slow and steady wins the race
In the few weeks since the Houston nationals, fully half a dozen relatively random people have seen me online with Judi and expressed surprise or interest that we’re “already practicing.” I’m always surprised when they’re surprised. In order to play at all well or competently, I need to be playing seriously almost all the time, and even then there’s no guarantee.
I should’ve mentioned it in my “how to spot a bridge pro” series — great bridge players can take long breaks from the game and still play like rockstars when it really matters. For the less-great (a group I’m proud to represent), the more we play, the better. At my level, “the next event” could be a game at the local club or a date-night whirl or the eight o’clock speedball. From now until the Trials, I’ll be playing bridge almost all the time.
The US Women’s Team Trials begin May 23 in Sacramento, and if you’re planning to attend you’d better get on it, because entries close on Wednesday. There are still only seven teams registered — a cozy little group from which two champions will emerge. I wonder why more teams aren’t entering this year — any guesses? The bleak economy? Sky-high entry fee ($840 for the two-day Round Robin)? Not-so-central location? Times are tough all over, apparently, because when I checked yesterday there were only eight teams registered for the women’s teams at the European Championships this summer in San Remo.
April 13th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Not that I would have played in Sacramento, but if trials were a lot closer I would love to play in it someday. I can put together a team that while it won’t win and may not make it out of the round robin will at least not be embarrassed (I don’t think).
It would be great fun.
But the fees for joining the federation combined with the entry fees make it quite an expensive endeavor so I am guessing you only get teams that think they have a realistic chance of going all the way.
April 13th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Actually, Bob; it isn’t always that way. Many teams enter the Spingold, Reisinger or Vanderbilt that have no reasonable chance of winning and believe that to be true. However, they want to play against the great players and the great teams, to learn, have fun, compete, have an occasional burst of glory and yes, get their butts kicked.
Bridge is the great equalizer. For an entry fee you can play with the best in any event.
Wouldn’t it be incredible if you could just go sign up to play the Masters? Imagine gatting paired against Tiger? AND, the more hopeless you are perceived to be, the more glittering the opponent.
You will notice that there are 27 teams signed up for the Open Trials, a goodly number. This is directly proportional to the location being within miles of NYC. The more of a bridge hotbed in which we play, the more entries.
Yes, $840 sounds like a lot, but for a 6 person team over 2 days, that is only $35 per person per session, and it includes very nice breakfasts, lunches, snacks and hospitality.
I have won (and lost) a few events, including the trials, but I assure you that I used to enter those events with ragamuffin teams, just to get some experience and learn some things. Back when I could still play in the 0-2000 K/O’s, my team defeated Robinson and Boyd, Berkowitz and Cohen. What a feeling! There have been numerous “Cinderella” teams over the years which capture all of our fancies.
Bob; you should make a commitment to play next year when the Trials will be held in Chicago, a short drive. We should encourage many more teams to play. There are always upsets, surprises and great fun.
As for Sacramento, we always have to find proper hotel space and reasonably priced rooms. It is also important to have the Left Coast feel as though they are part of the Country. I sincerely hope that many more people will play and try to win Bridge’s biggest prize.
April 13th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Only 7 teams and 2 get to go? Red – you have an excellent team – you are working hard – and I LIKE YOUR ODDS! For me, Red, the combo of not having an all-the-time woman’s pard, and the even being concurrent with our ONLY MN regional makes it a no-go this year for moi.
As for Geo and his comments – I couldn’t agree more. Ask me how I felt the year where I beat Ron Gerard’s team – then Bart Bramley’s team – and then was UP twenty-something against Geo’s team with 16 boards to go in the Spingold… Of course, that dirty dog ended up WINNING the darn thing (ergo, KO’ing us out.) But – a very exciting run while it lasted.
Alas; for some of us, the $$$ is an issue. I didn’t realize, however, that next year is in Chicago. I may have to try to put together my own ragamuffin collection and head south!
April 13th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
George, you have brought up a subject that I talk about all the time. You are absolutely correct about the opportunity in bridge to both play against the best and even have a chance to win.
For some bizarre reason, there has been a total change of philosophy by most players in the last 30 years. We used to have very large fields and people competed to try and make average, top their section or possibly place overall.
Now everything is stratified and stratiflighted. If you cannot win then why play? People complain that it is just not fair to play a team or pair better than they are.
Grand National teams is the best example.
What used to be an open field of 64 teams just in Toledo is now generally zero teams because they know they are unlikely to beat the best Detroit pairs.
Does the $840 include the membership in the world federation? As far as the Spingold, etc I think playing in that is great. Actually a good friend and sometime partner of mine (Mark Leonard) was on the team that had the number 1 seed all but beaten in the first round in Houston.
I will confess that I am entering the Flight A GNT. One of our last opportunities before my team has too many points. We lost in the semis in Las Vegas by about 8 imps and have a reasonable chance to win and while it is a limited event, it still is a national event of sorts and I have never finished better than 5th in one of those.
Lastly, I got to see Dye and Konerko hit their back to back 300th homers today though I did not know it at the time since anything that happens in a game (such as a scoring decision) is never revealed to those attending.
Dye has the most homers of any AL OF over the last 3 years and after some initial inconsitance has put together quite a career. I will be there both tomorrow and Wednesday and hope to see the White Sox blow a couple.
April 14th, 2009 at 3:12 am
“Now everything is stratified and stratiflighted. If you cannot win then why play? People complain that it is just not fair to play a team or pair better than they are.”
Of course the answer is masterpoints. And as masterpoints fund almost all the national bridge organisations in the world I suppose we shouldn’t complain.
Even though I agree with you.
April 14th, 2009 at 6:35 am
Hi Stacy,
Finally venturing to post…. On my way to Gatlinburg yesterday, I was reading an article on Malcolm Gladwell’s new book called Outliers. He contends that you need about 10,000 hours of experience to master a subject and you don’t need more than an IQ of 130.
So I know that all those hours will add up and I hope you too are feeling that confidence build day by day.
I use those club games to practice counting and counting and counting…hoping those hand pattern numbers become routine and hand counts are determined in two seconds rather than twenty.
Now I think I’ll go get my head beat in as I expect to see those stars in the top bracket here… but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
(And that exclusion comment had me laughing for five minutes this morning…. so thanks for starting my day with a great giggle!)
April 15th, 2009 at 2:53 am
If the Sacramento trials were for two open teams, instead of the women’s teams, I’d be definitely trying to get a team entered.
April 21st, 2009 at 6:36 am
How come when I look at the trials online it keeps talking about 2009 in White Plains, NY? Also it is June and not May. Where did I go wrong?
April 24th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Stacy is talking about the women’s trials, Bob. You are looking at the open trials.