For those who have never played, watching a game of bridge can be a little confusing. For those who are veterans of the game, they can see the strategies forming.
Some of the players at the Mission Seniors Activity Centre have plenty of experience to help their game.
Eunice Hunter first started playing the popular card game in 1962.
“We were living in Vernon and we didn’t know anyone except a young couple … and they said we had to learn to play bridge. So we did,” Hunter said.
And 56 years later, she still plays, and enjoys the game.
“I’m still playing because it exercises my mind.”
Hunter calls playing bridge a challenge as players need to figure out what’s in their partner’s hand.
But it’s not a game for just anybody.
“You either like the game, or you hate it,” Hunter said.
In Mission, there is a group of 20-24 dedicated players who come to the seniors’ centre every Monday at 1 p.m. to play.
Many of the players are bussed in from nearby Cedarbrooke Chateau.
Mission’s Carole Keleher has been playing the game since 1971 and is currently the organizer for the Mission group. “It’s a friendly competition for the most part,” she said, but players do compete to win.
While the Mission game only takes place on Monday afternoons, Keleher is an active player who also plays in Surrey on Tuesdays and in Abbotsford on Fridays.
“I don’t have anything else to do,”
she said.
But what is it about the game that draws such dedicated players?
“There are so many combinations of cards that you can get, and you’ll never see it again,” said Keleher, noting that often you are dealt terrible cards to play.
“Nothing is wild or anything. If you don’t get good hands, it’s hard to get points.”
Because of that, there is an element of luck to bridge, but you also need skill.
The Mission group plays five sets of four hands, which take about two hours in total. Standings are not recorded throughout the year. Instead, prizes are given out each Monday, based on the results of that day’s play.
While players enjoy the competition, bridge also provides a chance to socialize. Many players come early to enjoy lunch and a conversation before the game begins.
While they have a dedicated group of players, Keleher said there is always room for more.
“We need more players. It would be nice to get some younger players but they are still working and that’s a deterrent because we are here in the daytime. You don’t have to be a senior to play here,” she said.
Anyone interested in playing or who wants more information is asked to call Keleher at 778-968-7068.
