I learned to play bridge when I was around 8 years old but stopped when I was 12. I didn’t play again for 50 years. When I moved to Harrisburg a friend invited me to play in a local social bridge game. I would play a couple times a month. Transfers were considered advanced play! After retiring my social bridge players told me that I should join the local Harrisburg Bridge Club. That was two years ago. The club was extremely helpful in supporting me. Even though I had played only a few months, with encouragement from the club directors, I started playing in open games. I found myself enjoying the game and played more and more. Mike Zeller spent countless hours teaching me how to be disciplined in my bidding and to declare and defend well. Bill Even and I became regular partners at the club and in tournaments, and we learned a lot together. Other advanced members mentored and helped me as well.
Near the end of October, I had 400 masterpoints. Some of my bridge colleagues were getting their Life Master in 2024, and I didn’t want to be left behind. I had to get to 500 by the end of November to be recognized at the annual meeting. So I set my goal of 100 MPs in a month to become Life Master. It wasn’t easy. I traveled to tournaments and pretty much played every day. Some were skeptical it was possible, but many players encouraged me and helped, and I am very grateful. I reached 502.05 MPs on November 30, and my goal of Life Master became reality.
My husband and I retired from the investment business in Manhattan and moved to Philadelphia 30 years ago. We raised our family here, and built an active life.
My bridge story is really a story about my Dad and me, which is why he is pictured with me. For my entire life, my Dad played bridge. Sometimes, I would tag along and watch and occasionally I’d caddy.
I can’t think of my bridge life without thinking of my brother Tom, a lovely 62 year old sweet soul with Down’s syndrome. Tom came to live with my husband and me 23 years ago, 5 years before I started playing bridge. Tom was there whether I was playing locally on club teams,duplicate at the Jersey shore or taking lessons and playing duplicate at the Vero Beach bridge center. Tom was not literally at the table with me. Rather, he was riding his bike up and down the Ocean City boardwalk (once as far as Atlantic City!) or riding his bike 12 miles to take tennis lessons in Vero Beach.
I spend a lot of time thinking about bridge and feel as if I’m slowly but surely inching closer to a deeper understanding of the game. I am not, however, a naturally gifted bridge player. I’ve been remiss in recognizing some of my weaknesses, and for sure I’ve repeated the same mistakes too often. But the positive flip side may be that I’m persistent. Every game and every post mortem helps in some way to move me along to better bridge.