Interview!!!
1. Do you plan on staying as a player
for much longer in light of your TV work?
I am not sure I understand the question. I only spend
a week a so a year commentating, and if there is a
conflict, I always choose playing.
2. There has been much speculation on your change in
darts.
How do you feel with the new arrows?
Same darts essentially, just 90% tungsten instead of
80%, so a little narrower. They have been great. My
first TV tournament with them was the UK Open last year,
and I lost the final, after beating Phil Taylor on the
way up. Working with the Unicorn team has been a
pleasure.
3. Do you feel you have another world title in you
Most definitely. I believe I am the most dangerously
unpredictable player in darts. While I have always
prided my self in playing consistantly, I have not
always got the results I have wanted consistantly. I
have what it takes to surprise at any time.
4. How does being a commentator for the BBC on the BDO
events lie with being a player in the PDC? Would you
have lost money had you made it right through at the PDC
Tourney? Obviously you wouldn't have been able to take
your commentary post up on time. Or would you have
simply done both?
This came up when I won the PDC Championship in 2003.
I missed two days of work, and the respective pay. I may
have made up for this in prize money. LOL!!!!
5. How do you think the two organizations compare and
what would you do if you had a carte blanche to change
things.
The BDO seems unable to evolve, and as a result faces
extinction at the pro tournament level. It will always
be the core of darts play in the UK for all non-pros.
The PDC has shown consistant growth in the number of
tournaments, prize money, and competitors. The PDC is
the best hope for darts taking a more significant share
in the world of televised sport. If I could change
something, it would be to improve transparency in both
of the organizations, as I believe players feel better
when they are more in the loop.
6. I heard last night the BDO is signed to the BBC until
2008, has your contract with them been extended
accordingly.
I have had a very good relationship with the BBC, and
TWI who currently produces the darts for them. I would
fully expect to be commentating as long as I am
available.
7. Does the BBC plan to show more darts in the future.
I do not know the BBC's plans.
8. I found the interactive options excellent in the BDO
tournament. Does the BBC in the future intend to
dedicate a channel to the darts in the same way SKY
does?
I will assume that in the first part of your
question, you meant the PDC. Digital viewers in the UK
have the option of watching all the darts live from the
BDO on some sort of BBC digital channel.
9. Do you think it is disappointing that the top BDO
players haven't been invited into the new Premier League
scheme. Also, what are your feelings in general about
the Premier League?
The Premier League is a great thing for televised
darts. We have a chance to establish a viewing base on
an almost weekly basis, which will really give us a
chance to firmly establish darts in the minds of UK
sport viewers. The BDO players do not deserve a chance
in, as they have not made a commitment towards helping
the PDC grow, as they choose to stay in the past.
10. You would have seemed to have had two peaks in your
career, with gradual improvements and wins before taking
the two major prizes, and then seem to tail off in form,
only to start the cycle again. Any explanation (if you
even agree!)
A major championship will always appear as a peak on
a results chart. My form has always been improving. I
think a crucial factor is fitness and energy levels.
Burning out is a factor to an extent. I see 2005 as a
year of renewal, and I see myself as a major threat for
the 2006 Ladbrokes title.
11. Who got you into darts and how did it happen?
My interest seems to have been internally generated.
After watching on TV a few times in the eighties, and
gaining a true appreciation of the game, my parents got
me a proper board and darts for Christmas one year. The
rest is...
12. If you were playing in a Mens Doubles 501 Tourney ,
and you are in the final match , set , leg .... and you
left your partner on a finish to win the Match .
Who Would you Pick as your Partner to shoot for the
Double .
Well, I have had many fine partners, but who wouldn't
pick Phil Taylor? I can always rely on Mick Manning, if
we manage to get that far. Our best pairs performance
was at the Holland Open in 2003.
13. What is your favorite venue and why?
I love the Blueberry Hill in St.Louis. It is just a
great place because of Joe Edwards the owner. He has a
great sense of fun.
14. Which of your world titles means the most, the first
because it was the first or the second because of who it
was against?
They are both very important to me, and they are both
fairy tale sort of affairs. I am very lucky to have had
to such great experiences. My 2003 title was much more
satisfying, as I achieved something no one else has.
Beating Phil at his peak in a world final, in the
longest format possible. There was some nonsense talk
from Sid Waddell during the commentary of that final
that Phil wasn't at his best, but it was Phil's best
performance in this century (excluding when he beat me
in 2001, which was his best performance in a World
Championship final ever. In his only other final loss in
1994 Phil only averaged 85.62. Phil has played in 14
finals. Here is how he has performed.
2005- 96.14
2004- 96.03
2003- 99.98 (Year I beat him)
2002- 98.47
2001- 107.46 (Year I lost to him)
2000- 94.42
1999- 97.11
1998- 103.98
1997- 100.92
1996- 98.52
1995- 94.11
1994- 85.62 (Year he lost to Dennis Priestley)
1992- 97.59
1990- 97.47
(Statistics compiled from GFX, Planet Darts, and the
BDOdarts websites)
15. Would you ever consider moving back to the BDO?
Only if it involved a reintegration with the PDC, or
an obscene amount of money.
16. As a fellow Canadian darter (with high aspirations),
does it make sense to move across the pond to try and
break in to the pro circuit, or keep hammering away in
North America and try to make it from here? I noticed
that you went to the embassies every year while you
still lived in Canada and then moved over after a time.
I live in Canada now, and always have. Commuting is a
bitch! A serious player should try to make a few trips a
year to the UK, and should join the PDPA to be eligible
to play in the televised tournament qualifiers.
17. Is Partzan really King of the Jungle!!!!
Much better to be the hunter than the hunted.
Gazelles are really fast, until they get eaten.
18. Does the Empire Strike Back
Certainly, but this year is The Revenge of the Sith!
19. Will you be more selective as to the Tournaments you
enter during the year as there are now so many different
ranked events? And as a World Champion twice over, how
strong still is the determination to make it 3x World
Championships?
I am certainly being more selective this year, as I
achieved Official PDC World number 1 status in August
2004, I can now forget about rankings, and concentrate
on improving my conditioning for the major events. The
determination for a third world title is very strong.
20. Why do you think Phil Taylor is so dominant in the
PDC?
He is dominant because he is clearly the most skilled
player of the last decade. Why he performs at such a
high level I cannot answer.
21. Other than winning and losing, what are his best and
worst moments in his darts career. Experiences while on
the road, tifts with other darters, cute show girls in
Vegas, things like that
The worst moment was being told I wasn't in the
Masters of Darts event in Holland which just concluded.
I had been invited twice over the last year, and then
they dropped me. I feel I merited it by far over
everyone but Phil on the PDC side. I felt I would have
beaten all the BDO players, and maybe Phil. Also, there
was quite a bit of prize money I missed out on, as the
worst player got 25,000 euros.
My best moment was when I had 77 left to beat Phil in
2003. The feeling of euphoria at just being in that
position was actually more of a buzz than winning it.
22. How did you learn to count like you do? Without a
shadow of a doubt, you are the best counter in the game.
I have a natural affinity for numbers, and there has
been a tremendous amount of repetition from playing as
much as I have over the years.
23. This is hard to word, but I’ll try. Playing on
different leagues and tournaments, some nights seem to
bring out a different intensity level. How do the top
pro’s maintain a high intensity level, regardless of who
they play or where/when? What type of mental preparation
do you use and what would you recommend for me?
The best idea is to concentrate on you personal
performance levels, as well as winning. Never be
satisfied with a poor effort that wins.
24. At your peak, how much practice time were you
spending per day.
2 to 3 hours a day, plus some practice matches with
live opponents, or league play.
John Part is one of
darts' top professionals having won both the Embassy
title in 1994 and the PDC crown last Sunday in a 13-set
thriller against the mighty Phil Taylor.
2003 is set to be a
big year for Part as he looks to add to his impressive
collection of titles.
The Canadian has
also become one of the BBC's expert commentators at the
Embassy world championship.
He answers a
selection of your questions below.
Steve Cassidy, England
What gave you the most
satisfaction, winning the Embassy in 1994 or knocking
Phil Taylor off his perch and winning the PDC
championships?
The most satisfaction would
have to be last week because it was a long-term goal
that I'd had in mind for many years. It was obviously
such a mountain to climb, so I'd have to go for the PDC.
Geoff, Nottingham
John, as a BBC pundit
you've obviously been keeping a close eye on events at
the Embassy. How do you see the final going?
It's looking like Barneveld,
but I think Davies has a very good chance. He's played
very solidly, finished well he's looked pretty cool.
Plus, he hasn't had the
outpouring of emotion that Raymond had after his
semi-final. I think Raymond might have let loose a
little to much, because you do need to stay focused and
not give too much away.
But I'm sure Raymond is the
betting favourite, and I can't disagree with that. But
it's not a foregone conclusion.
As we saw last week, the
bookies' favourite doesn't always win!
Exactly!
Sarah, Norwich
Which do you think has
been the tie of the tournament?
Monk and O'Shea going to the
11th and playing the deciding set was really exciting.
That match had everything.
Mind you, the semi between
Mervyn and Raymond was great entertainment, particularly
when they both had a nine-dart leg on. That's very rare.
I don't think you can top
Monk and O'Shea though.
Matthew Bateman, England
Will you ever return to
playing at the Embassy? You must miss the terrific
atmosphere.
No. I don't think it would
possible to be honest. I would never give up playing on
the PDC circuit. I don't think it would ever work out
that we could. I'm fine where I am and I'm quite happy.
Margie Underhill, Canada
Is there any particular
player from Canada who you think would be a success in
the PDC league?
That's a tough question. It's
very difficult for a Canadian player to make an impact
because of the availability of tournaments there and the
funding needed to get into them.
There's no one who comes to
mind off the top of my head. It takes a lot of
experience to play well and win. Any player would have
to make a big commitment of time and come to England.
It's not something that would happen very fast but the
potential is there.
Maybe with me becoming World
Champion is might become easier.
Brian, Canada
Are you disappointed that
there isn't more recognition of the sport in Canada and
do you have any theories why that is?
It's not viewed in any way as
an athletic sport, even though you do need stamina to
play a three-hour match. It's true that you don't
necessarily have to be fit, but it definitely helps.
But I wouldn't say I'm
disappointed about those attitudes because when I
started in the sport I knew what they were. That's not
to say I wouldn't like them to be better.
Hopefully that can happen by
getting my matches on TV. They need to start showing
live darts. You can't get the same excitement from
watching a darts match if you already know the outcome.
Jan, Holland/Canada
After Barnevled's first
Embassy win, darts became very popular in Holland. Do
you think you can have the same effect?
That's exactly my point. In
Holland they can watch Barneveld because they have the
BBC. But that has never been available in Canada for my
victories, not this time or in 94.
I think the programmers are
afraid to take the risk, purely because they don't know
the sport. The thing is, when they have shown darts it's
been very popular. There is a lot of interest.
Adam, England
John, would you (as the
PDC champion) be up for a one-off match against whoever
wins at Lakeside, similar to the Barneveld v Taylor
match a few years ago?
I'd be up for something like
that. Not that I think I've got to prove anything, but I
think it would be a lot of fun.
But I think they'd have to
change the format from when they did it last time. I
don't think it was as exciting as they would have liked.
I don't think it quite worked.
I'd be interested, but I
don't think it will happen.
James and Alan Brewster,
England
When did you first become
interested in Darts?
In the mid-80s, when I was in
my late teens. I never had that much exposure to it as a
child. I was always fascinated by darts but I didn't
really know the game.
I liked the concept of
throwing the darts through the air. I might have had a
toy dartboard as a child but I don't think I ever threw
the darts at the board!
It wasn't until I was 20 or
21 that I really started to get to know the game.
James MacKinnon, N.S.
Canada
When you first took up
darts, how long did it take you to settle on a grip? Did
your grip just come naturally to you, or was it a matter
of multiple modifications over months and months?
I just let the grip work
itself out. I did whatever felt natural. I concentrated
more on my arm mechanics and my stance, but I just let
the grip come.
Brian Arthur, Scotland
My friend is a fantastic
darts player but does not seem to think he could "cut
it" on the big stage. He thinks it's too much hassle and
too expensive to become a professional.
What's your advice on the
best method of getting yourself recognised and on the
professional darts circuit?
The only way is to go out and
get into ranking tournaments, whether it's in the BDO or
the PDC. My advice is to look at the schedules, find the
ranking tournaments and make a stab at five or six of
them.
You need to try a few because
you're not guaranteed to get a result in every one of
them.
In the PDC some tournaments
are ranked more highly than others, so it's best to
start with the lower ranking ones. Just try and get some
points under your belt.
Greg Lewis, Calgary,
Canada
Why does the UK
consistently produce better players than the rest of the
world? There are good darts programs in Canada, Holland,
Belgium and Australia. Do you think these other
countries will produce more world class players in the
future?
I think it's about numbers,
really. It takes time for the darts playing populace of
your country to improve. The best way for any player to
get better is to come to England, because it's a higher
standard.
But I think there's plenty of
potential for other countries to catch up, especially if
there are large numbers of people playing.
In Canada, people don't
strive to reach the tournament scene. They just like
going out and playing in leagues. You need a thriving,
competitive field with more interest in winning
tournaments.
Neil Francis, UK
Do you ever the see the
split in the world of darts being bridged so that we get
back to having one Undisputed World Champion?
I don't see it happening. I
don't think the organisations will ever reconcile their
differences to come up with one thing.
But I don't think it will be
in anyone's mind anyway. I think the PDC Championships
will continue to grow in stature.
