Winmau Signs 3 Soft Tip Players - A Huge Step for American Soft Tip Darts!
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Breaking news! The U.S. is seeing some new faces in partnership with Winmau as part of their expansion into the American world of darts. Joining the ranks of Winmau Team America alongside Leonard Gates and more recently Jules van Dongen are prominent soft tip players Mike Maloney, Rick Henze and Garrett Rakowski.
Read along as we introduce all the new members of Winmau Team America, their dominance across the U.S. and what this means for the future of American darts and soft tip players.
Jules van Dongen
Jules van Dongen, a rising Dutch-American star amongst steel tip and soft tip players, has been playing darts ever since he was young and named fellow Dutch darts legend Raymond van Barneveld as one of his biggest inspirations. In 2020, Jules rose to the competitive darts scene amidst the challenges of the pandemic and made a name for himself as “The Dutch Dragon”.
After a series of hard-earned victories at several dart tournaments for steel tip and soft tip players across the U.S., including the Missouri State Championship, Cherry Bomb International, Seacoast Open and more, Jules earned his CDC player card in 2021. Later, after completing Q-School in 2022, Jules also earned his PDC card and recently participated in the 2023/24 World Darts Championship.
As Jules debuts as a new member of Team Winmau alongside the other soft tip players, we’re excited to see what newest edition of player barrels they'll release to commemorate their partnership.
Jules van Dongen Darts Range by Winmau
Recently, Winmau and Jules van Dongen have collaborated to create his very first Jules van Dongen darts range! This special set was released in the July launch along with the rest of the soft tip Winmau players and comes in both soft tip (20g) and steel tip (22g).
We go into depth on the entire range with soft tip and steel tip darts over on our blog review:
Jules van Dongen - TOC Men's Finals Match
In a victorious effort to claim the TOC Championship title amongst the best soft tip players in the PPD, Jules Van Dongen takes on Leonard Gates in the Final of the 2022 Tournament of Champions.
Mike Maloney
One of the new soft tip players of Winmau Team America is Mike Maloney who started out playing darts at the age of 21 – old enough to play in bars and fall in love with the sport. When Mike found out that darts could also be played competitively, he started to attend out-of-state dart tournaments, kickstarting his professional darts career.
Mike is ranked #4 on the Booyah Cup Order of Merit and has been crowned champion back-to-back for Seasons 4 and 5 of the CSC Challenger Series.
As one of the newest soft tip players of Team Winmau, Mike's contribution is sure to take soft tip darts to the next level!
Mike Maloney Darts Range by Winmau
The Mike Maloney darts range was also released in the Winmau US Player Launch this July, alongside the other soft tip players celebrated in this blog. This range is only available in soft tip 20g.
Check out our full product review on our blog, including a breakdown on the cuts, grip, and more:
Mike Maloney - CSC Season 5 Highlights
Enjoy a highlight reel from the amazing CSC Season 5 finals match between soft tip players Mike Maloney and Ram Guevara, including a massive comeback and a new 9-mark record for the CSC Challenger Series.
Mike Maloney - USA Darts Interview
CSC Season 4 Champion and long-time TOC participant Mike Maloney catches up with USA Darts about 2023's main events for all soft tip players.
Rick Henze
Another addition to the soft tip players of Winmau Team America, Rick Henze began his journey into darts 14 years ago with the introduction of the game by his friend. Together they participated in dart leagues and soon Rick was hooked. Over a short period of time, Rick was even able to drastically raise his average points per dart from 16 all the way up to 24 as his dedication to self-improvement grew stronger.
Rick and his son, Tyler Henze, frequently participate in dart tournaments together, both ranking #10 and #17 respectively on the Booyah Cup Order of Merit.
Years of determination turned Rick into a darts rockstar among soft tip players and he believes his new partnership with Winmau will help catapult his game even further, stating that he’ll “practice until [his] idols become [his] rivals.”
Rick Henze Darts Range by Winmau
Complete with a cool scallop grip and different milling designs, the Rick Henze darts debuted with a bang to represent American soft tip darts. Each barrel is only available in 21g soft tip.
Read our full product review by clicking the button below:
Rick Henze - 2023 TOC Finals Match
The father-son duo of Rick Henze and Tyler Henze take on Leonard Gates and Mike Maloney in an incredible finals match at the 2023 Tournament of Champions for soft tip players.
Garrett Rakowski
A lover of the competitive game for over 8 years, Garrett “The Bullet” Rakowski ignited his love for darts at the young age of 14 as he followed his dad around at dart tournaments. It wasn’t until he turned 21, however, that Garrett was finally able to play in dart leagues and grow amongst other soft tip players.
Within recent years, Garrett has had the opportunity to travel for national dart tournaments and secured winning titles at major events for soft tip players like the Stupid Juice Open, Milwaukee City, NDA and more.
As Garrett looks forward to a fruitful future with Winmau, he stated, “In my eyes, this company epitomizes the essence of darts [and] I am eager to collaborate with the entire Winmau team.”
Garrett Rakowski Darts Range by Winmau
A true American patriot, the Garrett Rakowski darts range released in the Winmau US Player Launch celebrates Garrett's deep dedication to American soft tip darts. Sporting a red, white, and blue color scheme, this barrel range comes only in soft tip 20g.
Find out more about Garrett's first-ever collaboration with Winmau by reading our blog review:
Garrett Rakowski - four consecutive 10-dart legs
Watch as Garrett Rakowski hits four 10 Dart legs in a row in a 501 Master out format at the 2022 WAMO State Dart Tournament!
USA Darts on Youtube
Wanna watch more dart matches from the best soft tip players across the U.S.? Watch all our live streams and darts events on our very own live streaming platform, USA Darts on Youtube, where we showcase America's best in our head-to-head matches and tournaments playlists.
The Future of American Darts and Soft Tip Players
As soft tip rises to popularity outside of Asia and the U.S., it’s truly astonishing to see three sponsorships for soft tip players from a major darts brand with decades of experience in the industry like Winmau. It’s rare enough to see big barrel brands invest in American players, let alone soft tip players, as soft tip darts are mainly popular within the U.S. and Asia.
Because of the massive soft tip demand in the U.S., we predict that the Maloney, Henze and Rakowski player barrels will be soft tip focused. We already saw the soft tip versions of the Leonard Gates darts sell out much faster upon their debut than their steel tip counterparts. Over 10 million people in the U.S. play soft tip darts and we have no doubt that the American soft tip enthusiasts will love the pro soft tip players on Team Winmau.
Soft tip is obviously beloved by people across the country and now soft tip players are getting signed by renowned brands like Winmau. It’s an amazing feat to celebrate for all soft tip enjoyers out there and we cannot wait to see what’s next for American darts in the future!