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Letter from a Player
It is the journey that counts says new Regional Master.
It is the journey that counts says new Regional Master.
By Joe Jiuliano
Dear Mr. Munoz:
Thank you for your email of June 7 which congratulated me on achieving Regional Master (RM) status.
My introduction to bridge came when as a young bachelor I dated a girl whose family played bridge incessantly. When I visited her house, I was drawn into playing. After I got over my pique at occasionally being called the "dummy", I found I enjoyed the game. But the relationship with the girl did not last. It would be over 40 years before I took the game up again.
After I retired, I was reintroduced to bridge by taking several beginner courses in bridge at a community college. It was not long before I began playing duplicate bridge. Those first few years were confusing. I played with partners who were beginners and also with experienced players. Everyone seemed to have different ideas about how the game should be played. Often these ideas conflicted with what I was reading in bridge books. Gradually from playing the game, reading books and articles on bridge and taking an occasional course, I became more confident in my game. Like most bridge players I have played with a number of partners, and have enjoyed playing with each of them. Nevertheless, there were several partnerships that fostered marked improvement in my game. These partnerships were with people intent on improving their bridge game, and who were open to investing time in the partnership and the game. The most successful partnership occurred while I was working toward RM status. My partner and I read the same bridge books, discussed what we had read, and then slowly introduced new conventions and strategies into our game. We earned master points both at the club and tournament levels. It is fair to say bridge has become a passion. I love the game, the competitive challenge, and the company of other bridge players. Even though I have been playing for a while, I am looking forward to improving and to reaching the next higher level. Reaching Regional Master status is a milestone – not the end of my bridge journey. And it is the journey that counts.
Sincerely,
Joe Jiuliano