New Life Master: Bob Quintin

Bob was one of my most unique new life masters I have interviewed. Almost all of the former LMs I have talked to have one or a few key mentors who helped refine their games. Bob’s mentor, you could say, was the Internet. Using the tutorial program found on the ABCL web site and Yahoo, Bob read about and practiced many of the conventions that are employed in duplicate bridge. You could say that Bob would make a nice poster child for the ABCL web site.

Bob’s father, being an Air Force officer, had the Quintin family moving a lot. Bob lived in Montana, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Washington D.C., Germany, twenty-two years in East St. Louis, and now resides in St. Charles. Bob’s family includes four sisters, a brother, and a great uncle. Earning an associates degree, Bob’s last job was a quality control person for an aircraft-bearing manufacturer.

Bob learned Goren Bridge from his parents in the mid-seventies. In 2002, Bob started playing rubber bridge at Potowatome  Park in St. Charles and then switched over to a small duplicate game directed by Frieda Thomas at the Baker Center, also in St. Charles. Once hooked, Bob entered many tournaments and at one point, he had more red points than black. Bob did say that he received many helpful tips from John Diehl and John Kinst, and has played with variety of partners including Karen Anderson. Already having the required gold and silver points, Bob earned his three-hundredth needed point to become a Life Master at the Elgin Bridge Tournament in April of this year. Jokingly, John Kinst comment on Bob’s achievement was, this event will be reported in Ripley’s Believe it or not.

I have found Bob to be a very pleasant and competent opponent at the bridge table and I am sure he will continue to have much success. Bob regular plays Tuesday in St. Charles game and Thursday in  Elgin game.

The Changing Scene

New Junior Masters: Jeanne Borger, Batavia;  Shirley Bruns, Huntley;  Phyllis Learish, St. Charles.

New Club Masters:  Georgia Jacobsen, Montgomery;  Nels Jacobsen, Montgomery;  David Johnson, Rockford;  Judy Johnson, Rockford;  Carolyn Miller, Rockford;  Arvind Shah, Huntley.

New Sectional Masters:  Diana Jacobsen  Montgomery;  Nele Jacobsen, Montgomery.

New Regional Masters:  Dianne Pauser, Dixon.

New Life Masters:  Robert Quintin, St Charles;  Peggy Wallace, Dixon.

New Bronze Life Master:  Carolin Bohlin, Machesney Park.

New Silver Life Master:  Darrell Rotter, Roselle 

Tournaments

The Rockin’ Rockford Regional is moving and changing its name to The Great Sizzlin’ Illinois Regional.

Dates for the 2011 regional are June 20-26. The new site will be the Holiday Inn in Crystal Lake IL (Route 31 and Three Oaks Road). The Holiday Inn ballroom is bigger and nicer than the old site, with 11,500 square feet of playing area, all well-lit and ventilated. The hotel has an excellent restaurant and offers free parking, an indoor pool, fitness center, an uncrowded reception area, nicely appointed rooms and roomy public restrooms. It all comes with the great hospitality for which we've become famous.

More tournaments:

CCBA Summer Sectional at the Clubs - Various Clubs - August 9-15

Labor Day Sectional - Skokie IL - September 3-6

Rockford IL Sectional - Clock Tower Inn - September 10-12

End o' Summer Sectional - VFW Hall, Peoria Heights IL - September 17-10

Fall Festival Regional - Fort Wayne IN - September 20-26

Central States Regional - Lake Geneva WI - October 25-31

District 8 North American Pair finals - Riverton IL - November 13

Wisconsin Holiday Regional - Lake Geneva WI - December 26-30