The recent darts world championships shown on Foxtel got me hooked. Sure, the party atmosphere, the larger than life players, the manic commentators all add up to an exciting package, but it was the competition itself that really grabbed me. The skill level of the world's best was on display and something to be admired, but it was plain to see that athleticism is not a requirement to reach the top level in this game. In fact it seemed that the opposite appeared to be true with the largest and most unfit having an advantage, possibly due to their mass creating a stable platform as they hit treble 20s at will.
'How hard can this be?' I thought to myself as I imagined standing on the platform next January lifting the trophy and posing for the world to see.
Sure, I know bugger all about the game but that's no obstacle in this age of Google and Wikipedia. A few taps on the iPad and I should be an expert in no time. A board, three darts and a few hours of practice should see me hitting 180's with monotonous regularity soon and then the darts world is my oyster.
In fact the hardest part seemed to be deciding on an appropriate nickname to get embroidered on the back of my shirt which is obviously essential at the elite level so that your army of supporters can write their messages of adoration on the signs they wave in front of the cameras as they sing their drunken chants at 120db. A catchy nickname will also help with the marketing of my signature range of equipment too, so I better come up with something that's an advertisers dream.
But maybe I'm getting just a little bit ahead of myself.
Time to do the research and buy the gear.
