to text or call your opponent to schedule a between game bathroom/bar/cigarette break. Communicating in this way will make everything move much more smoothly.