Stories – Page 39 – ACBL District 4

David Laskin – Sectional Master

Another bridge milestone–sectional master! Three levels have been “conquered” since December 2019 when I first wandered into the South Jersey Bridge Club in Cherry Hill, NJ, when there were things like bridge tables, bid boxes, “noshing” and kibitzing!

I would like to take the opportunity to thank some people who have helped me in my journey. First, Lou Minter, a wonderful teacher from Los Angeles who I met on a cruise to SE Asia in 2019–he kindled the flame. Secondly, my teacher in Cherry Hill, Becky Levinson, who has been patient in nurturing me along the way. Thirdly, my bridge partner, John O’Rourke. We are having so much fun, learning enormous amounts about bridge, enjoying our success and becoming good friends, even though I have only physically met him four times since April when we played our first virtual hands. Correct, we have never physically played bridge together at a table!

But, most importantly, I need to send a warm embrace to my wife, Carol. She has been more than patient, understanding, supportive and tolerant! I know that I am playing way too much bridge (in addition, reading bridge notes, articles, books, using flashcards and taking Zoom lessons), and I now have to ask permission during the special tournament weekends! However, she knows that I derive great pleasure while I continue to absorb all the intricacies of the game! To my best friend and love of my life, thank you!

Guy Hoffman – Junior Master

My bridge journey actually started when I was a teenager in the 1980s. My late father would ask me to fill in when one of his friends would go for a cigarette (really a calm-down) break.

I persuaded three friends in my Jerusalem high school to learn and we ended up playing quite a lot in our breaks and afternoons. Eventually we found the local bridge club and I ended up playing some local tourneys and once I even went with my dad to a three-day bridge tournament in a resort city in Israel. Once we even won 2nd place in the local Jerusalem annual tournament.

Then life happened, and I haven’t picked up cards since 1990…

30 years later, I am a professor at Cornell University, COVID strikes, and our University president, Marth Pollack, uses a bridge metaphor to describe how Cornell will handle the pandemic (have you seen this email?).

This created a stroke of memory for me, and I suddenly remembered how much I enjoyed playing, and how I completely forgot about Bridge. Since we spent a lot of time at home, I thought it would be a good idea to try again.

I persuaded my wife, kicking and screaming, to learn, and we started playing together “at” the local Bridge club – of course it was all online. I’d never used a computer to play bridge, so it was weird. Funny fact – my wife has never played with real cards. I’ve played quite a lot in the past year, and am really happy about the rank, I’ve never had a rank in Bridge!

I also bought the old books I remembered from my childhood home, which was also a fun trip down memory lane.

Joy Pollock – NABC Master

I grew up in a household of card players. My father started playing bridge in college, taught my mother, and played competitive bridge all of his life until he attained bronze life master. Since he felt that he played too much bridge and spent little time on his studies in college he refused to teach me until I was out of school. He taught four students at a time and donated his earnings to one of his favorite charities.

Finished with my education and married, with another couple, my late husband and I took bridge lessons from my father. My husband would say that he was preparing for the Spanish Inquisition. My father made each of his pupils think not just do every move by rote. I was 26.

My husband and I joined a small country club with a nine hole course, but everyone played bridge. I found a partner, Ruthie Frank and we started playing for the country club team in the matches between country clubs. We worked on the hands from the matches and took lessons from Arthur Robinson who was very much a teacher like my father, think, think, but no Spanish Inquisition. Ruthie and I did not play competitively other than at the country clubs.

When at Meadowlands Country Club, my partner, Shelly Kaufman, and I started playing duplicate at Meadowlands and a few outside tournaments. When we left there and went to Philmont Country Club in 2000. My first partner, Ruthie Peskin, encouraged me to play tournaments with her as well as play at bridge clubs. Philmont decided to have weekly duplicates at which master points were awarded. My next partner was Millie Jonas who truly pushed to play in tournaments and so I over time was able to accumulate the points in each category except gold that I needed to become a Life Master. I needed only 2.80 gold points and had no desire to go to any tournaments to get those points.

In the spring of this year, the district posted the GNT swiss team event. We were talking about it on zoom with our teacher, Joann Glasson, and one of the Philmont women asked if I would be interested in being part of the team. When she told me that gold points were being awarded, I said I would be happy to play online. Our team pulled together and played an outstanding second round that brought the team into third place. For the final, we tied for 3rd and 4th place and were awarded 6.80 gold/red points. It was enough to give me the gold points I needed to become a Life Master. I am grateful to my team mates, Susan Packer Rubin who arranged the team, her partner, Judith Kramer, and my partner, Elaine Kieserman.

It was 71 years since I had a bridge card in my hand, but as they say “better late than never.”