I cannot describe what participating in the Disney Store National Trivia Showdown meant to me. It was truly incredible. I was rooming with Gary Pyle, who was participating in his sixth and final competition. Sue Ann Finstick from the Ala Moana store in Hawaii, whom I had competed against the year before in the district competition, made it to the finals as well. Five other wonderful people, who all had competed in the big show before, also welcomed me in to this new club. I was a Triviateer.

There's so much to tell about this happy time but there is no way that I can explain how it all felt without this column turning into a novel. Our competition was to take place at the Tomorrowland Terrace. We spent the night before the competition learning dance steps and blocking for the production part of the show, being taken to task by a dictator of a choreographer. I will never get the images out of my head of the costumed characters who rehearsed with only the head and feet of their costumes. I will never look at Clarabelle Cow the same way again!

Matthew Walker posing for a picture inside Walt Disney's apartment above the firehouse in Disneyland.

The contest seemed somewhat anticlimactic in a way that I would never have thought possible. All I ever wanted was to win this competition and yet I was not unhappy with my third-place finish. I actually was tied for second but lost the tiebreaker to the eventual winner. We were then whisked off for our parade down Main Street, pictures with the Mouses, lunch at Club 33, a backstage tour with Dave Smith and one of the highlights of my life - actually getting to walk into Walt's apartment above the firehouse. For those of you who think that Disneyland is the most magical of the parks because Walt actually walked through it, you are right. Being in this apartment was one of the most magical things that I have ever done in my life. It made all of the hard work to make it to the finals so completely worth it.

I made it back to the finals the next year and was now one of the senior statesman. I really relished my role of having been there before and thoroughly enjoyed experiencing everything again through the eyes of my fellow cast members. One cast member cried openly as we entered the Festival of Fool arena (that year's site of the competition) from backstage. This was her first visit to Disneyland and here she was getting a backstage entrance into Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom. That touched me so much and I will never forget how lucky I am everytime I visit Disneyland. I wish that I could say that my last visit to trivia was more victorious than my previous visit but alas history repeated itself with me tying for second with the eventual winner. I am left now with only the thoughts of what could have been.

Driving down to Disneyland that year for the competition, I popped in a tape that I had made myself of Disney songs. I remember having the song "You Can Always Be Number One" playing and knowing at that moment that I was going to win. I was truly convinced that I was going to bring that trophy home and stick it in our Disneyana case. You see, I've been very good at a lot of things in my life but I've never been the best at any one thing before. I saw Disney trivia as my chance to finally reach the apex of something. And while I'm sad that I didn't outright win the competition, as part of our "retirement" from participating in the contest again (because of the "Gary Pyle Clause"), I was given a plaque that they give the winner of the contest. It says:

The Disney Store Inc.
Proudly Presents
The Disney Trivia Achievement Award
and Declares
Matt Walker
a Master of Disney Trivia
Recognized for Outstanding Knowledge of
The Walt Disney Company Heritage

I was Number One because I tried my best - and I was recognized for my efforts. Goofy's song made perfect sense at that very second. I was sad that I would never have the opportunity to shine in the spotlight like I had but I was so happy to have had the experience.

My memories of participating in the trivia competition are some of the happiest in my life. I can’t believe that I was able to do things that many people will never be able to do - such as dine in Club 33 or visit Walt Disney’s apartment - just because I enjoyed learning about the Walt Disney Company and could answer questions based on my knowledge. I was also lucky to work for the Disney Store at just the right time so that I could have these opportunities. I’m sure that there are quite a few people who know quite a bit more about Disney than I ever did yet never wore the sweater that gave them the opportunity to bask in national trivia glory.

Working at the Disney Store was definitely the start to the best times of my life. After all, I met my wife while working there. But after seven-and-a-half years, it was time to move on to a more "grown-up" job, so I left the company that I love so much and haven't looked back. The nice part about moving on is that you tend to forget all the misery that you sometimes endured in a job like that yet you can still remember all of the good. And having been a Triviateer twice truly counts among my most precious memories. Thanks for letting me share them with you.

-Story and photos by Matthew Walker
Posted October 25, 2001.

E-mail Matt at matt@startedbyamouse.com, discuss this article in the StartedByAMouse.com Disney Discussion Forumsor use the Talkback feature below.

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