Tournament Travels

My husband, John, and I headed down to Gatlinburg again this year with four good friends. We all shared a spanking new cabin, ate out a lot, had a major good time, played lots of bridge, and even won some points. All in all, a thoroughly satisfactory tournament and trip! 

Sitting out on the deck of that cabin one evening, drinking wine, enjoying a view of the Smokies, and shooting the breeze until we took off for the evening session, the conversation turned to how each of us had started playing bridge. Almost every one of us had gotten hooked on the game young and had learned bridge as children from our mothers and grandmothers. The long road to that tournament had started at assorted kitchen tables, playing cards with adult relatives. 

I remember being a fascinated onlooker when my mother had foursomes in to play on hot summer afternoons. My mother and her friends were fairly ferocious rubber players. There were little bowls of bridge mints on the corners of the table but not much chit-chat when they played, although I do remember a discussion about their friend, Lou, becoming a “Life Master”. What that was I hadn’t a clue, but I knew it had to be something exotically wonderful and difficult, and I was struck by how impressed my mother and her friends were at Lou’s mysterious achievement. 

My mother continued to play bridge, and play well, until her death at age 92. After my father died, she moved into what was billed as a “luxury” apartment complex for senior citizens, and a major portion of the social life there seemed to center around the game of bridge. She played in foursomes several times a week. Mom’s gone now, but the lasting legacy that she left me is my love of the game. It was a source of infinite pride to her when, like her friend Lou, I made Life Master, too.

I would really like to pass my mother’s love of the game on, too. I haven’t however been successful in getting my own children hooked. Lord knows, I’ve tried. One of my children is a civil engineer and the other soon will be, so they both have the brains to play bridge, but so far, neither has shown any inclination. A pity. However, I still have hopes that lightning may strike my grandchildren, when they eventually all arrive and get tall enough to see over the edge of a card table. 

So I intend to hang on to those double decks of playing cards. Some of them belonged to my mother. I keep them in a drawer in a little table in the living room – just like she did. And every chance I get, I intend to get those playing cards out, invite a child to play, and try to teach another generation of my family’s children to maybe even love the game a little, too. I may even sit out little bowls of bridge mints on the corners of the table.

Maybe you have some impressionable children or grandchildren, too?  Go for it.

Advancements in rank

Congratulations to the following Unit 223 Players who have advanced in rank.

New Junior Masters: Debbie Garnier, Centralia & Carol Windland, Glen Carbon

New Club Master: Wanda Culpepper, Cahokia

New Sectional Masters: Maynette Alcorn & Rebecca Groff, Grayville; Dan Evers, Mt. Vernon; Daniel Hauk, Effingham ; Robert Holdeman, Pocahontas; James Pirkle, Glen Carbon.

New Regional Masters: Mary Parker, Eddyville KY & Wayne Sprehe, Centralia

New NABC Masters: Bill Petrie, Mayfield KY

And welcome to Unit 223 New Members: Elizabeth Savage, Mt. Carmel; Bob & Linda Biarkis, Glen Carbon; Eric Bizzell, Altamont .

2006 McCord Trophy Race

Congratulations to Judy Eaton, Carbondale, who is currently leading the McCord Race for most points won in Unit 223 sectionals this year. Following closely in second place is Glafkos Galanos, also of Carbondale.

New club

Another opportunity for Western Kentucky players to play bridge, and to support a new club!
     Hickman Duplicate Bridge Club, 100 Church Street, Hickman KY
     Club manager: Georgianna Scarborough
     Open pairs every Tuesday at 7:00 P.M.

Upcoming tournaments

Paducah Regional :  The Executive Inn in Paducah KY will be the site of the Champagne Regional. Make plans to attend the tournament, which will be in action June 19 through 25. The schedule is in this issue of the Advocate, at www.acbl.org (click on Tournaments on the homepage), and in the April issue of the ACBL Bridge Bulletin.
    Tournament Chair:  Doug Edwards  (270) 437-4977  gay310@apex.net
    Partnerships:  Maxine Wynn  (270) 554-5719
    Novice Partnerships:  Karen Coe  (618) 435-4200  finesse002002@yahoo.com
    Tournament Contacts:  Tom Wynn  (270) 554-5719 & Dalton Darnell  (270) 753-5992 

Edwardsville Sectional -- July 28-30, Knights of Columbus Hall
    Tournament Chair:  Ruby Nelson  (618) 659-9716
    Partnerships: Ray Sigler  (618) 656-4900