NEW GAME IN COPPEROPOLIS |
Newer players practice their Stayman skills during a workshop run by Mike and Mary Wells at Copperopolis. Soon they will play in a newly sanctioned limited masterpoint game to be held once a month at 4 pm on Mondays. Call 209-454-1223 for more information. The mp limit is 50 but anyone is welcome to mentor a new player (but the pair cannot earn masterpoints).
Mary will be starting a new beginners class in the new year.
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Last updated : Nov 3, 2024 16:03 PST |
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NEW GOLD LIFE MASTER |
Barbara Smart of Stockton is a new Gold Life Master. Congratulations!
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Last updated : Oct 13, 2024 13:56 PDT |
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NEW GOLD LIFE MASTERS |
Congratulations to new Gold Life Master Mort Horn.
Sue Vogtlin is also a new Gold Life Master - congratulations too.
This must be a record for our small unit - three new Gold Life Masters in one month.
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Last updated : Nov 2, 2024 11:54 PST |
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NEW SILVER LIFE MASTER |
Mike Wells of Copperopolis is a new Silver Life Master. Congratulations!
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Last updated : Oct 13, 2024 13:55 PDT |
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LOSE ONE, GAIN ONE |
The gold country clubs are very sad to say farewell to Christine Vanderliet who is moving to Grants Pass in Oregon. In addition to her inspiring life story and how bridge has helped sustain her, Chris has been a wonderful volunteer and contributor of delicious goodies and treats. We will miss her so much.
Coincidently, at the same time, we are delighted to welcome David McGee of Murphys but formerly of Stockton. David is a Life Master who has not played since the early nineties, but now that he is retired has returned to duplicate bridge. Wishing you happy times at the bridge table, David.
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Last updated : Oct 8, 2024 17:56 PDT |
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NEW LIFE MASTER BLESSES BRIDGE |
Christine Vanderliet of Angels Camp
Receiving my Life Master Rank means much more to me than just bridge; it really means that I have mastered being able to live my life. In May of 2019, I received a single lung transplant at UCSF in San Francisco. Before that I was on the highest level of oxygen you can be on without being on a ventilator. But now I am able to function with one full capacity lung and my old lung at 17%. Six months after my transplant, I started to reject my new lung. I was given some very high doses of steroids. My colon did not like the drugs and it perforated.
I was taken to San Francisco from our area by ambulance, while my colon is still spilling everything into my body. 14 hours later I was in surgery and received an ostomy bag. I lived with it until December, 2022 when they reversed the ostomy bag and gave me an ileostomy bag to ensure my colon/ large intestine were working properly. In April, 2023, the ileostomy was reversed and to this day everything is working properly. During all of this time my kidneys were really starting to fail. This was due to the powerful steroids/immunosuppressants I was taking. I was listed at UCSF for a kidney and was on an Eight year waiting list.
In January, 2023 I started dialysis and had to drive 30 minutes to a center for 4 hours 3 times a week.
In October, 2023 my husband's very close lifetime friend since childhood was killed in a car accident and kept alive on life support. We connected with his family which we knew very well, and as it turns out, he wanted his organs donated. We were able to connect UCSF and the hospital keeping him on life support, per the family's wishes, and they proceeded in attempting to give me a kidney. Amazingly, we were exact matches for both blood and tissue, truly divine intervention. The transplant was successful. I am alive and am feeling very good.
What does all of this have to do with bridge you ask? EVERYTHING!! Bridge is what kept me going, kept me busy, kept me motivated. I never had time to sit and dwell on my situation. I don't know what I would have done without it. I not only love the game, but all of the players have become very dear and near to me. I am so blessed.
The week of July 4th, 2024 I traveled to Long Beach to play in their regional. I knew that it was very possible I could be obtaining the gold points I needed, and so it happened. I had finally achieved what I had worked so hard for and kept me motivated. It was my Life Master Rank and, yes my Master of Life Rank.
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Last updated : Jul 15, 2024 23:39 PDT |
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FAREWELL TO DIRECTOR DON STILLWELL |
Don Stillwell passed away in San Andreas on September 29, 2024, at the age of 92. Don started, owned and directed the Gold Country Duplicate Bridge Club game for over 25 years. A longtime supporter of the San Andreas Senior Center, Don ran his weekly game there until he was almost 90, and donated all the proceeds to the center. Sharon Ritchie, who he encouraged to become a director and to be his successor, says, “Don was always so welcoming, and never had a harsh word for anyone. He was kind and generous to a fault.”
In January of 2022 a retirement party was held for Don Stillwell,
and he was presented with this token of appreciation, inscribed “Our Bridge Director.”
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Last updated : Oct 3, 2024 13:04 PDT |
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DIAMOND IN THE RUFF UNIT REPORT |
Debbie Dezarn's Stockton Unit report
in the D21 Diamond in the Ruff October 2024 newsletter
Not one, not even two, but three Stockton Players recently passed the 2500 point mark to become Gold Life Masters! Congratulations to Sue Vogtlin, Barbara Smart, and Mort Horn. They are all regulars who support the Stockton and Oak Park clubs by playing three times a week.
Not to be overlooked but others have had rank advancements as well: Frank Klo became a Sectional Master but is just a few silver shy of the next rank. Michael Wells achieved Silver Life Master. We also celebrate the relative newcomers who have achieved Junior Master: Eric Daegling, Beryl Simkins, and John Oesterle.
David McGee is a former Stockton Life Master who has been away from the game for many years. He now plays in the Mountain clubs so we welcome him back to the Unit!
In a huge surprise to all the Stockton and Oak Park players, (former) Oak Park Director Korey Baumbaugh decided to “retire” from duplicate bridge and pursue other interests. Korey was a dedicated and hard working player, Director, and member of the Unit 510 Board of Directors. He sponsored the only Longest Day fundraiser (knife sharpening) in the valley clubs and taught beginner and private bridge lessons for many years prior to becoming a busy Director.
There have been increases in card fees at both valley clubs to offset the higher ACBL fees and to create an emergency fund in case the dealing machine needs to be replaced. It has been “refurbished” once and still acts up now and then and will have to be replaced eventually at a cost exceeding $5,000. Stockton Bridge Center now charges $10 and Oak Park $3 (plus membership in the Stockton Community Centers). But the good news is that the STaC games in November will not charge the players anything extra.
Wendy Buchanan has been teaching (very) beginning bridge to 24 students since September. None have dropped out yet and at least 3 are people who have never before played any card games at all. Two are current duplicate players (but rarely come) just taking the class as a refresher. The rest are mixed levels of “social bridge” who we hope will join ACBL soon.
I will close with the sad news of 3 deaths of longtime Unit 510 players who will be sorely missed. Don Stillman was a long time Director of the Mountain clubs (see the Unit 510 website for a nice article). Irmgard Owen has played for years and was very tickled to get a Golden Master certificate a few years ago. We will miss her warm and quiet demeanor and generosity. She always arrived with a cake or other German dessert in hand when playing on Thursdays. The most surprising was the sudden passing of Marilyn Minden who was the Unit 510 representative to district 21 ever since I have known her. Many long time players would recognize her as the face of the Hospitality Room at District Regionals until she gave that up about 5 years ago. She frequently bought pizza for the Stockton club games and was the first to recognize the achievements of others.
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Last updated : Nov 11, 2024 15:47 PST |
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UNIT 510 BRIDGE CLUBS SCHEDULE |
STOCKTON BRIDGE CLUB
Mondays and Fridays at 11:30 am
Non-Life Masters (NLM) 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 11:30 am
3rd Sunday Potluck and Unit game at 12 noon
OAK PARK BRIDGE CLUB, STOCKTON
Wednesdays at 11:00 am.
MOTHER LODE CLUB, MURPHYS at 12:30 pm
Murphys Diggins Club House alternate Mondays
GOLD COUNTRY CLUB, SAN ANDREAS at 12 noon
Alternate Wednesdays: 12 noon at San Andreas Senior Center.
SONORA CLUB at 11:30 am
Every Friday at the Sonora Senior Center.
HWY 49ers BBO CLUB at 1:00 pm
These alternating online games fill in the gaps.
For the Schedule of these four Games, click below
Master2024Dates1.pdf
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Last updated : Oct 9, 2024 12:04 PDT |
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CHECKING YOUR RESULTS |
♥ There's lots to see! For your game results click on the date in the green boxed heading under RESULTS on the TOP RIGHT of the screen. Now you should see a list of players and their percentages. Click on your name for a list of your personal scores. Scroll down to the end to see if you were a better declarer than your partner!
On the right you can see some [PLAY] tabs. Click on one, select the BBO tab, and now you can 1) Replay the hand as you did at the table [NEXT], 2) Replay the hand as you wish you had at the table [PLAY], 3) Let GIB – the super-robot – replay the hand as you should have done at the table [GIB]. Cool stuff!
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Last updated : Mar 2, 2022 10:24 PST |
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