JOHN Part’s story is one of the best known in darts: the man from the Lake Ontario shoreline who conquered the world not once, not twice, but three times.
He was the first man to win world titles at three different venues (Lakeside, Circus Tavern and Alexandra Palace) and remains the only non-European to ever win the PDC World Championship.
Part is typically modest about his achievements, putting it down to backing himself, picking his spots and “turning one thing into another”.
And while he said there was no shortage of opportunities for him while he was developing – even 3,500 miles away from the venues in which he would later experience the highest highs in darts – he looks enviously at the systems in place for young players nowadays.
In particular, he credits the Junior Darts Corporation (JDC) for providing “the earliest testing ground” for developing players’ mentalities and giving them experience of high-pressure darting scenarios. “It’s great that the JDC are giving opportunities, creating an earlier starting point for a lot of players to maybe see what they have in reality, competitively, at a more intense level than just kids playing for playing’s sake,” said Part, now a popular commentator and pundit.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that – playing darts is fun! But some want to see what they’ve really got, and when you put yourself under that sort of pressure it’s more like an adult playing, when you enjoy being nervous.
“The JDC is the earliest testing ground for the mentalities and maybe even philosophy, where coaches can help young players competing. It’s not so much how to throw a dart but how to deal with playing a match or a tournament.
“Throwing a dart accurately is important, of course, but a lot of kids put all those hours in and are pretty good at that in any case – everyone develops their own style to some extent. “But for the mental side of things, the JDC is great at opening doors and helping young players deal with the situations that crop up when playing competitive darts.”
When it comes to his own darting journey, Part overcame some serious odds to make it from Oshawa in Ontario to the biggest stages in the sport.
He seized his opportunities in Canada and the United States, before making the leap to the mainstream in 1994 when he won the first BDO World Championship after darts’ acrimonious split. And while it’s an understatement to suggest he didn’t have an easy ride, Part said there were plenty of places for him to hone his skills on the other side of the Atlantic.
“I don’t feel as if I didn’t have opportunities to learn how to play and to do what I do – they were around,” said Part. “They often involved very long drives but they were around in Canada and the US. “I think darts at grass-roots has always had leagues and tournaments, and I think it always will. “Whether or not to go overseas and play was a big decision. I didn’t start doing that until the end of 1993 – and then I only really continued because I won that Embassy tournament. I had to put my own money into travelling and seeing what would happen. “I always had to save enough for my weekends, and I had to win to back it up and make it worthwhile to keep going.
"I was young – mid-twenties – and I didn’t have an urgency in my mind: ‘well, I’ve got to sort my life out this way or that way’. I was giving myself a few years just to see what would go on with the darts – and I’m glad I did!
“But certainly it’s not like someone handed me the keys to the car and I drove it away. I had to hot-wire it or whatever you do – and I went through a few cars!”
And while the level of sacrifice he had to make is not for everyone, he feels it is important that all players making their way in the game experience a degree of sacrifice to fuel their desire.
“I think the key thing when we promote the JDC to the youth themselves, is not to say to the youth themselves: ’You’ve got this great opportunity, we’re laying it all out for you’,” he said. “Individual players will still need to make choices and sacrifices in other areas of their life toward being a good dart player. There’s always going to be sacrifice – nothing just comes along. “If you’re not making sacrifices, you won’t last long because you’re not invested. When you’ve made a sacrifice, you think about what you gave up and you take it more seriously.”
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