I took my first bridge lesson after I retired. I like my local club, KOP, people are nice and the more experience players give great lessons. I’ve been playing duplicate bridge for almost two years. It took me longer than I hoped to reach this milestone but I feel I’m improving and enjoy playing.
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Shelly Weismer – NABC Master
I started playing bridge back in the old days when you were given small pieces of paper with your points earned. I think you were supposed to mail them in to record the points with the ACBL. Unfortunately I never remembered to do that. Time went by and I stopped playing for many years when my children were little. Several years ago I returned to the table. So much had changed , so many new master levels. But it was still the game I loved. And oh, how I love this game. Besides being fun, sociable, mind stimulating, and of course a bit stressful, there is the reward of another master level to strive for. I am so excited to now call myself an NABC Master and look forward to becoming a Life Master. That may be a long ways off but I’ll sure have fun getting there.
Bob Shenkin – Silver Life Master
About 10 years ago, give or take a few, we started playing again and found another novice pair who were interested in playing team games. So we played and had a lot of fun and some success. We played mostly for going out to dinner together after the games. Slowly we began to accumulate master points. When we saw who we were playing against, we would look at each other and say, with awe, “Most of the players on that team are LIFE MASTERS.”
But we persevered, took lessons, played and went to tournaments. Eventually we all became life masters at about the same time. What I remember is feeling that I had reached the highest level that I was ever going to achieve. Becoming a silver life master seemed completely out of reach. But after we reached life master status and continued to play, the points seemed to come in almost of their own accord. After a few more years, I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could actually reach silver life master rank. And now that I have done so, I am looking forward to reaching the next rank.
I play for fun and for dinners after team events and to travel to the places that the regional and national tournaments are held. Reaching the next rank has never been my principal motivation but it is, nevertheless, very pleasant to do so.
Gail Bishop – Silver Life Master
My journey on achieving this milestone of Silver Life Master has given me a sense of self accomplishment and is very rewarding. I have been a member of the Harrisburg Bridge Club for many years and have enjoyed the friendships made. Fellow players have been helpful and supportive while I was working towards this goal. I love the atmosphere of competitive bridge, the welcoming environment and the encouragement of fellow players.
Walt Woerheide – NABC Master
I learned bridge from my parents in my early teens. I played at a local duplicate studio in high school. One of the regulars at that studio was Oswald Jacoby. A friend told me that when I play him, I should always win the bid, as he was not that good atdefense!! I did not play again for about 15 years, at which time I played for about three or four years between my two marriages.
Although I occasionally played socially over the next 40 years, I did not restart duplicate until I moved to Hershey’s Mill in 2021. At that time, I had about sixty-five masterpoints. I now play socially with my wife here at The Mill, and I play duplicate at Hershey’s Mill, Aronimink, and Waynesboro country clubs, along with an occasional sectional or regional tournament. I earn about fifty points a year. I do not plan to play any more often, as my wife assures me that I am already playing too much.
I have four different regular partners for the four regular weekly games I attend. I gladly play with others when a regular partner is not available and have played with over twenty different people in the last few years. I usually learn something from each different partner with whom I play. Finally, as a retired college professor who published multiple books and articles, I have combined my two passions of technical writing and bridge. I write a bridge column that appears in the monthly magazine that is distributed to over 1700 households here at The Mill.
I am happy with the services provided by District 4.
Judy Cohen – Life Master
Bridge is my number 1 passion in life (after the welfare of my family). I started playing duplicate bridge in a beginner’s game at my local club almost 15 years ago. My first tournament was a regional one in Cherry Hill in a venue that no longer exists. My partner and I were entered in an “under 5 points” category. We won and I still have the glass that was embossed with Winner! District 4 Regional.
We rarely went to tournaments because my partner had no interest in traveling for bridge. I received a sprinkling of red and silver points, mostly through STaC games at our local club. When COVID hit, my partner did not want to play online so I found a partner who was interested in doing so. We clicked, studied our game together, and took a few sets of lessons once COVID was over. We became more serious players, discussing the hands we played each week once they appeared online. We also began traveling to District 4 tournaments and discovered that we enjoy the camaraderie and the competition. In my most recent tournament in Rehoboth Beach, I became a Life Master. Now I would like to help my partner achieve this goal as well.