September 2009 - 6

Viewpoint
By Brent Manley

Enthusiasm is the most important
thing in life.
- Tennessee Williams

Gung ho
Last night, July 15, I had the pleasure of playing as a teammate of Patrick
Domico in our club's monthly Swiss team game. The game is structured so
that veterans and less-experienced players can mix, get to know each other and
enjoy the friendly competition.
I left the club feeling really good, and not just because Patrick and his partner, Bruce Wachsman, played well and our team won.
What I enjoyed most was observing Patrick, a wide-eyed, 19-year-old college
student whose enthusiasm for the game reminds me of my own when I discovered bridge nearly 40 years ago while serving in the U.S. Army in El Paso TX.
Patrick lives in Lakeland, a suburb of Memphis. This fall, he will return to
the University of North Carolina as a sophomore studying physics and piano.
His grandmother, he says, taught him "old Goren" when he was much
younger. At UNC, he has learned more modern systems. When I asked about
his bridge books - he has more than a few - the first one he mentioned was
Card Play Technique by Victor Mollo and Nico Gardener. He also has some
Max Hardy books on bidding and some by Bill Root.
During our game last night, Patrick was full of questions, asking about what
happened on most of the boards (my partner, Ed Davis, and I were happy to
skip over a couple of the results).
Our team was doing well, so Patrick was interested in the masterpoint payout if we happened to win. He noted that if we came in first, he would double
his MP total. When I told him masterpoints are not an accurate measure of
playing skill, I meant it - and he is a prime example. In masterpoints, he is a
true "baby," but he already has a fine understanding of the game and is on his
way to becoming an excellent player.
Patrick is hooked, reverently mentioning "the gold card" more than once
during the evening. I bet he'll soon be checking out some of the great tournaments put on by the Mid-Atlantic Bridge Conference (Districts 6 and 7),
which includes North Carolina.
Meeting a person like Patrick is uplifting because of all the talk we hear
these days about bridge going the way of the dinosaur and appealing only to
old people. In fact, Patrick and some friends from school played in Washington DC in the Collegiate Team Championship at the Summer NABC.
I love the game, so it's great for me to see someone like Patrick discovering
the wonders of duplicate, eager to jump right in. Right after we divvied up the
jackpot money, Ed and I booked our teammates for the next outing, in August.
We were all getting ready to leave when Patrick announced, "I love teams!"
Welcome, Patrick. You're going to enjoy the ride.
r
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Letters to
the Editor
Good friend
To the Editor:
I read about the death of Alan
LeBendig (June, page 55), and I want
to let your readers know what a kind,
generous person he was.
In November 2003, I became
gravely ill with a bacterial infection
that would keep me hospitalized for
13 months. While I was ill, Alan
organized a benefit game for me at
the Barrington Bridge Club, which he
owned. The game raised more than
$11,000.
Thanks to Alan's efforts, the ACBL
donated entries to an NABC that were
put up for bids, also to raise money to
help me. Eddie Kantar donated time
and money to help with my recovery.
Alan had been my boss at the Barrington, where I taught bridge and
directed. Even though he was suffering from multiple sclerosis, Alan
visited me in the Veterans Administration Hospital on several occasions.
He was a fine player and an able
administrator, but most of all, he was
a wonderful human being.
CARL DAHL
Sun City Center FL

Miscount
To the Editor:
Something doesn't add up regarding ex-math teacher Helen
Shanbrom's count of the number of
deals she has played (July, page 24).
A million deals over 34 years comes
out to more than 80 deals per day.
Could it be that she meant a million
Bridge Bulletin

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2009