Honoring the regulators
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on January 7, 2015 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Shelby Bizzell, co-manager of the Goldsboro Bridge Club, plays a hand at the senior center. She was one of several managers and directors honored recently by the club. The recognition ceremony was a surprise to two managers and six directors.
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Barbara Ann Vinson, president of the Goldsboro Bridge Club, plays a round at the senior center. She also writes the weekly column and was recently honored for all her work by the club.
Being a bridge game director is sometimes a thankless job -- and sometimes it's almost a scorned position.
But someone has to do it or no one could play bridge at the Goldsboro Bridge Club.
And that's why the club recently honored its two managers/directors, Sterling Jarrett and Shelby Bizzell, and its six directors, Billy Bizzell, Selby Corbett, Tommy Franklin, Krishna Prasad, Sherry Owens and Audrey Solberg. The club also recognized its president and newspaper column writer, Barbara Ann Vinson, and bridge instructor, Sue Wilson.
The recognition was a surprise, said club member Linda Greenwood. But it was well-deserved.
"Players here appreciate those who make it possible to play duplicate bridge biweekly," Ms. Greenwood said. "The Goldsboro Bridge Club is fortunate to have a gallery of bridge mentors. These people are not only a success at the bridge table, but work to make this club successful, friendly, enjoyable.
"These individuals are dedicated to good conduct, ethical behavior and smooth operation within the organization. And we wanted to honor them."
Ms. Greenwood said players appreciate all their directors.
"The difference between genius and stupidity at the bridge table is that genius has its limits," Ms. Greenwood said. "So when I (or someone) asks a stupid question, directors are gracious in answering the question."
Mrs. Jarrett has been a director for about five years. She's also one of the two co-managers with Ms. Bizzell.
"I was honored and also surprised," she said. "I wasn't there for the honor because I had another commitment, but I heard about it afterward. I was sorry I had missed it."
Mrs. Jarrett said bridge players absolutely never want to have to call a director.
"I remember someone one time said, 'We have to call the director,'" she said. "Someone else said, 'I will give you my first child if you don't.' The director makes the ruling. Sometimes the director is not very popular."
To become a director, Mrs. Jarrett had to take a two-day course to learn all of the rules, after which, she had to take a test and make a certain score.
She said bridge club member Mabel Edmundson had been directing the club's games for years -- and she directed every single game.
"Then others started becoming directors and we got more people getting their director's license," Mrs. Jarrett said. "So we could continue the games and no one would get burned out directing every game."
Mrs. Jarrett said the Goldsboro Club is unique in that it's all volunteers, even the directors. She said that in other places, directors own the game and even make money off it each week.
"Goldsboro has never done that," Mrs. Jarrett said. "Our club is membership-owned."
Bizzell became a director 12 years ago.
He was really surprised by the bridge club's recognition.
"Good gracious yes, I was surprised," he said. "It was pure shock. I've been a member of this club for 50 years and nothing like that has ever been done before. This was something quite unusual."
Bizzell said it's a thankless job.
"When there's an irregularity or something goes wrong, you hear 'Director, please' from a table," he said. "I have to get up from the hand I'm playing and go to where the problem is.
"One time, I went to a table where one player said he had 14 cards and another player had only 12. While I was at the table, they each recounted their cards and each had only 13, which is what you're supposed to have. Both had counted wrong. I told them they each had their 13 cards and go on and start bidding."
Bizzell said on average, a director is called to a table two or three times during one game.
"On a real bad day, you might be called a half a dozen times," he said. "But we're talking about players having an average age of 70 in our club. There's no one younger than 60. So we're dealing with elderly folks and their memory is not too good."