Player Profile
Player Profile
MATT SMITH
(Local Unit Member, Director and ACBL Field Supervisor)
by Linda Patton
LP: Are you from Victoria originally?
MS: My first five years were spent in Parksville, where my Dad taught at Qualicum High School and my Mom taught at Qualicum College. They were both accomplished bridge players then. When I was five, my family, which included four boys and three girls, moved from Parksville to Victoria. My father, who taught mathematics, had secured a teaching position in Victoria and my mother also commenced teaching at St. Margaret’s.
LP: Are any of your siblings teachers?
MS: Two of my sisters are teachers. One teaches nursing in the United States and my oldest sister, Brenda, is a high school counsellor in Surrey. Also, my grandfather was principal of Victoria High School for many years.
LP: What was your first job out of high school?
MS: I worked for the provincial Ministry of Agriculture for a couple of years as a file clerk. I then went to the University of Victoria off and on for three years.
LP: Is that where you were first introduced to bridge?
MS: My father ran a bridge club in the late sixties – early seventies – with my brother, Duncan. In 1971, when I was 14, my Dad started bridge classes at the club and that is where I first learned.
LP: Did you carry on with your education?
MS: No. There was a fellow called Don McLeod, who was running a couple of bridge games a week, and I started working for him as a Director in 1980 or ’81. When he left town, he gave me his games. This meant I was running about four or five games a week. The club was on Douglas Street and had been there from about the mid-sixties until 1983 when it moved to Johnson Street.
LP: How did bridge become a full-time career?
MS: Eventually I added some games and another fellow, Eric Goodwin, sold me his games. In those days the Unit rented a building and although they didn’t have to, there were several clubs who rented from the Unit. The Unit ran a couple of games themselves, the big game being an ‘Open Game’ on Tuesday night, and I directed that game starting in 1981. The Unit then decided not to be in the landlord business, so they sold the franchise to me and I took over the lease. By the time that happened, the club was on Johnson Street.
LP: Did you ever return to school or take a break from bridge?
MS: Not really. I ran the club full time from 1981 to 1994.
LP: When did you become an ACBL Director?
MS: Like a lot of people who are tournament directors, I started as a club director. When there were local tournaments, I would have to close the club. I was interested in directing and had my first training in 1983. I was appointed the lowest level of director at that time and worked as a part-time director, mostly locally, for the first few years. I have probably worked most of the Victoria and Vancouver Island Sectionals for the past twenty years. In those days I worked with Phil Wood, who was the Director in Charge. He was very generous in helping me get my start as Tournament Director.
LP: I know your wife, Vicky, plays bridge. How did you meet?
MS: Vicky and I met in 1985. At the time, she was a student at UVIC studying psychology. She also worked part-time as a cocktail waitress in our ‘watering hole’ next to the bridge club downtown. She did not take up the game until about 1993. She took lessons from Margaret Hinton, I helped her and she read a lot of bridge books. The first few years we were together she sold real estate, so she didn’t have a lot of time to devote to bridge. She became more serious about bridge when she left real estate.
LP: What do you like best about directing?
MS: I like the people. There are always different challenges, and I enjoy working with my fellow directors. The best part is not having to show up at the office at 8:00 in the morning.
LP: What is the least appealing aspect?
MS: I would say there isn’t anything I dislike about directing, although I am now more involved in an administrative capacity, which means a lot of paperwork. I prefer directing.
LP: What is your favourite tournament?
MS: I think my favourite, in addition to Victoria, is in Rossland, BC.
LP: I believe that is a Sectional Tournament. What is so special about Rossland?
MS: The tournament peaks at thirty tables. The people are really nice, the country is beautiful, and the emphasis is on fun. From early on they did not tolerate any bad behaviour. There are a lot of good bridge players there and they look out for the novices and beginners. Another reason we enjoy it is because our grandson, Liam, comes with us as a caddy. This tournament has become our summer vacation.
LP: Do you have any hobbies?
MS: Yes, I golf, badly.
LP: I am sure it is because you just don’t have enough time to practice.
MS: I would like to think that. When I am home for a stretch, I like to golf all over Victoria and also enjoy playing up island too.
LP: Have you any amusing anecdotes from your experiences as a director?
MS: I remember getting called to a table at a Victoria Regional where someone had led out of turn. They were at about trick six. I noticed immediately that there was no dummy on the table. They were all so new to bridge that they didn’t realize there was a dummy in duplicate. I think they were playing Whist!
I have lots of funny Phil stories. I am referring to the former Director, Phil Woods, from Vancouver. He was always rushing to get out of the Victoria Sectional and catch the ferry. He had usually lost his keys or misplaced one of his several briefcases. I can remember him rushing from the Esquimalt Rec Centre with most of his overcoat hanging out of his closed car door. He always made the ferry, though!
LP: I know that there is a Joan Smith Memorial Trophy in Parksville. Can you tell me about this?
MS: My mother was an avid bridge player in Parksville, and I believe both my parents had something to do with getting the duplicate bridge started there. When she passed away in 1971, a trophy was given in her honour. I believe they have awarded it for about thirty years but I didn’t know anything about it until approximately 7 years ago. It is for their club championship, which is held every January or February. I have been running their games for them ever since I became aware of the trophy, and my brother, Duncan, usually accompanies me. One year Vicky and Ruth Cain won.
LP: What are your duties as an ACBL Field Supervisor?
MS: There are 8 Field Supervisors. I am Field Supervisor for the northwest area, which comprises Districts 18, 19 and 20. This includes Alaska, BC, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Nevada, the northern tip of California, and parts of Montana and Utah. Some of these places I do not physically go to. I am responsible for staffing the tournaments in those areas, such as assigning the head director. A large part of what I do is looking at the schedule for the entire year, assigning directors for my area, and coordinating directors with other areas. There are six full-time directors in my area and 25 part-time. The full-time directors enjoy benefits, such as medical, etc. A full-time director works about 300 sessions per year.
Most of it is pre-programmed, in other words, different directors have different ratings in terms of what tournaments they are qualified to run. For example, recently Mike Roberts of Victoria, received a significant promotion to full tournament director, which means he can run Sectionals.
LP: How does one work their way up from Sectional to Regional Director?
MS: It is a combination of talent and skill. To some extent it is being in the right place at the right time. Most of the full-time directors have spent a lot of time as part-time directors.
I was a part-time director for ten years while running the bridge club.
LP: Do you have any words of wisdom for first-time tournament participants.
MS: I know that tournaments can be very unnerving and intimidating. Just try to relax and play your own game. Call the director if you are unsure about anything. The bottom line is to have fun. My advice to everyone is to treat others nicely.
LP: Thanks for the interview, Matt. Congratulations on your appointment as Field Supervisor, and good luck with that golf game.
Copyright:
ACBLUnit 431
James K. Foster,
January, 2005