Kalamazoo tournaments are fun because they always have goodies for the participants. While my favorite, the mechanical pencil, was conspicuously absent, we did all receive tote bags with the legend "Sacked in Kalamazoo" emblazened on it. At the time we joked about the negative connotation, but unfortunately it turned out to be prophetic.
As Julie and I were planning for the tournament, several experienced players encouraged us to play in the side games. I asked so many questions about the different types of games, debating the advantages/disadvantages of each for weeks, that Julie completely withdrew from the decision-making process. "Whatever you want to do," she told me, "is fine with me." The side games it was.
Julie, Jeanne and Melissa picked me up bright and early at 7:30 a.m. Julie is not a morning person but she valiantly tried to keep up with the enthusiastic conversation about bidding conventions and, I admit it, some gossip as we made our way to the tournament. Once there, we discovered that the non-life masters game was merged with the side game--all of my research was for nothing. We settled in to play.
The morning for all four of us was not great and the afternoon even less so. However, this did not dampen our spirits and the conversation on the ride home was even livelier than on the way to the tournament (probably because Julie had been drinking coffee all day and was thoroughly awake). We agreed that our opponents "were not better players, they just played better" and that we would play better on Thursday.
Can you guess who said what on the drive back to Grand Rapids?
"I think I over-analyzed."
"The bathroom facilities were wonderful!"
"My neck is strained."
"Who wants to stop for happy hour?"
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