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 I was pleased to receive a
response from a particular male member of our group, somebody who obviously isn’t afraid to have a chat with me and discuss the
subject of our mutual interest. The subject was Jose´ de la Cruz.
Hello Jose´, it’s nice to have this opportunity to have a chat with
you. I know little about you personally so I am going to start with a few questions of the more personal nature. What do you do for a living?
The Ford Motor company employs me.
Is your employer supportive of the time that you may have to take off in order
to attend dart tournaments?
They are very supportive and I have no problems in that area.
Are you a married man and if so, do you have any children?
I am married and I have three boys ages 21, 16 and 11.
Do any or all of your boys play darts?
My second son, Jake, has in the past shown a little interest in darts and he’s
not a bad shot. However, he’s now too busy with his friends, computer and
football in school. Maybe his interest will be renewed when he gets a little older.
Is your wife supportive of the time you might be required to spend away from
home to attend tournaments?
I am pleased to say that I have a very supportive wife.
What are your favorite foods and your favorite TV show?
I am very partial to Chinese food. Other than darts, when it is televised, I
enjoy watching football. I also like to watch the Food Network on TV and it gives me some ideas on what to prepare when we are having visitors.
Are there any other pastimes or hobbies that you have when you are not
practicing or playing darts?
I enjoy cooking. Although my wife does most of the cooking at home, when
we have guests or on special occasions, I do the cooking.
I know you came to Canada from the Philippines. When was this?
I came to Canada in January 1986.
When and where did you first start playing darts and who got you involved?
I started playing darts in the Philippines in 1978. My cousins and friends
asked me if I would like to go with them to the British Pub to play darts. I went along to see what it was like, found out that I wasn’t too bad and since
then have been hooked on the game.
How many years have you been involved in darts at both the Provincial and
National level?
On and off since 1997.
How many times have you been a member of Team Alberta?
Twice, with six years in between – in 1997 and 2003.
Like all competitive dart players, I am sure you have a goal that you would
like to achieve. What is yours?
I would love to represent Canada in world events and will keep on trying to
qualify.
How much time do you spend practicing during the regular season?
Nobody likes to practice but I try to practice from half to an hour a day.
Do you play in any leagues and do you travel to participate in tournaments?
I play in the Tactics League on Monday nights, Doubles on Tuesday nights
and the Edmonton City Dart League on Thursday nights. So you see, I get lots of practice.
Wow – that’s quite a schedule. With that agenda, do you participate or watch
any other sports?
I love darts very much and it’s really the only sport that I have taped and
watched over and over again. However, I am also interested in watching football.
Have you had any involvement with the youth program in Alberta?
Not directly. However, I was speaking to the Alberta Youth Director last year
at the Klondike and told her that I would like to donate some of my trophies to the Alberta youth. We haven’t made this trade as yet, but hopefully, we
will get together shortly to make the exchange.
Do you have any words of encouragement that you would like to give to the
youth players, who as we know are our players of tomorrow?
I think the main thing is to never give up. The more games I lose, the more I
practice. I always think of Michael Jordan who failed to make his high school team and eventually became the No. 1 basketball player in the world.
With the limited means available to the NDFC, do you think that there is
anything that could and should be done for the players in Canada?
Increasing public awareness through media exposure would be a good start.
Many people play darts every day, twelve months a year on a casual and social basis. I don’t think these people are aware how advanced competitive
darts is in Canada. Bringing this to their attention could inspire them to become competitors themselves. Increased participation will bring in more
sponsorship and more sponsorship will make it possible for more international caliber tournaments, a benefit to the players of today and tomorrow.
Is there anything further that you would like to mention that I haven’t perhaps
covered?
Only that I have played for the Golden Harvest Pro-Am Canadian Team every
year since 1999 (except 2001 when my father passed away), and I found this very rewarding and a wonderful experience.
Thank you very much Jose´. It has been very interesting to chat with you. I
hope we don’t have to wait until six years before we see you at the Nationals again, although I know that you won’t be in Summerside this year. Anyway,
all the very best and “keep on darting.”
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