Story by Eric O (BBO: YoDaddy12)

I'm glad to chat about my bridge journey and our bike trip. They are pretty independent things, but they collided when Ali wanted to recognize "sponsors" of our favorite companies. Our group of cyclists was planning a big trip, and one of us suggested we print the logos of companies we love on our shirts. Bridge Base is certainly one I wanted to include, even though I don’t work there.

I am 59 years old now and an avid cyclist. I wanted to take the family on a big trip, which involved a company I knew well from past trips based in Sardinia. We went to their home country this time with my gang of seven and rode bikes and did other things in Sardinia for 10 days. It was pretty cool.

My bridge journey also started with an international catalyst when I was a freshman in high school in Normal, Illinois. My mom was involved with the school board, and we had an opportunity to host a foreign exchange student named Philippe for the year. My two sisters were older and in college, so we had room, and Phil joined our family. With four people in the house and Phil loving cards, my folks, who were party bridge aficionados, introduced bridge to Phil and me, and we played a lot that year. I loved it, and after Phil left, my parents taught my sisters and our spouses, and we played intermittently over the next few decades.

All went along fine, and I didn't know about Bridge Base until the COVID-19 pandemic. My 86-year-old dad was in an independent living situation, taking care of my mom with dementia, and I was in Seattle with everything on full lockdown. My dad mentioned "Just Play Bridge," so I checked it out and realized we could get online together and play bridge. My sister Sara in Chicago was game, and we recruited Terry, my dad's 86-year-old best friend from childhood, and created our own bridge community. It was magical, and at the height of COVID, we played three times a week. We would get on the phone and log into Bridge Base — it was a lifeline for my dad and something we all enjoyed. Terry's daughter Kris joined us as a fifth soon after, along with a few people who joined for a few sessions, including my sister Sue, cousin Scott, and a few of my dad's church social bridge friends. It has been a great five-year run, and we now try to play once a week. Dad and Terry are 91 and still playing some great bridge.

I am the only one who dabbles in "tournament bridge" on off days. I probably play one or two short tournaments a day, accumulating enough BBO points to be a five-plus on some limited efforts. Not sure I will advance much more than that, but I enjoy the competition, and it is super fun when I win an event out of 50-plus people. My wife just rolls her eyes when I am excited about it. Anyway, I am thankful for Bridge Base and happy to have you as a "sponsor."

Share Your Best Bridge Memories
Share your bridge stories here and we'll publish one every week in the Bridge Lovers Weekly News. If your story is selected to be published we'll give you BB$ as a token of our appreciation.