Volunteer Spotlight – Frank Smoot

By Lynn Johannesen

The spotlight this month shines on Frank Smoot.

Frank learned to play bridge as a child when cold northern winters kept the Smoot children indoors. They learned to play from a comprehensive book on games called According to Hoyle, which covered bridge in five pages. It was 20 years later that he encountered his first full-length book on bridge, and he wondered whether there could really be enough to say about the game to fill an entire book. He bought it, though, and then joined a lunchtime bridge group at the office. He says the game was great fun, even though the bidding rarely matched what he had just learned from his book.

He began teaching almost by accident. An Adult Education Group staff member mentioned that the bridge teacher had just quit, and Frank volunteered. At his first class he was prepared with 20 deals for the students that illustrated interesting points in the bidding and play. Those 20 deals easily lasted for the first three sessions of the class. He also began to learn lessons that have helped him both in teaching his adult classes and in mentoring SiVY youth. The most important, perhaps, is that you have to focus on a single concept when you discuss a hand.

Frank continues to enjoy teaching bridge to adults. He says, “When you help a student who has been struggling with a concept to master it, that is very satisfying.”

When SiVY was proposed, Frank said the plan sounded wonderful to him: “I had to be part of it. I like the idea of offering a brain-building entertainment that teaches how to plan ahead and compete fairly. Those are skills that are useful in other parts of life.” In working with younger players, Frank has found that in general they are less afraid of making mistakes than his more mature students have been. That makes it easier for them to jump into the game and just start playing and having fun.

Frank has continued his commitment to SiVY ever since its founding. He is a member of the SiVY Bridge Board and has been an active volunteer who frequently acts as a table helper and emcee at Pizza Parties, and as a Summer Camp teacher. In 2020 Frank helped to launch our Online Casual Fridays and has mentored at 13 of the 15 events this year. His energy and enthusiasm are infectious, helping motivate both his youth students and his fellow volunteers.

Frank thinks the key to SiVY’s future success will be maintaining the enthusiasm of its great group of volunteers during a period when outreach to new young players will be especially difficult. He is prepared to help in any way he can.