I'm looking forward to returning back to Hong Kong for The World - Stage 3 on May 27, 2012. In addition to more
great darts, tasty food, and people watching, it now seems that The World Stage 3 will be uniquely different from
all previous events.
Recently, there have been rumors about a certain famous professional player talking about wanting to travel to Hong
Kong for The World event. This was mentioned in various darting forums and sites across the internet. Well, wait
no more because it seems that it is now official..
According to the latest The World - Stage 3 entry listing, the tournament has recorded an entry from what appears
to be the two-time PDC world champion and fellow L-Style player. Yes, Adrian "Jackpot" Lewis, appears to be
officially entered in The World Stage 3. I say 'appears' because there could be another UK player named
Adrian Lewis who has entered. I speculate that this is remotely possible, but in all likelihood, not very
probable. Until proven otherwise, I'll assume that it is indeed Adrian "Jackpot" Lewis.
I am excited that Adrian Lewis is playing in The World - Stage 3. I've met and spoken with Adrian at the PDC
professional events in the USA. Adrian is a really nice guy and I discovered that he is keen on fishing.
Anybody that likes darts and fishing is a great guy in my book. Seriously though, Adrian's participation
will not only be great for The World event, but it will be even greater for darts overall.
Adrian's presence will showcase the soft tip game to many steel tip fans that have never seen a major soft tip
tournament before. There will be steel tip fans and steel tip players alike who will be tuning in to watch Adrian
play.
Adrian's presence will also expose the soft tip game to potential new sponsors who follow darts but have never
seen a soft tip competition. These companies will have heard about the popularity of the soft tip game in Asia
and the demographics of the people in Asia who play and follow the soft tip game. They know that Asia is an
enormous consumer market and soft tip darts could be an opportunity to present their products or services to
the lucrative Asian market.
Likewise, there will be many soft tip fans around the world tuning in to watch a two-time PDC world champion play
the soft tip game. Some of these people will know who Adrian is and know about his abilities, while others will
only know him as a steel tip PDC world champion.
Most steel tip fans will have high expectations for Adrian in this event. Some soft tip fans will also share these
same high expectations. Adrian's immense talent undoubtly supports these high expectations but winning this event
is no cakewalk, not even for Adrian Lewis.
In steel tip it's about what you hit. In soft tip, it's about what you miss. Plus, this soft tip tournament
includes the game of Cricket, and that makes it even more interesting, especially for players who are not
accustomed to the nuances and strategy of Cricket. I wonder if the betting parlors in England will be taking
bets on Adrian's performance? I wonder if the betting parlors will have odds on me? Hmmmmm..
Whatever the case may be, whether you're a current or potential future sponsor, a steel tip player, a soft tip
player, or just a passionate fan of darts, The World - Stage 3 on May 27, 2012 is shaping up to be an event to
watch. And remember, all matches played on the stage at The World - Stage 3 are streamed live on USTREAM.
As the tournament time nears, visit the homepage of
The World for the streaming link and the time when the event
starts. And while you're there, be sure to click on some of the sponsor links like Monster Barrels Design,
an innovative company from Japan that designs and manufactures some of the finest dart barrels in the world.
If Adrian's sponsors are reading this, I will warn you that there is a special rule in the rulebook about sponsor
logos on the players' shirts. The tournament organizer reserves the right to cover up sponsor patches and logos
that do not meet their approval. Translated another way, if you are not a paid sponsor of The World tournament
series, then your logo will be covered up with black tape. It doesn't matter who you are or how big your company
is. So, if you want your logo seen on Adrian's shirt, I suggest that you goto The World site immediately and
contact them about becoming a sponsor for this series of events. If you have questions about the sponsor logos,
patches, playing rules, etc., you can find answers to most of your questions on the website. If you cannot find an answer, you have their contact information and you should reach out to them.
When I return back from Hong Kong, I'll give you a write up on Stage 3.