A major reason why I enjoy darts, is the maths involved. I've always loved numbers and stats and darts gives my brain a great workout. Over time, I have memorised many combination shots, getting to the point where I don't really add or subtract numbers, I just know what I've scored and how much should be left. Many darts players have this skill too, and is something that comes naturally over many hours playing the game. For example I know 3 triple 19s is 171 - I don't need to physically calculate this, it is just something I have learned to know naturally.
With that in mind, I have also always enjoyed the marking aspect. Maybe I'm weird, as some players run for the hills when asked to mark. I quite enjoy it. As I progressed scoring better players and in bigger tournaments, I took the plunge into trying my hand in official PDC events. Obviously not straight in at the deep end, but slowly building up experience.
My first event was a PDC Women's event, which was very enjoyable. The other markers and players were supportive and were on hand to answer any questions. I had scored on a very similar system in the past, so I felt quite comfortable. From there I then helped mark at Challenge Tour and Development Tour events.
In January 2023, I marked at my first Q School, which was a great experience. There were past World Champions present, but also those taking their first steps at this level .So a wide range of standards. One thing I particularly enjoyed, was seeing players new to Q School performing well and becoming familiar names as the year progressed.
So January 2024 I will be marking again at Q School, and I am thoroughly looking forward to it. My ultimate goal is to play at Q School, but I'm more than satisfied with officiating in the meantime.
