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We are back in Quebec once again to talk to the very hard working General Secretary of
the N.D.F.C., Mary Dezan. You are probably thinking “What? Another woman,” however, there is a reason for this.
For some unknown reason, the men just don’t want to talk to me and my many attempts to obtain information from our top male players go unanswered. On the other hand, my female contacts respond on almost every occasion. So, here I am talking to a very busy lady who is doing a wonderful job of keeping all the paper work in order. I got to know Mary at the 1989 World Cup in Toronto. Although I had seen her around the dart scene prior to that time, I didn’t really know her. Let’s see what Mary has to say.
Hello Mary – My readers would like to know a little about Mary Dezan behind
the scenes, so I am going to ask you a few personal questions. What is it that you do for a living and for whom are you employed, when not spending hours and
hours in front of the computer preparing documents etc. for the N.D.F.C?
![Mary Dezan, NDFC's General Secretary [photo]](./images/2304-02features-p01dezan.jpg "Mary Dezan, NDFC's General Secretary [photo]") Hi Kip – I work for a small, but growing transport company as an administrative
secretary. It is a family owned business and I have been working for them since 1996.
Is your employer supportive of the time
that you are required to take off for darts?
Yes, they are very supportive. They understand that the personal side of their
employee’s lives is as important as their professional, and they are always ready to help me out by giving me time off when needed.
As a family person, how many children do you have?
I, myself, have three children. A son, Michel who lives with his family in
Stratford, Ontario. I also have two daughters, Monique, who lives in Dallas, Texas, and Sylvie, who lives here in Quebec. Besides my three children, I
also have three stepdaughters, Brenda, Lynda and Wanda.
With a family of that size, do you have any grandchildren?
My husband Bryan and I are very blessed to have nine grandchildren.
Unfortunately, there are only three who live close enough that we can see them on a regular basis. This, however, gives us an excuse to travel quite
frequently in order to visit with our children and grandchildren.
Is your spouse, Bryan, supportive of the time that you spend away at
tournaments and meetings?
Bryan is an avid dart player and as such, he understands that there are times
when I have to be away from home for tournaments or meetings. I am sure that without his support, I would not have had the opportunity to travel from
one end of this great country of Canada to the other and to meet all the wonderful people that I have met over the last twenty years. There are a few
trips that Bryan has not been able to take with me, however, for the most part we travel together whenever possible.
Do any of your family play darts (other than Bryan of course)?
At this point in time, the only one who ever picks up a dart is my son, Michel.
He loves to play against Bryan when we go to visit, but he hasn’t taken up darts as a regular pastime. All my children, however, played in our Quebec
Youth Program when they were growing up and my youngest daughter Sylvie made the Quebec Team in 1987 and traveled to Winnipeg for the National Championships.
Let’s get to know the Mary Dezan that’s behind the NDFC General Secretary.
What is your favorite food?
I love seafood and most of the Greek restaurants in Quebec have the best
variety of seafood that you could ask for. Bryan and I travel to the East Coast every summer just so that we can spend the week eating everything from
lobster to the catch of the day.
What is your favorite TV show, or don’t you have time to watch television?
I really don’t watch much television, but if I had a choice, I could sit and
watch The Golden Girls for hours at a time. I do, however, watch my daily “soaps.”
Are there any other pastimes or hobbies that you have?
There are lots of things that I would like to do, but most of these are going to
have to wait until I retire. I enjoy making things, whether it is ceramics or knitting or doing a bit of plastic canvas. At the moment, I have a couple of
projects on the go, however, I have no idea when they will be finished.
Are you a Canadian by birth, or by other means?
I am a Canadian and very proud of it. I was born here in Quebec in a small
town right on the border of Vermont.
How many years have you been involved with darts either at the Provincial
level or the National level?
I started playing darts in 1977 in a local league and participated in my first
provincial championship in 1982. I believe that was when Bryan and I got the bug and started playing all the tournaments that we could. We became
members of the Quebec Darts Association in 1982 and have been members ever since.
Were you ever a member of Team Quebec?
Unfortunately, I never made the team. I finished in the top 16 a couple of
times at the provincial championships but never quite made the team. So, I have to satisfy myself with attending the National Championships every year
in a “working capacity!”
In this great country of ours, we have many francophone dart players who
speak no English. Being completely bilingual yourself, do you feel that the francophone players who attend the National Championships are at a disadvantage?
Personally, I believe that they are at a disadvantage. However, having said
that I must say that I have attended every National since 1989 and rarely have I seen a real problem. The majority of the French speaking players realize
that the communication with players from other provinces is limited for them and they will always find someone who can translate for them in order to be
able to converse with one another. I find that they are at more of a disadvantage during opening ceremonies and at the awards banquet. This is
one of the reasons that we have tried, in the last couple of years, to have most of the comments at the awards banquet in both languages and I know
for a fact that the Quebec players appreciate this jesture immensely.
Other than the fact that your children played darts in the youth program in
Quebec, have you had much involvement with the youth program or the young members and what words of encouragement would you like to give to them?
Darts is like any other sport. We need the youth to keep things going. At
the moment, I am not involved with the youth program in Quebec, but I would certainly encourage them to participate and enjoy this game. I see some of
the younger players who participate in our ranked shoots and it is enjoyable to watch them. We have some fine youth players who will be playing in the
adult program very soon and I wish them the best.
I believe that you were involved with the Quebec Darts Association in an
administrative capacity before becoming a member of the NDFC Executive. Is this correct?
I joined the Quebec Darts Association as a regional director in 1984 and then
became the Provincial Director. I held that position until 1998 when I was elected to the executive of the National Darts Federation of Canada as the
General Secretary.
Do you think there is anything further that the NDFC could do for the
Canadian dart players and could the Canadian dart players do anything further for themselves?
I strongly believe that there is much that can be done for our Canadian
players, but we must first acquire the support of our Canadian government. This is something that we have been working on for some time but we haven’t
been able to break the ice. I believe that darts should be recognized as a sport and that our players should have the same opportunities as any other
athlete in Canada. We will keep working towards this goal. As for the dart players themselves, I would hope that they realize that they are always
foremost in our minds when we organize tournaments and other events for them to participate in. If we make mistakes, do not criticize us, help us by
telling us or showing us where and how we can make things better. We are always willing to listen.
Have you traveled with Team Canada at all and if so, in what years and to
where?
I was very fortunate to accompany Team Canada to the 2001 World Cup that
was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was a real treat for me and it was
a trip that I will always treasurer. The people of Malaysia were friendly and very accommodating and being able to meet people from all over the world
who have the same interest (darts) was wonderful. I spent the most amazing week with our Canadian Team and as far as I am concerned, they were all
winners.
Are you interested in other sports, either as a participant or a spectator?
I can’t say that I am much of an athlete, but being married to a sports
enthusiast, I have learned to enjoy all types of sports. I do play a little golf and wish that I had the time to perfect my game. I also enjoy watching golf,
baseball, tennis and curling…..especially when a Canadian Team is involved.
Do you think there is something that could be done in Canada to improve the
level of darts?
I believe that no matter what we are involved in, there is always room for
improvement. First and foremost, I believe that the communication between the NDFC and the players of Canada must be improved. We have been
working diligently on this for a couple of years now with our Newsletters that are sent out twice a year and our NDFC web site that was created two years
ago, but there is still much to be done. As for the level of darts in Canada, we certainly have a very good crop of players and Canada can now brag
about a World Champion because of the efforts of our one and only John Part
. Unfortunately, most of our players will never have the opportunity to play in an International Event or be able to travel to tournaments outside their
Province. It is very difficult to find sponsors who are willing to back these
players and since the cost of travel is so high, we must find alternatives in order for them to be exposed to the higher caliber of darts that can be found
internationally.
Thank you very much Mary for the time that you have given to me out of your
very busy schedule and for the interesting comments that you have made. I know that all of our players who receive the Bull’s Eye News on a regular
basis turn eagerly to the pages with Canadian content and I hope they take note of your very worthy comments. Keep up the good work and I’ll talk to you
again soon!
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