Exclusive
Darts1 interview
with Michael Rosenauer

When did you start to play darts?

It was around 1987 or 1988 and it started as it does with a lot of people, I played some darts with friend, here or there in a pub. It got more serious when I did win the German "Loewen" Championship in 1989.

That was a very short time after you started.

Yes, it was. I tried comparatively hard. I played all the time, some people thought I had gone wild. I played before I left for work, I played during work, I played after work in a pub and I played coming home from the pub.

Probably it will not be possible to achieve such a success in such a short time otherwise?

Probably not. I played for hours and hours every day.

Why did you start to play darts?

That was only by chance. I passed a pub and did see a dartboard near the window. I went into the pub to have a look at it, just for fun and I lost. That's how it started. I thought I would like winning better and started to practice. After half a year I was the best player of this pub. I did play softdarts before, but really only for fun. Those softdarts automats were very expensive at this time and you couldn't get any softdarts boards. For practicing you would have always to go to the pub. I don't feel there is a big difference between softdarts and steeldarts. I only wanted to play and to compete.

When did you realise you had some talent?

During the German Championship of course, well, perhaps a little bit earlier when I played doubles with a friend in 1988 at a tournament. It took a long time till Monday morning and we were the runner-ups, lost in the final. Then I thought I could get a good player. It was always that the more often I did lose, the more time I spent with practicing. Too lose brought me to practice and playing.

How much time do you practice at the moment?

At least four hours a day. When I have a practice partner to play with or against it might well be seven or eight hours, that happens once or twice a week. Last weekend I played a GDC tournament and when I returned home on Sunday I played for two hours. Rarely a day I don't play darts at all. It was even worse when it started; it was almost like an obsession. When I know I wont be able to play darts tomorrow I play some more today.

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