By Elliott West
“Some people say having walk-on girls is demeaning or degrading, but I don’t feel degraded at all. I’ve done events, exhibitions and appearances all over England, Europe and in America. I love it. I’ve been able to travel and see different places”.
Jade Slusarczyk
Introduction
To give any sport some extra panache, various methods have been used over the years to bring razzmatazz to the visual and physical audiences. One such device is the use of walk-on girls in sports such as darts, boxing and snooker. Critics of this usage have often complained saying it is degrading to women and should be banned. However, this is a very shortsighted and blinkered view of a profession where the ladies involved are hard-working, self-employed and often have to travel long distances, relying on their next job to pay the bills. Many of those involved, have hectic home lives and so need the work flexibility that this job offers. If successful through a network of connections, this profession allows those that succeed the chance not only to travel the length and breadth of the United Kingdom but to also travel abroad to exotic places such as Las Vegas. This is a personal life choice and is harmless. One that should be applauded and not deplored.
Behind the Hearsay
I have been lucky enough to travel to quite a few snooker exhibitions across the country and have first-hand experience of how hard the people involved work to make any event a success. I travel a lot with the Master of Ceremonies Colin Philips, referee Richard Barnicoat and Jade Slusarczyk. We have become good friends and travel companions, having a laugh and getting to meet a large number of current and former snooker players. I have seen how hard Jade works and gets very little time to herself. Literally travelling from her home in Blackpool to an exhibition miles away. She has to keep a detailed diary of all her events and if you asked her what she was doing next month, she would have to refer to this schedule that guides her from day to day.
A committed family person, Jade juggles her home life and doing work at a recently purchased family home, looking after her dogs with keeping her wheeled suitcase on standby for the next function. If the work dries up, she doesn’t get paid and so her mobile phone is a vital connection for the next function. She is a grafter and I am very proud to have her as a friend, an example of someone who lives her life using the philosophy that the sky is the limit and anything is achievable.
This can also be said of 23-year-old Alisha Lancaster who has recently worked at a snooker exhibition with Judd Trump at the Castle Sports Bar in Brighton and will be appearing with Ken Doherty at an exhibition in Paddock Wood, Kent in a couple of weeks. This is a lady who has many strings to her bow, having worked as a model and has pastimes of playing snooker, a 4th Dan Master in karate and a kick-boxer. Let’s say she probably wouldn’t need a bodyguard at an event as she is perfectly capable of looking after herself.
Afterthoughts
I am a passionate believer in equality in life and in the workplace and looking behind the myths of being a walk-on girl, only proves that this is a profession where all those involved work long hours, and travel great distances to achieve their life goals. This is not a man’s world and anything a man can do, a woman can do just as well. In a society where there are still only 34% women MPs or 220 in total and women still lose out in the gender pay gap, empowerment is key to the future success of women in any business sector.
This is of course a controversial debate and some will argue that this job is degrading to women. Darts banned the practice but it still exists in boxing and some snooker events. Those who argue against it say it is not necessary and is only a means of sexing the sport up. It is a valid argument but there are definitely mixed opinions in this debate. Any profession is a personal choice and should be respected. There may come a day when this job no longer exists but of course, that is merely speculation. Those that choose this job should be respected and seen as individuals who want to succeed in life.
