Heading away to South Korea later this week, the World Darts Federation’s 16th ranked women’s player, Desi Mercer, is not letting the excitement get to her just yet.
In her house in Gore, surrounded by a treasure trove of trophies and medals from her years of darts excellence, Mrs Mercer has a relaxed confidence which she takes all the way to the board.
"I don’t get nervous. I see people standing up, they’ve got shaky hands and years ago when I was still learning I was probably like them.
"But I took an eight-year break, and since I came back all that side of the cabinet happened," she said while pointing to an array of trophies.
Mrs Mercer will be playing in the WDF World Cup, held in Seoul from next Tuesday to September 27, holding a place on the New Zealand team as the second-ranked women’s player.
She said there was no mystery to winning a game of darts — it was just about hitting the right score at the right time.
"I’ve played games where I haven’t played as well as what I can, and my opponent has played really well, and I’ve still won because I hit doubles.
"The old story goes, scores for show, doubles for dough. That’s what wins you the game," she said.
Although Mrs Mercer is travelling around the country and the world playing darts, she still works a fulltime job, with darts as a sometimes costly and sometimes lucrative side venture.
Her practice sessions are occasionally interrupted by The Chase on TV, but Mrs Mercer said she found obsessive practices overkill for her at this point.
"I don’t really practise. I practise five minutes before the tournament starts. Whether you call it confidence or not, I know how the game works, I know what to do."
However, the darts veteran is not taking the competition lightly, as Mrs Mercer has a keen edge of experience over others in the game.
Where others may be pacing, yelling and indulging in theatrics, she makes a point to be measured and relaxed, taking all the time she needs to play her best darts.
"I’m not a fast player. A lot of people like to get into their rhythm and a lot of the New Zealand players don’t muck around.
"But I play my game, not their game," she said.
As well as competing in the WDF World Cup, Mrs Mercer will stay on for the WDF Open, hoping to leap back into the top 10 of the women’s darts rankings.
