Monday 20 June 2016

Beyond the Oche

A couple of years ago I was back in New Zealand for Christmas and I got hooked on darts. The Darts World Championships are played over the Christmas New Year period in London and they are very popular with live television coverage around the world and full houses at every session.

I have watched a few games on Youtube and have got to know the better players and I even went to a live event in  Yokohama last year which was very enjoyable. The organisers have turned it into a spectacle with WWE type walk-ons and each of the players having nicknames like The Power and Jackpot and The Machine. The crowds really get into it and it is a good night out.


In this video you can get a taste of the world championship crowd at the Alexandra Palace in North London. They really get into it and have a great time. Some of them dress up and really get involved. Sounds like extrovert heaven doesn't it? You would think that the players would have to be extroverted as well. That's not the case however.

I was reading this article over the weekend about the current world champion Scot,  Gary Anderson. It said that he is quite quiet. He keeps to himself and likes to stay in the background. This begs the question, how does he go out in front of thousands and thousands of people each night and do his thing?

It is all about being that situational extrovert in which he becomes that person for that time. Also he knows that he is better than anyone in the crowd and they have come to see him play and that would give anyone confidence. He knows that he has practiced for years and years and he can do his thing in front of the crowd and the millions of people watching on television across the world. However when that is all said and done he won't go out and party the night away, he might go and spend some time with himself or with his wife and family and simply recharge as I can imagine the darts' atmosphere is very tiring for the introverted person.

If you enjoy sports and you are in a city where they have tournaments I suggest to go along and have a look. It is a lot of fun and some of the play is amazing. I'm going in a couple of weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing a 9-darter which is the darts equivalent of a hole in one in golf or a 147 break in snooker.

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