My father, John Quinn of Massey, Maryland introduced me to the game of Bridge approximately seven years ago. He was an avid player right up to the time of his death in November of 2012.
I began taking lessons at the Delaware Bridge Studio in 2015. I enjoy the lessons and playing at every opportunity in order to enhance my skills. I find Bridge a fabulous and challenging game!
I am so glad to join the ACBL American Bridge. I came here to the States in early November and after 4 months I discovered, thanks to my husband, the Bridge Club in Cape May Court House where we live.
I joined the club and became a member of ACBL since about only 2 months. I was playing Bridge in Beirut, Lebanon before I came here 4 or 5 days a week in a very professional club in Beirut.
I shared in so many tournaments out of Lebanon in Europeans Countries.
I will be always grateful to improve my Bridge because every time its different and every day you learn something new — its never enough.
Bridge has become an unexpected joy ride in my life! I retired in 2008 with much trepidation because I couldn’t believe the time had arrived so quickly. My elderly parents needed me and so I had to give up my life’s work which I thoroughly enjoyed. A dear friend suggested I take up Bridge and quite frankly I always wondered what this game was all about. I have always loved playing all sorts of card games. Well, after two years of courses under the direction of Dini Romito, our director, I got hooked! My work had always involved setting goals and reaching them and this game filled the gap. The challenge of reaching the different levels, meeting so many interesting people from all walks of life, and having fun with my partners has put a different perspective on retirement. The most important aspect is that my brain is being exercised just as my body is on the tennis courts!
My father and mother taught me bridge when I was very young. My father was a life master and played almost daily at the White Rose Bridge Club in York.
Over the next fifty years I played with family, however, never had played duplicate.
I heard about the Bridge Boardroom and how they provided lessons. For the past three years I have been going there. Edward Scanlon, the owner, is a very good teacher and gives lessons several times a week. The atmosphere is very friendly. There are several excellent players at the club who are always giving advice or impromptu lessons.
His lessons are so popular that there is a contingency coming up from Annapolis, Maryland for the experience.
What I have learned in the past year where I have tried to be a regular participant at the Bridge Boardroom is more than I ever knew from playing for the past fifty years.
A friend of mine called me in the winter of 1996 asking me if I would go to bridge lessons with her. Now, I had played pinochle in college (and spent so much time playing it instead of attending classes, that I could probably have earned a degree in it), but knew nothing about bridge (I actually thought it was for old ladies with big hats and maybe winos). Having a life-long problem of saying “no” to people, I agreed to go with her to a Senior Center (which was exactly where I knew it would be taking place). Of course, after being there about twenty minutes, I was hooked.
My friend and I decided, after a few months of taking lessons, to try the big time, and showed up at a local duplicate game. A player came over and introduced herself and asked how long we had been playing. We said only a few months, but we thought we played a good game and beat everyone at the “Senior Center”. She laughed and said, “well, you will not come in first here and it will be a very long time before you beat players here at our club”. Well, she was wrong….we came in third that first night and thought, this is easy, and not as intimidating as we imagined. Well, she was also right….we came in last after that first night, for months. I was working full time so didn’t get much time in at the bridge table, but kept at it whenever I could.
About two years later, the women who owned the club asked me to sit for the director’s test. Soon after, she became sickly and gave up ownership. One of the members took charge, incorporated, and the club, The Cape May County Duplicate Bridge, became a club owned by its members. He was President for two three year terms and then asked me to take over. I am presently on my 4th three year term.
I enjoy the game, the competition and the people. In 2003, I entered our club in the One-Star Club competition and won. I have enjoyed planning parties for all the holidays and starting a yearly club newsletter and website. I have been fortunate enough to play in bridge in Atlanta, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Mesa, Las Vegas and Italy.
I started playing bridge in the ’60s. A co-worker taught three of us during lunch hours. I played some duplicate and party games and started to play seriously in the ’90s. I have been playing with one of my present partners for about ten years. Three years ago we decided to form a partnership and began playing together a couple of times a week. This allowed us to get a feeling for each other’s bidding and play and to practice our conventions. We went to Sectionals and Regionals to earn Red, Gold, and Silver points. This year we went to a tournament in Toronto for two days, May 26 and 27, 2 sessions each day. I needed 1.28 Master Points. We won the last session and earned 1.93 Gold and 1.93 Red.
For me, Gold points are the hardest to get. Gold Rush and Swiss Team games provide a good opportunity to earn these.
