I am pleased to welcome two new unit members!  Carleen Eschenbach (Huntley) and Stephen Foust (Batavia)

Congratulations to Unit members who have attained new ranks: 

NEW JUNIOR MASTERS - Randy Fisher (Aurora) and Grace Leonard (St. Charles)

NEW CLUB MASTERS – Barbara Helzing (Huntley) and Pat Zenner (Huntley)

NEW SECTIONAL MASTERS - Pat Antoni (Spring Grove), Angela Franz (Cary), Craig Stitzell (St. Charle,) and Joan Stonecipher (Rockford)

NEW REGIONAL MASTERS - Joseph Lepscier (Aurora) and Tom Looman (Crystal Lake)

NEW ADVANCED NABC MASTER - Douglas Giloy (Rockford)

NEW BRONZE LIFE MASTER - Cynthia J Musser (Winnebago)

NEW SILVER LIFE MASTERS - Judy Freeman (Arlington Hgts), Patricia  Olafson (Rockford), Susan Powers (Barrington), Linda Berg Jacobson (Bartlett), Lynne Madden (Sugar Grove) and Joyce Hunter (who plays with our unit)

NEW RUBY LIFE MASTER - Dr. Chris Roberts (Crystal Lake)
  

Cindy Musser is a Bronze Life Master.

I guess my bronze life master is a COVID-19 story. When we quit playing at the club in the middle of March, I needed 45 points to get my next advancement. As with everyone else, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen so I did not start playing online right away.

After a couple of weeks, I figured this could go on for a while so I started playing on BBO. At that time we did not have club games, so I played with a robot partner against two robots. That was how I got my bronze life master -- I was sitting on my back porch playing with and against the robots and we had a 70% game which put me over the top. It’s the best game I’ve had so far in my bridge career.

I am very thankful for all the directors who make the club games possible and to BBO which allows us to get our daily bridge fix.

   -- Cindy Musser

Susan Powers is a Silver Life Master.

I sure wish life would get back to normal, and we could actually play face-to-face bridge again.  

I learned Goren bridge when I was 10 years old. My Mom and Dad played party bridge, and when my brother was 9 years old and I was 10, we became a foursome for bridge. Over the years, anyone who came to our home  inevitably learned the game (including my future husband). 

I played party bridge until my late 20s then "life" became too busy with children, etc. When I was in my early 60s, we moved and I retired from my job as the commute was no longer viable. I was desperate to meet people in the new community. I looked up local senior centers and found bridge games. Wow! Bridge had changed. 

After a few years of just playing bridge, I felt I needed a goal. My husband and I went to Pittsburgh to take care of our three grandchildren for two weeks. It was the first year we did this that all the kids were in school. I located an ACBL club somewhat near our son's house. I thought I could try out competitive bridge, and if I made a total fool out of myself, in two weeks I would be back home! 

My husband was to be my partner, so we went off to the club. He sat down with some people and I went and paid the money for the game. When I went back to the table, my husband said, "I don't know what they are talking about!” He took the car and left me there. That was the end of my husband's ACBL bridge.

The club found me a partner that day. During those two weeks, I played at two different clubs many times with pick-up partners. I came back home and joined the ACBL. Unfortunately, that was one year after they changed the requirements of Life Master (now 500 points) and Bronze Life Master. 

I didn't have a partner back home. I went to tournaments and got pick-up partners. I didn't play in club games for about two years. In October 2017, I became a Life Master; in February 2019, a Bronze Life Master; and in July 2020, a Silver Life Master.

   – Susan Powers

Linda Berg Jacobson is a Silver Life Master. 

Bridge is important in my life.  When I was young, I watched my parents play at home and heard them discussing their duplicate bridge hands. I played bridge with my family, but I did not play bridge at college as I was just too busy.

When I began teaching, bridge was my adult time, bringing friends and mental stimulation. Eleanor Mason brought me to duplicate. I met my handsome, smart husband Eric at bridge in St. Charles and enjoyed tournaments and team games with him. Once we were married, we could not play together. Go figure!

We moved out of the Fox Valley and got really busy with our jobs. My regular partner, Wally Klugiewicz, moved to Florida. We were out of bridge.

Twenty years passed. In 2012, my mother moved to this area, leaving her bridge friends and life in Bloomington so we began our partnership. She loves her bridge days and enjoys tournament play.

When Eric died in 2019, my bridge friends were supportive. My friend Ardythe Edwards stepped up to play bridge on Monday nights at Nick’s game; we got a dinner and bridge thing going. When that club hibernated for the winter, Ardythe introduced me to Ray’s game in Crystal Lake. There are so many interesting, nice people who play duplicate.

During this darn virus, Mom and I play online bridge almost every day. I appreciate the people who run our games and tournaments and cherish all my bridge friends. I look forward to a return to club play!