Located within the halls of every housing facility on campus is what’s known as the resident lounges. These lounges have a variety of amenities that is almost everything needed for an ultimate hangout with a big group of friends — a pool table, a ping pong table, shuffleboard and foosball complete with vending machines filled with a variety of snacks and drinks.
Notice how I said almost everything.
In my mind, only one amenity is missing, the one activity that would fully unlock the optimum college hangout place: darts.
I know firsthand the enjoyment darts can bring. My personal darts journey began in the summer between leaving middle school and entering high school, otherwise known as the hellscape that was 2020.
Not only was I terrified of being sick with COVID-19, but my mom also worked in health care. So on March 15, 2020, the day I turned 14, I found myself shut in my house with nothing but time and restless middle school energy.
My mom bought me a dartboard then —a simple magnetic board that hung next to my front door. And even though I originally scoffed at it, as time wore on, I found myself standing there for hours, throwing dart after dart, complete with the hard thunks of it hitting the board, drawing closer and closer to the bullseye.
Now in college, I still crave the thrill of inching my score toward zero, but find it lacking on campus.
There is Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes, which has two dart boards, free for play. Free sounds awesome, but what doesn’t sound awesome is the 10-minute walk from The Flats to the RSC. Ten minutes isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things, but it feels like too long when I’m only doing it just to play darts.
If darts were in the resident’s lounges, not only would it just be a quick elevator ride, there would also be a multitude of activities I could switch to if I got bored throwing tiny, metal spears, completely for free, unlike the billiards and bowling located in the RSC.
“But the wall,” people may say. “It could get holes in it.”
And to that I say one word: padding. Shocker Sports Grill and Lanes simply has padding surrounding the boards for any darts that may go astray.
“But darts are weapons,” people may also say.
And to that I say: have you ever held a pool cue? Those things are big enough to severely hurt someone if you were really trying.
There’s almost no reason resident’s lounges shouldn’t have one or two dartboards hanging up on the walls — they’re free and fun for residents, and realistically, no buildings or students should be harmed.
