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From the beginning Le Skratch's goal and passion was billiards. The Le Skratch team invested a lot of time in promoting billiards from the amateur to the professional level. In 1996, Sarantos Retsinas, one of the Le Skratch team members, acquired a new passion, DARTS. Le Skratch diversified and began offering dart areas big enough to hold tournaments to satisfy the needs of the professional as well as the amateur player.
Sarantos Retsinas created the Quebec Dart Player's Organization in 1997. Within that year, the Q.D.P.O. attracted a respectable amount of players. Le Skratch and the Q.D.P.O. offered its members several dart tournaments and championships throughout the province. The next step was to organize an annual event that would put Quebec Darts on the map.
In 1999, Le Skratch and the Q.D.P.O. hosted one of the tour stops of the World Professional Dart Championships. The first annual world ranked Quebec Dart Player's Open was held at the Holiday Inn in Montreal, Quebec, and paid out $25,000. In its first year, the event was a huge success, attracting players from across Canada, U.S.A. and Europe. The winners were Canada’s own John Part (Ontario) and Samantha Walker (Quebec). The following year, the second annual Quebec Dart Player's Open took place at the Renaissance du Parc, in Montreal, Quebec, which again paid out $25,000.00. It was even more successful, attracting players like John Lowe (6 time World Champion), Eric Bristow (6 time World Champion), John Part (defending Champion), Gerald Verrier (Top U.S.A. player), Dennis Priestly (5 time World Champion), Peter Manley (#1 in the World), Dennis Latimer (former Canadian Champion), Steve Brown (American Champion), and many more who battled it out to become the Quebec Dart Player's Open Champion. The winners were Peter Manley and Chrissy Howat.
Originally known as the Le Skratch Quebec Dart Player's Open, the tournament name was renamed the ‘Sarantos Retsinas Memorial Dart Tournament’, due to the untimely passing of Sarantos Retsinas in the year 2000. His daughter, Caterina, now continues his legacy and promotes the tournament in his name.
Sarantos Retsinas will always be remembered as a quiet man who was well known amongst many communities and individuals for his generous acts towards the needy and his thoughtfulness towards everyone he came into contact with. He was a kind person who always had a high regard for others. His passion and loyalty earned him an insurmountable respect by those who surrounded him. He was a warm, caring person who always gave his soul to his family and friends, and his warm smile always reflected the kindness in his heart. His genuine dedication will always be remembered and appreciated.
His daughter, Caterina Retsinas, along with many other devoted friends and dart players, help continue his legacy, and the ‘Sarantos Retsinas Memorial Dart Tournament’ has grown tremendously in his honour, and will continue to do so, for many years to come.
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Thank you all for your support throughout the years.
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Mardi le 17 juillet 2007
Pour moi, un bon ami ne mourra jamais
Eh bien comme tout le monde le sait probablement, le joueur le plus plaisant et convivial du monde des dards au Québec, Dave Bicknell, est maintenant partit pour un monde meilleur. Dave est décédé dimanche matin. Habituellement lorsqu’une personne décède, on essait toujours de trouver les bons mots pour décrire cette personne, afin de cacher ses mauvais cotés. Mais dans ce cas-ci, il n’y a aucun problème à les cacher. Juste de se souvenir des phrases typiques de Dave : ‘’I’m lucky again’’ ou bien ‘’ drunk again like I was last summer’’ ou son mémorable ‘’ hiiiii’’ quand son dard tombait au plancher.
Dave était toujours le premier pour aider une personne. Cet homme ne disait jamais non et il m'a montré comment gagner dans le respect, mais encore plus important de le faire en ayant du plaisir. Il était l’Antistress idéal, le ‘’finisher’’ le sauveur de vie et en fait, il aura sauvé la mienne à plusieurs reprises. Il était l’exemple à suivre dans le monde des dards : ‘’si on ne tient pas compte de ses quelques bièresJ ‘’
Je n’ai pas à en dire plus. On sait déjà tous qu’il est une légende de la ‘’Game’’. Nous n’avons tous qu’à suivre le chemin qu’il nous a tracé, soit de jouer avec la passion et le respect des adversaires, tout comme Dave nous l'a si bien montré.
Dans la partie la plus critique de sa vie, je n’en reviens tout simplement pas: Dave nous avait encore en tête! Nous, les joueurs et joueuses de dards. Il a trouvé assez d’énergie dans ses derniers moments pour nous laisser ces quelques mots :
On ne peut pas tous les gagner, mais j’aurai été chanceux encore… jusqu’à la fin
Dave Bicknell, July 13, 2007
Maintenant, moi et Sam Walker feront de notre mieux pour préserver l’héritage que Dave a bâtit dans le monde des dards et il est maintenant à vous, joueurs et joueuses de dards de venir en grand nombre aux tournois que Dave a mis sur pied.
Sébastien Gagnon
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Carol Moreman-Léger
“It is not often during one’s lifetime that you meet someone who is genuine, honest, enthusiastic and a friend and confidante”, is what Carol Leger wrote for Sarantos Retsinas three years ago when he passed away. Now, I’ll be writing the same for her today. Carol Leger had a charm about her that no one could resist. She had made friends from all walks of life. Her honesty could sometimes get her into trouble but everybody loved her, and respected her for it. She was a woman that was very strong and vibrant, and would always keep it together even if it seemed like it was impossible.
Carol loved the dart world, and strived to continue the dream that she and Sarantos had, to bring the best dart players in the world to Montreal. If it wasn’t for her, the tournament would have not continued after Sarantos’ passing. With a lot of hard work and determination she succeeded in this dream, and lived to see it come to a level that she could have never imagined. The Smithsfalls (Ontario) tournament, Q.D.P.O. (Quebec Dart Player’s Organization) were some of her other accomplishments, and the list goes on.
Carol always looked for the good in others, and would lend a helping hand wherever needed. She had a kind and giving heart. Her legacy will live on through her family and friends.
You will always be remembered and missed dearly, my friend.
Caterina Retsinas
A last word from Carol, for her family and friends:
May 6, 2003
To My Friends & Family
We write poems, yes we do
To say the words we feel for you
To say you’re kind is not enough
To cover all common stuff
We had good times throughout the years
We shared our hearts and joys and fears
We’ve shared our hopes and families too
There are no better friends than you
We’ve been to England, we’ve seen the rain
We’ve been to Boston, we’ve been to Vegas
Where I believe we lost our wages
Hold on to life and keep it true
All good things are meant for you
You are my friends that I hold dear
And in my heart you are always near
Carol Moreman-Léger
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