Julie and I heard about Swiss teams the first year we started playing bridge. We didn't understand the concept but decided to give it a try. The problem was that we didn't have another pair to team with and were reluctant to ask anyone. We were so new to bridge and so unsure about Swiss teams, we figured no one would want to play with us. I know this sounds sad, but we didn't feel badly and it did not deter us. We talked to our Director and she arranged for us to team with a pair who was also new to duplicate bridge and Swiss teams.
We met our partners the day of the event and found out that they had even less experience than we did. One of them had never even played duplicate bridge, and neither had ever played Swiss teams. We needed help figuring out where to go, how to score, how to turn in the score...you name it, we didn't know what to do. The oddest thing, though, was that our teammates never really understood that we were a team. After each round we would get together to compare scores. They were either happy that they had beaten us or sad that our scores were better than theirs. We kept trying to tell them that we were in this together, but each time it seemed that we were making head-way we would have to move for the next round. They never did know why the four of us met after each round and they were never again seen at the club.
It's been a long road, but yesterday I finally understood the scoring. I had certainly learned to go through the correct motions before now, but this time I talked to someone and figured out the big picture. I learned that the goal was to stay above average, and we did. The average was 70 and our final score was 71.
On another note, Halloween is a week away. I've been shopping for Amadeus, and here you can see me helping him try on one his costumes. More pictures to come!
what, the ASPCA hasn't shown up to rescue Amadeus yet?
ReplyDeleteYou must have given them the wrong address!
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