Happy Birthday!!!
John Part is 50
The surprise package of the PDC World Cup this year was Team Canada - especially John Part. And reaching the quarter finals of the tournament by such a great performance to be sure was a highlight and a premature birthday present for John - who will be 50 on the 29. June - and for all his numerous fans around the globe.John Part who's skidded down the PDC rankings during the last two year's couldn't celebrate a win for a rather long time. Even in the Pro Tour events he rarely won a single match. The last Major he managed to qualify for was last year's UK Open where he lost first round to Mike Zuydwijk who not really is one of the big names in darts. So it was good to see he's not completely lost his fighting spirit which helped him to win beside a lot of other tournaments three World Championships which still is and to be sure will long be an outstanding achievement for a player neither Dutch nor British.
John Part's first contact with darts was - as he always tells - not really an agreeable one as he was struck by a dart from a neighbour's yard when he was five years old. But it didn't leave a permanent scar and five years later John threw his first dart when he stayed with his parents in Barbados on vacation. 1987 he owned his own board - a Christmas present from his parents who probably didn't have an idea what they would put in motion with that. It didn't take long before John decided darts would be his profession - to be sure not an easy way to earn a living for a Canadian.
From the beginning travelling was a big part - first travelling in North America, later, when Part had earned enough money by playing, travelling to England - right into the center of the world of darts. The first title came in 1991 - the Syracuse Open. The first important title which immediately made him known around the world came 1994 when he as the totally unknown underdog won his first World Champion title defeating favourite Bobby George in the final in Lakeside. Part stayed a few years in the BDO till in 1997 he switched to the PDC. In 2001 he for the first time reached the final of the PDC World Championship but was demolished by Phil Taylor.
Two years later Part got revenge - the match was much closer and this time it was the Canadian who won a thrilling final. A few more PDC Major finals and good placings followed, but he didn't manage to win again till the Las Vegas Desert Classic in 2006. When the PDC World Championship moved the World Championship from the Circus Tavern to the Alexandra Palace Part surprised many of us with a third World Championship win. The good placings got rarer after the third World Championship title but from time to time Part rolled back the years. We saw his first ever TV nine-darter 2011 during the World Matchplay, we saw a fantastic quarterfinal match between Part and James Wade in during the World Championship 2012 - to be sure one of the greatest matches ever - and in 2013 he won an event of the European Tour - the UK Masters -his so far last ranking event.
When I first set my eyes on John during a Players Championship on Hayling Island he stood singing along to the radio in his room with the door open - really, that's true. I met him again on several occasions but never saw and heard him sing again. But at that time you usually heard him talk when you entered the venues of the Pro Tour events while fans, fellow dartplayers and friends rallied around him. When the tournament started to peter out it were female fans and dart groupies he attracted and who enthused over his sex appeal. John usually is very approachable and friendly. He often shows what many people label as his "special kind of humor" what probably means they don't understand it. Over the years and when he started to be less successful John more backed off and started to appear only a short time before his matches in the venues what to be sure all his long time devotees regretted. That John is eloquent and knowledgeable all who've heard him commentate will confirm - he to be sure is one of the best darts commentators. And his "special kind of humor" sometimes shows in his comments as well as does his penchant to provoke.
Part's strength always has been the finishing - his favourite finish is 108 as he told in an interview - which he showed once again during the World Cup. When he's really in a match he can dig deep and fight and show his famous snarl.
His biggest problem on the other side is his consistency. Consistency of course is always a big topic for every dart player but there are not many who experienced such highs and lows in their darting life. Many people always argued Part would fare much better would he move to the UK and that all the travelling affected his play. It might have contributed to the problem especially when Part started to gain weight and lose fitness. But as I got to know John he is a rather complex personality and the solution is not as easy.
To be really motivated can be a problem when he doesn't feel challenged. Beside - so usually of a more serene temper - John can be moody from furious to buoyant and not always" in the mood" which doesn't help consistency either. After all those long years on the PDC Circuit most players will reach a phase when you feel powered out especially when price money is rare. Its admirable John managed to keep it up for such a long time and you have to wonder whether ever again a North American player will follow his step. The route to be sure is troublesome and not without sacrifices - much more than for a player from the UK or even from the continent.
I've no idea what John's plans for his future are. Might be he'll write a darts book. Might be he'll offer darts coaching and open darts academies in Canada. Might be he'll help to promote the sport in North America. It seems I can't imagine John Part without involvement in the sport. But you never know - John might again surprise us all. I really hope he will at least as commentator stay with us in Europe for a long time after his milestone birthday.
Though of course like all his fans I would prefer it would he give us many more of his truly magical moments in darts when everything comes together and darts looks like a walkover.
Picture with kind permission by Lawrence Lustig, PDC