A certain level of frustration sets in
The tournament continues to be fun, but it would sure be nice if we could win the second match in a KO.
The morning KO’s started today, and we had a nice win against a good team. On one board, Jack and Bruce bid a small slam, and were surprised when Dan and Bob came back and said their opponents bid and made a grand slam–so we lost 13 IMPS. Except that Jack said 7 was impossible, and the declarer at the other table must have made a bad claim. That declarer was a well known professional, but Bob went back, went over the hand with him, and sure enough he was down 1. So we won 17 IMPS instead. Top players are often very casual about their claims–it pays to check thing out, in this case it paid 30 IMPS.
Then we won the opening match of the new prime time KO, and got beaten in the evening session. Tomorrow, I guess we’ll start yet another new KO in our quest for glory and riches.
Yesterday I showed you the main room. This is the upstairs overflow room. This tournament is vast.
There was a bright side to the day–I had dinner with Wendy Sullivan, the ACBL Ask Me Girl, who is also the Patron Member coordinator and all around go to person when you want something taken care of. You remember her as the one I was dancing with in Memphis last month:
Meeting planner, Ask Me Girl, patron member coordinator, all around factotum and general star Wendy Sullivan. Darned good dancer, too.
Wendy was here with meeting planner Jeff Johnston to see how a big regional operates, and she just had to be Ask Me Girl for a while. She started that job in Saint Louis when Jeff handed her an “Ask Me” sign and a schedule and said good luck. She doesn’t play bridge, although she has worked for the league for 22 years, and had to learn many things fast, like how to win Gold Points. She’s been a hero at her job ever since.
And yes, she gets asked some dumb questions. The two most common are “What should I ask you?” and, as she is handing out Daily Bulletins, “Is this today’s?” Don’t ask her that.
Wendy is the real backbone of the league–she works hard and long to support a game she doesn’t play. We all want to go to the next nationals, she wants to go to Key West and just hang out. She sure deserves it–without her our NABC’s just wouldn’t run nearly as well.
People are different here than they are in California. I had to have a picture of this group:
Momma and Her Chicks. Yes, that's what they call themselves. No, I don't know which one is momma, and neither does any other gentleman.
These ladies are from Winchester, Tennessee, and have been playing together for about 8 years. I try to get our team to all dress alike, but I don’t think that they are going to go for it.
Totally Unauthorized 
They look kinda cute! Yep you are right, you don’t find much of that around here!,
Maybe the guys can all buy a stupid Gatlinburg t- shirt and take a pic? Or is the “photo” already taken?
I have a photo, but we’re not all going to wear Gatlinburg T-shirts. I’ll play here, I’ll eat here, I’ll blog about here, but I’m not advertising the place when I get home.
I was just thinking it would be for laughs- at least you are not in Pigeon Forge!!