St. John's darts pro taking aim at a world championship in London
John Norman Jr. to compete in 2022 PDC World Darts Championship
Christmas came a little early for John Norman Jr. this year.
The darts pro from St. John's is headed to the William Hill World Dart Championship. The event kicks off Wednesday at London's iconic Alexandra Palace — also known as Ally Pally.
Norman said the road to London was a rocky one: He competed in the 2017 Professional Darts Corporation World Cup, an experience he called "overwhelming."
"[There] were a lot of lessons learned there," he said.
After losing at the North American championship in 2018, Norman shifted priorities, focusing on family and work over the grueling schedule of international travel that a professional career in darts entails.
But the tide changed in 2020.
Norman said his stepfather fell ill and pushed him to keep competing. That lead him to the Championship Darts Circuit Finals in Cambridge, Ont, where he won a world championship wild card.
But despite his efforts and talent, Norman credits his success to those wise words of encouragement.
"Somebody close to me believed in me," he said "and I started believing in myself again."
With files from Krissy Holmes