Darts in the Gleisdreieck-Park-with the dart pane across Berlin

With a mobile dart board in your luggage you can easily meet new people. Especially on weekends, especially in Berlin. When my brother Jacob comes on Friday evening to pick up the disc in Lichtenberg, I help him to carry the three-legged construction to the S-Bahn station. “I would have my arrows with me,” a young man calls us from the roadside. We had just left my apartment. We reject his challenge first. After all, we have a big tournament in front of us tomorrow: our very first team World Cup.

When I arrive at the Berlin Gleisdreieck the following day, around 6 p.m., the sun envelops the entire park in an orange light. The scent of fresh grass is in the air. My brother has already built the dart board. In addition, there are two large checkered picnic blankets, a few bags on it, backpacks and cold drinks. Two World Cup participants already throw a few practice arrows. Two others treat themselves to the first cold drink of the evening. “We found almost two new players in the subway,” says my brother. “They saw our disc and were on the point of changing their evening plans,” he laughs. Gradually, the remaining players of our hobby world championship also come in until all twelve of us are there.

Then it is drawing: I play in a team with Robin. A look at our world rankings makes us appear directly as a co -favorite on the tournament victory. After all, I am the reigning world champion and number three of our internal ranking, which is made up of the results of the past two tournament years. Of course, only the tournaments that we, the Wendland Darts Corporation (WDC), count. The proximity to the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) is of course pure coincidence. Robin is only ninth of the world rankings, but three were missing in front of him.

We have considered a new format for the excursion to the Gleisdreieck-Park. We play a team World Cup for the first time-although our WDC has been around for over eleven years. In 2014, the World Cup inspired us so much on television that we wanted to play our own tournament. Based on the Ally Pally, the big hall in the Alexandra Palace in London, where the professionals fight for the World Cup title, my brother and I baptize our children’s room into the Nilly Pally-the Nilius Palace-named after ourselves. Only since we live in Berlin, does the WDC also play in the capital, the Wendland, our unofficial Darts association gave the name.

Unfortunately, Robin and I do not do justice to our favorite role. We lose both group games and are the first team out of the tournament. Alex, the world rankings, is already leaving and his team in the group. Perhaps the unusual conditions in the open air are more noticeable than expected. In the meantime, the tournament even has to be completely interrupted because a bachelor party is a little too lively right next to us. Equipped with a microphone and speaker, a party guest comments on our litters. This is funny for a moment and then starts to nerve quickly. Fortunately, we manage to skillfully through the moderator with some persuasion.

But even after that, the external conditions do not necessarily become easier. The sun is slowly falling and gives less and less light to recognize the dart board. Now it’s high time for the semi -finals. “Please welcome: The Record Breaking, History Making, Five-Time Champion of the Wooooorld !!”, I scream into the park and even get appreciative looks from the bachelor party next to us. The walk-on from the K.-O. round naturally belongs to a World Cup. All of the teams left are a trellis that my brother Jacob struts with his teammate Luisa to “everything new” by Peter Fox until they stand at the front of the dart board.

The subsequent semi -final against Cara and Marek becomes a nerve battle. Both teams show nerves in the check-out. Marek and Cara need the four, Jacob and Luisa have seven points rest. The exact number of points has to be thrown at the darts, so in higher scores they “overturn” the teams. Everyone misses their goal one after the other. “It is so blatant how big the pressure is at the end of such a tournament,” says Cara. Her arms shake, their fingers tremble when the darts leaves her hand, and the arrows keep going past the four. Luisa and Jacob also struggle with the seven – until Jacob finally hits them. Was also time.

The second semi -finals are clearer: Annika, who claims that she has “never played darts,” presents in the scoring and quickly runs the game towards her team. Your opponents have no chance. Another indication that it may not be that bad for an outdoor World Cup if you don’t even know how darts feel inside. Because in the Kreuzberg “Gleisi” the sun has now set. The number fields on our disc can be seen just like this.

However, a player does not matter in the big World Cup final: Luisa can not be disturbed by the summer dawn or the dozen people around her. “73 rest,” I say, showing her the score on my cell phone before the throw. No reaction, no emotion – tension: none. She throws the first arrow and hits the double four. 65 rest. No reaction. The 20-year-old is not disturbed by her first tournament participation. It throws for the second time: eight. 57 rest. The next throw could be the last of the evening. Luisa, brown cap on her head, the black T-shirt on one side knotted, aims, throws and meets: The triple-19! 57 points, check-out made! Her litter makes her a world champion, together with Jacob.

After a short victory celebration, it goes home. The return trip with the dart frame at 11 p.m. in the crowded U3 to Warschauer Straße becomes a real challenge. The heavy darts on its three -legged construction takes up too much of the limited space. I spend the journey over seven stations in trapped between the disc and the subway wall. There is more space in the S-Bahn towards Lichtenberg. There is recognition again. “We can do that, take a dart pane with us,” says a woman to her companion.