February 1, 2006
Column 216
John Kramer
What would I do with ten minutes on television? Well, let’s just wait and see.
What would I do with a million dollars? Stay tuned…
— John Kramer
__________________________________________________________________________
Nickname: JK
Date of Birth: December 15, 1956
Place of Birth: Camp LeJeune, North Carolina
Hometown: Laguna Niguel, California
Hobbies: Paintball
Movie: Why pay for a movie when you can watch Sportscenter?
Television Show: UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
Meal: Hamburgers and Coke
Sports Team: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Music: Rage Against the Machine
Book: The Complete Guide to Paintball
Pet Peeve: Everything irritates me
Worst Habit: Smoking
What Most People Don’t Know About Me: They’ll never know!
Weapon of Choice: “Altered” 23-gram John Part signatures
__________________________________________________________________________
First off, let’s get the most important question answered. You asked if I was stranded on a remote island who I would most want to be stranded with. The answer is: the top ten female porn stars. (My wife said she was okay with this answer because when it was read I would probably be assumed dead – and then and she would be spending the insurance money.)
Why darts? A sports injury in high school ended my baseball career. That was way back in 1974. It was by default that I started playing darts. The first dartboard I ever saw was in the weight room in high school. Since I could not participate in the class, I would hang out in the weight room and throw darts. I went to my first professional tournament right after I finished high school.
I live with my wife Anne and have a daughter, Stephanie, and two cats, Witty and Skwidgy. Yes damit, Skwidgy!
So I’ve been throwing darts a long time. I started over twenty-five years ago, with many legends of the game, including Jerry Umberger, Rick Ney, Nicky Virachkul, Dan Pucillo and David Miller. I represented the United States at the World Masters, Nation’s Triples, the World Cup, and the Embassy World Professional Darts Championship. It was still at Jollee’s Cabaret Club then. But if you really want to know more about my career, go find a history book.
I don’t credit anybody with what I have accomplished in darts. My skills are self-made. Do I have a nemesis in the sport? If there’s one out there they haven’t been born yet… and they’d better hurry up because I’m not getting any younger.
I can’t say I look up to anybody in the sport. I can’t say much for the sport’s image either. What I will say is that I respect the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) for their promotion of professional darts and in that respect I think their World Series of Darts (WSOD) is a long overdue step in the right direction.
I work for a living (my first job was as a plumber’s assistant) because there isn’t a living to be had in darts in America. I don’t have a sponsor (but am open to offers).
I call my practice routine “mindless throwing” and can’t explain why most of the darts stick the triple twenty.
How would I like to be remembered? I’d just like to be remembered!
