I taught high school business subjects for 17 years in Madawaska, Maine (As far north as you can get in the state). That's where I learned to play bridge and I had to go to Canada to play in a 5 table game once a week. I fell in love with the game when a few fellow teachers got together and someone offered to teach us. I found a bridge class in Canada and I was hooked! I read every bridge book I could get my hands on and learned Precision, then Schenken. Schenken is my favorite system. I moved to Orlando in 1979 and took the directors test and started directing at the Winter Park game part time. Later, I directed at Deland's club for a couple of years.
I became a life master when my partner and I won the Women's Pairs at the Bermuda Regional in 1981.
I met my second husband, Jim, at the Winter Park game--neither of us had a partner one Sat. and the director knew we both played Schenken. We won that day and were together from that time on. We tweaked the system a bit and added 2/1 to a strong club system.
And in l989, Ruth and Bill Keller approached me and asked if I'd like to have my own games at the new Bridge Center. I couldn't wait for the new bridge center to open and I held the very first game on May 10, l989; I ran a 6 table game that evening. I started with 3 games per week and each year I added another game and at one time, I was running 10 games a week. I have also been teaching bridge since 1981 and was so glad to have a place to hold classes.
I have met a lot of wonderful people through Bridge; I have visited a lot of nice places for tournaments--places I would probably never seen otherwise. I have made wonderful friends through bridge. It's a great game, a great challenge, and a great hobby. When people ask me what I do for a living, I explain that I turned a hobby into a business--and I love getting up and going to work in the morning.
May 10, 2009, I will have been at the bridge center for 20 years. With 17 years of teaching, 7 years working with Disney, and 20 years here, it will be time to sit back, relax, and do some more traveling.