70% + GAMES
Joe Chin, Highland and John Goring, Frankfort, IL — 70.11% June 2
Matt Jultz, Fort Wayne and Ken Koorsen, Fort Wayne — 71.31% June 4
Jim Feinstein, South Bend and Dee Stevenson, Niles, MI — 71.59% June 9
John Aumiller, Fort Wayne and John Kohne, Jr., Fort Wayne — 72.00% June 17
John Goring, Frankfort, IL and Robert Butz, Kankakee, IL — 76.71% June 23
Michael Clegg, Fort Wayne and James Kart, Fort Wayne — 73.00% June 26
Jim Feinstein, South Bend and Lena Howard, Elkhart — 73.58% July 3
Joe Chin, Highland and Dave Bigler, Hobart — 70.54% July 12
Larry Rabideau, Saint Anne, IL & John Goring, Frankfort, IL — 72.29% July 14
RISING IN THE RANKINGS
Junior Masters: Kris Prohl, Westville; Alice Sowder, Fort Wayne; Vicki Windmiller, Hobart; Lee Chance, Merrillville; Janet Turnock, South Bend
Club Masters: Arleen Bakota, Crown Point; Robert Lill, Jr., Fort Wayne; Joyce Cerny; Marion
Sectional Masters: Beth Rader, Valparaiso; Carol Watters, Columbia City; Karen Nagy, South Bend; John Wagley, Winona Lake
Regional Masters: Lillian Armentrout, Roanoke; Howard Chapman, Fort Wayne; Doug Jordan, Dyer; Carol Miller, Valparaiso
NABC Masters: Lynn Miller, South Bend; Bob Knoblock, South Bend
Life Masters: Charlotte Abernethy, Griffith; John Hamilton, South Bend; Trudi McKamey, Portage; Anna Urick, Hammond; Maureen Trubac, Life Master
Bronze Life Masters: John Hamilton, South Bend; Trudi McKamey, Portage; Anna Urick, Hammond; Charlotte Abernethy, Griffith; Earl Landrum, Marion; Maureen Trubac, Granger
Silver Life Master: Kimberly Grant, Fort Wayne
SILVER
LIFE MASTER
Kimberly Grant writes: Duplicate bridge really started for me five years ago when my 85-year-old neighbor, Lois Anweiler, needed a partner after her regular partner died. She lived alone and bridge was a favorite activity that she looked forward to each week. She learned that I knew a little about the game — I could count high-card points and knew bidding basics, but that was the extent of my knowledge. She asked if I might play with her.
Needless to say, she didn’t realize that I knew just enough about bridge to make me dangerous at the table! It helped our game that anybody who knew how to play had no idea what my bidding meant, so we didn’t do too badly! I learned many lessons those first six months, and I quickly became addicted to the game. I asked several very good players in the Fort Wayne club to play with me on a regular basis so they could teach me. Everyone I asked, said, “Yes!”
I owe Gary Chaney, who is my favorite partner (and mentor), my heartfelt gratitude for his patience. His teaching has been the biggest reason I have been able to achieve each rank. I didn’t even realize I made Silver Life Master until we were coming home from the Minocqua tournament, and I asked him how many points we accumulated during the tournament. Neither of us kept track, so I looked on my phone at the ACBL website to see what was posted. When I saw how many points I had, I realized that over the weekend, I reached this latest milestone!
I now work to do anything I can to help others learn and love this crazy game as much as I do!
BRONZE
LIFE MASTER
Congratulations to Maureen Trubac, who jumped over the Life Master plateau to become the newest Bronze Life Master in South Bend!
Maureen received a BA from Indiana University in South Bend, an MFA from the University of Notre Dame and an Associates Degree in Graphic Design from Ivy Tech. She has studied watercolors, etching, woodcuts, weaving, acrylics and drawing. Of late, she has also become a calligrapher. She worked for the South Bend Medical Foundation as a donor recruitment manager for 7 years. She also taught drawing and design at Ivy Tech and adult education classes in drawing at the South Bend Art Center.
Besides her art, Maureen enjoys playing golf, traveling, reading and spending time with her grandchildren. She plays at the South Bend Bridge Club several days a week. She serves on the SBBC Board of Directors and is a real asset to the club.
Maureen shares her story of arriving to this place in her bridge career — “Bill Searcy was my mentor for many years. First he worked with me for eight single sessions of bridge. After each session, while my husband and I were having coffee, Bill would call to go over hands we played. He wanted me to ‘think’ — to think about how the hand could have been played better.
Bill encouraged me to attend regional bridge tournaments to gain gold points. It took a few years — five points here, one point there — until the points began to add up. It wasn’t only Bill who helped me, but also other partners such as Rosie Shafer, Tim Carl, Dee Stevenson and Phillip Kolski. When the final 5.10 gold points, which made me a Life Master, were earned in the Toledo tournament, my teammates were Kim Grant and Gary Chaney from Fort Wayne, and, of course, Bill.
I thank all of you for your support and encouragement.”
LIFE MASTERS + BRONZE LIFE MASTERS
Anna Urick, Charlotte Abernethy and Trudi McKamey (left) were all close to achieving Life Master status when they traveled to the Illini Regional in Champaign IL in May. With Pat Mikuta, they entered the Rose Bowl Compact KO Teams on Wednesday evening.
They placed second in the event and all three ladies went “over the top”. Congratulations to three new Life Masters!
But wait, the story
doesn’t end there. Anna and Trudi, by virtue of having won points of the
appropriate color, also became Bronze Life Masters (500 points) at the same time. Charlotte
earned her 500 points about two weeks later, and is now a Bronze Life Master as
well.
Trudi
McKamey has finally caught
the brass ring that she worked so hard to reach. Getting the required 25 gold
points is no easy achievement, but Trudi was persistent in striving for those
elusive points. Finally, after playing in many regionals over the years, on May
21st in the Champaign Regional she realized her goal.
Trudi writes — When I first started playing duplicate I didn’t realize just how much I did not know. It has been so much fun just trying to improve my game, and I am grateful to my partners who helped me along the way. Pat Mikuta was one of the first experienced players who asked me for a game — Thank you Pat. Anna and Charlie also guided me to try 2/1, and our team gave me the final gold points needed for Bronze Life Master – Thank you, Anna and Charlie!
Trudi is one of my favorite people to play bridge with. She is very serious about the game, and is always trying to better herself and learn more. She has given me hints on how to better my game and, consequently, I feel that I have improved. ~ Pat Mikuta
It is with great pleasure and excitement that we announce that Trudi McKamey has achieved the rank of Life Master. Trudi is a very skilled bridge player and a great person. We wish her congratulations and continued success! ~ Yuan Hsu
Trudi is a wonderful person and I enjoy playing with her. She has worked hard at improving her game and the results show. As a new Life Master, she is a fine example for other players who are striving to attain the same status. I congratulate her. ~ Jim O’Connell
Congratulations, Trudi, on becoming a Life Master and a Bronze Life Master! Keep on bidding, keep on winning, and keep on enjoying the game. Next stop . . . Silver! ~ Anna Urick
Trudi is a dedicated bridge player, with a drive to achieve success and grow at the bridge table. She enjoys playing bridge with several partners and is always ready for an organized game. Her desire to achieve takes her to many out-of-town games chasing gold points. We have partnered for the last three plus years, and her demand for accurate bidding has helped me improve in that area. Congratulations, Trudi, on achieving Life Master and Bronze Life Master! All the best, ~ Bob Porter
One of life’s
greatest thrills! A paramount goal realized! A validation of one’s bridge
know-how! A dream come true! It’s all so very exciting! Anna Urick earned
the last of the requisite 25 gold plus 500 masterpoints at the Illini Regional
in Champaign on May 21st, and she takes her place among the Life Masters within
in our club.
Anna writes — Shortly after our son was born in 1976, my husband, Bob, suggested that we take bridge lessons at Purdue Calumet. The instructor was none other than our own Howie Schmid, who taught continuing education. Our main motivation was to be able to play bridge with our friends who were also new to the game. Upon learning the basics, we played party bridge up until five years ago. (I still play party bridge occasionally.)
Around that time my friend, Lynne Kostopoulos, persuaded me to play duplicate bridge and join the ACBL. She also showed me several conventions used in duplicate bridge. Initially, I found it difficult to catch on, but eventually felt competent enough to be considered an “average” player.
Today I compare myself to the soccer player I was for nearly thirty years until age caught up with me and my knees gave out. As a midfielder I played both offense and defense. I was not the best player but I was the most dedicated, willing to play the
best I could. Fast forward to 2009. As a bridge player I had to be prepared to play offense and defense again. Just as in soccer, there have been good games and bad ones. However, bridge has replaced soccer as my recreational passion.
Maintaining good health and keeping my mind stimulated at the bridge table, I hope to continue on in my septuagenarian years (which I have recently begun) playing duplicate bridge and drawing inspiration from the octogenarians and nonagenarians with whom I compete.
Now, as I savor my status as a Life Master and a Bronze Life Master, I would like to extend my appreciation to my husband, Bob, for encouraging me to persevere despite the many disappointments that discouraged me as I struggled to “get the gold”.
Thanks to Lynne for being patient with me during the frustrating times and not giving up on me. Thanks to Charlie Abernethy for being a great partner and a valued friend as we pursued our goal. Finally, thanks to all the members of SSBC, Community, and Calumet. In many ways all of you have played a role in my success.
From Charlotte
Abernethy — I first learned the game of bridge during final’s week when I
was a junior at the University of Illinois. How fitting that I earned my Life
Master in Champaign, Illinois just a couple blocks off the U of I campus 44
years later. My first husband, Marty, and his family played bridge. We played a
lot of party bridge and occasionally substituted in a duplicate club. I did not
understand the scoring and, frankly, thought the players took the game much too
seriously.
After I retired from teaching, one of my friends encouraged me to take lessons at Hartsfield Village on Fridays. I had ½ series from Carol Osgerby and two courses in “Easy Bridge” from Barbara Walczak. During the free play after the lessons, I met Anna Urick, who continues to be one of my partners. Anna is responsible for me playing at tournaments before I had even 25 black points. I was the reason for a lot of director calls to our table, but we struggled through and began to win some red points. Anna has helped me gain more than 1/3 of my total points. We have formed a partnership and friendship which I enjoy and hopefully will never take for granted.
There are many other persons that helped along the way. I hesitate to mention them in fear that I will forget someone. Everyone at South Suburban Bridge Club, who partnered with me or gave me advice, needs to be thanked. Howard Balfour, Claire Murvihill, and Ginny Jach were regular partners that early on helped me learn the game. Most
recently, Carol and Gale Osgerby have accompanied me to tournaments. Carol’s two series of lessons at Thornton and all her table advice has helped to improve my game. Their approach to the game has taught me to not take this game too seriously and have fun. Gale is especially tuned in to my game. After my blowing three hands at a recent
silver tournament, he looked me straight in the eye and said, “I think you need a diet coke.” I nodded and he went off to the bar to get me a diet coke. Their friendship is a constant reminder that there is more to life than bridge.
I must mention Norm Szewczyk. Norm saw something in me and my game that I never saw myself. He took me under his wing as a mentor, determined to improve my bidding and play of the hand. I am still a work in progress and sometimes a frustration, but we have made progress. For a long time was nervous playing with him. However, after a few of his “corny” jokes and stories, I forget about my fears and just play bridge. He is responsible for my three 70%+ games and probably another 1/3 of my points. Thank you, Norm.
Personally, I have a wonderful husband Bob, who tries to understand and support this obsession of mine. Allie and Billy, our Boston Terriers, provide me with a lot of comic relief. They also go to nursing homes to entertain the residents. Bob and I both devote a lot of our free time to the Griffith pound and the Calumet Humane Society. I have two grown stepchildren, Cheryl and David. Cheryl is following in my footsteps teaching math at a junior high school. We have a total of five healthy, active grandchildren. In short, life is GOOD!
NEW DIRECTOR
Alan Yngve is the new director for the Community Bridge Club. Here’s what Alan wrote regarding his new responsibility —
Greetings from the “new kid on the block!”
On June 4th I took over the Community Bridge Club of Gary, IN. Barbara Walczak has done a really good job with this twice-per-week club during her tenure, and now it’s my turn to build on that foundation.
My first session on Wednesday was interesting. I had no less than five non-scoring director calls — two revokes, one lead out of turn, one doubling of partner’s bid and one hand misfiled into the duplicate board. I think maybe I was being tested, and I wonder if I passed the test. [Editor’s note: He passed with flying colors.]
All the clubs in northwest Indiana combine the director with the club manager. All of the manager stuff is brand new to me. I’ll get it, but there will be a learning curve! Many thanks to Barbara for helping me with the manager transition and all the directors and instructors who have stepped up to help.
I really do feel that a director’s job is to make the game and the bridge session more enjoyable for everyone. Things will happen, but the director is there to help!
NEW WEBSITE FOR UNIT 154
Unit 154 now has its own website — http://www.unit154.org/ There you can find a listing of all the clubs in the unit and the days and times of the games, a copy of the by-laws, a listing of the board of directors with contact information, a map of the unit areas, upcoming tournaments, District 8 information, club news, useful links, + more.
Thanks to Kimberly Grant from Fort Wayne, who is the webmaster and the designer of the program. She has done an excellent job of putting our unit in the spotlight.
FORT WAYNE FESTIVAL REGIONAL will be held from September 15-21, 2014 in Fort Wayne, IN. For more information check out the flyer on the ACBL website.