Like so much in life, bridge does not remain static. In college, I learned about a wealth of different card games and enjoyed them tremendously. I began to dip my toes into bridge - yet clearly the game was far more challenging than anything else I'd learned. When I came to Minnesota and grad school, I did play a bit of bridge, though generally it was no more than 2 or 3 games a month. And no matter how hard I tried, mistakes and misunderstandings were inevitable, forgetting happened - yet the game remained with challenges that surely were intriguing - and fun.
But bridge "back then" was so very different when I started learning more and more. While the "super stars" were fascinating to watch, other players would chat and help one another. And when we found that improvement grew and grew as we watched, listened, and realized more as to how intricate and difficult the bridge world could be. We nevertheless still continued to learn - with some of us increasing our game upward - and occasionally beating up on the big boys, which was always a thrill!
In Minnesota, our big games were BIG! I remember the hotels that had so many players competing, that it was easy to see players everywhere, be they novices, intermediates - or the best of the best. Some of us would reach a level - and stay there. Others? They would work so hard, they'd win lots more, learn so much that was once a mystery, and continue to be fascinated by the varied abilities - and lack thereof - of our players.
Recent times have delivered immense change to our games. Covid managed to take many who were superb players, to relegate themselves and their partners to staying at home. Others wore their masks - and although this allowed them to play, it clearly was more difficult - and the percentage of players who continued to play dropped dramatically.
Additionally, unfortunately we have lost many of those who played so well. Yet time and age has ended lives, which again, has caused our games to be fewer and smaller.
Can this change? Of course. But we really cannot know immediately what the changes will be, if the games can grow significantly again - or if changes slowly grow again... Or, if bridge may take a long time to return to our once strong world.
In the meantime, if you can play and you want to play - do so! Decades of players continue on!
And - just like life itself - bridge has a myriad of fascination, thought, creativity and much more. Let's hope it returns to growth - and to us.
Peg
