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Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1477631
to Trulioo last year. By partnering with data veri- fication entities around the world, the company helps authenticate the identi- ties of people registering for businesses online. As its business development executive, Smythe helps source, negotiate and contract those partners, but he's more of a weekday warrior in that his work schedule is sidelined by his athletic ventures: "When- ever I have my downtime, I'll do my work for Trulioo, usually late at night." Smythe's debut with the national team in 2014 was a particularly special moment for him. It was in Kuantan, Malaysia, and it was his first time repre- senting his country along- side his older brother Iain: "We ended up placing second and getting a silver medal," he says of the Champions Challenge. And yet the road to be- coming an Olympian was long and full of detours for the Vancouverite. From battling Crohn's disease to being among the last cuts for the Rio Olympics in 2016, Smythe was fighting to keep his determination. Just three years later, in 2019, he found himself a drag flick away from scor- ing his biggest dream. "It was a beautiful Sat- urday in October," Smythe recalls of his favourite game to date. By then he'd been playing midfield and defence on the senior team for five years, and he was about to play a two- game series against Ire- land in West Vancouver. It was the moment of truth: the Olympic qualifier. "The first day we went out and ended up losing by a score of 5-3." Whichever team had the most goals at the end of the two days got their ticket to Tokyo. Thanks to a penalty shot by Team Canada in the last few sec- onds, day two came to a head in a fierce shootout. "They went up 3-0 on us in the shootouts," says Smythe. "We ended up coming back 3-3. It was crazy. We went into sud- den death shootouts." In the end, Canada scored the final goal. The crowd went wild and Smythe was left speechless. "Just a rush of adrenaline, excitement, happiness... everyone that I knew, watching at that moment, in Vancouver, my home... it was a very exciting day. "People still come up to me like, I've never seen a field hockey game in my life, but I watched that and it was the best sporting event I've ever been to." He remembers that feel- ing following him all the way to the Tokyo Olympics in 2021: "The first anthem of the first game, there's a great picture of me just smiling the entire time, be- cause I knew that was the moment that I was going to be an Olympian." £ A F T E R HO U R S RIOT ACT If you're a Vancouver Canucks fan, now might be the time to look away. North Vancouver's Polygon Gallery presents acclaimed artist Stan Douglas's 2011 ≠ 1848, a photographic exhibit that depicts four different protests and riots from 2011. The ones in question are the start of the Arab Spring in Tunis on January 12, clashes between youth and police in London on August 9, the arrest of Occupy Wall Street protestors on the Brookyln Bridge on October 1 and, you guessed it, the Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver on June 15. The Canadian premiere follows the exhibition's unveiling last spring at the Venice Biennale. September 9 to November 6. Tickets by donation, details on hours at thepolygon.ca JOKE OR CHOKE If you like to laugh (read: if you're not a maniac), then you'll undoubtedly find something for yourself at the 24th annual Vancouver Improv Festival at the Cultch and Tightrope theatres in East Vancouver. The festival will feature a host of local comedians, as well as troupes from abroad like Portland's Broke Gravy and Halifax's Hello City. September 13 to 18. Tickets avaliable at vancouverimprovfest.com STAN DOUGLAS, CHELSEY STUYT 72 BCBUSINESS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 GET A ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION FOR ONE LOW PRICE! (six issues of the print and digital editions) THERE'S NO EASIER WAY TO STAY SMART, INFORMED AND AHEAD OF YOUR COMPETITION. BCBUSINESS.CA / SPECIAL-SUBSCRIP TION-OFFER LIKE US ON SUBSCRIBE NOW FOR $14.95/ YEAR