Page 49 - Life-in-Naples-Magazine-AugSeptOct-FullSpreads

Shuffle The Cards To Unshuffle The Brain!

by Kenna Barry
hile it was once a game reserved for British nobility The growth of the game here in Naples cannot be denied; players
W can exercise their skills at public bridge clubs, community centers,
and the sophisticates of New York and Palm Beach,
and private golf and social clubs. New bridge centers and rooms
today bridge, the card game, can be played by anyone
willing to master it. This fascinating game, whether played casually are emerging in many communities. “Our beginning lessons are
in your neighbor’s kitchen or competitively in tournaments bursting at the seams,” says Wayne Humphrey, Director of Bridge
worldwide, has attained a huge following among Floridians. at a prestigious Naples golf club. Once people discover this enticing
Bridge is a fun and addicting game with an engaging social game, they want to be a part of its culture.
component, but the benefits go far beyond an enjoyable afternoon As one bridge player describes the popularity phenomenon,
Half-Mast Nation with friends. Not only does playing bridge improve cognitive “One of the beautiful things about the game is that it can be played
performance, mental stamina, and focus, but playing the game has
by anyone virtually anywhere. Yes, there are incredibly talented
also been linked to prevention of the effects of mental disorders
professionals who play with sponsors around the world, but it can
such as Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have shown that playing also be played at home with two couples, a deck of cards and a good
bridge can increase immunities and lower the risk of other diseases bottle of wine!”
by stimulating the area of the brain responsible for T-cell levels. To sign up for Learn Bridge In A Day or discover more
There is no doubt about it. Playing bridge is a winner for the brain! about the game of bridge go to the ACBL District 9 website
Bridge is a trick taking game that begins with bidding https://district9acbl.org or contact Betty Sandifer at
sequences, including agreements called “conventions.” Learning bsandifer@cfl.rr.com.
by Karen Coney Coplin how to bid and play the hand, with over six trillion deal
possibilities, is akin to learning a new language; as such, many
rint media deadlines typically run about people turn to their local bridge club for professional instruction.
P For those who prefer a more expedited approach, the Learn
a month ahead of publication date, so
this article was being formatted in early
Bridge In A Day® (LBIAD) program gives ambitious students
July. I was on a mission to round up "good a full day immersion experience that allows them to jump in and
news" to share. play at a basic level upon completion. Future bridge enthusiasts
With the onset of the war in Ukraine earlier looking for an opportunity to learn and play are welcome to
this year, and all of its devastating images, 2022 sign up for this popular program, which will be offered on
got off to a somber start. Then, the elementary The Marjory Stoneman Douglas shootings in Parkland had October 9th at the Marriott Sanibel Harbour Resort and Spa.
school shooting in Uvalde, this right on the heels of the Buffalo occurred the year before, on Valentine's Day, turning a holiday By the end of the day, students will have enough knowledge to
grocery store shooting, left many of us hurting, grasping at straws. devoted to love into a nightmare instead. This horrific massacre was play in a beginner’s game at the Sanibel Regional Tournament
As I was finishing my article, our country was celebrating fairly fresh in the minds of everyone in school in Florida. hosted by the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) from Beth Flanigan (left) and Tracy Nolan (right) both of Naples, kibitz World
its 246th birthday. And yet, at the most American of events, a Our country has been revered as the leader of the free world, October 10 - 16, 2022. There, students will have the opportunity Class Player Ishmael "Ish" Del'Monte. "Kibitzers" are spectators at the
Fourth of July parade, seven innocent lives were gunned down in yet we have allowed this terror to go on unabated as if we were a to earn coveted gold masterpoints, the exclusive currency of the bridge table. Kibitzing top players is not only fun, but also one of the best
Highland Park, Illinois. nation at war. It's not an exaggeration. We are now living our lives ACBL and the mechanism by which bridge players measure ways advancing players improve their skills. Photo: Michelle Reed
After the 3-day holiday weekend was over this year 220 - individually and in society, amid mass shootings which take place achievement in competition.
Americans were dead from gun violence. everywhere: in places of worship, at schools, at shops, at concerts, at
(How many more by the time this essay is in print?) parades, and in hospitals. This is an incomplete list.
This tragic occurrence has been repeated so many times, So my initial focus on good news has turned instead to hope.
especially in the last two decades, that it has been the backdrop of Hope that we will DO SOMETHING. Hope that we will create
my daughters' entire existence. a future world in which the 2-year-old Highland Park orphan can
At some point during their childhood education, they and their grow up without other traumas in his life. And that others do not
classmates stopped learning cursive handwriting and instead were have to follow in his footsteps.
taught emergency procedures, lockdown and code red drills in the Somehow, Anne Frank was able to keep hope in her heart even
event of an active shooter. while in hiding from Nazi persecution:
I still have a recorded robo dialer message on my phone from "... I still believe that people are really good at heart."
the principal of Naples High School, where a lockdown mistakenly It is up to all of us, personally and politically, to be the people
occurred in September, 2019. Unlike prior drills which were that Anne Frank believed in, and to keep hope and humanity alive.
announced, this was set off in error.
My daughter said at least one student jumped out of a second If you do have good news to share, Karen would like to hear from you.
floor window, thinking the false alarm was real. She herself was Email: napleskcc@gmail.com or on Instagram @naplesbythenumbers
terrified and without her phone, afraid that she was going to die.

Five-time National Champion Shannon Cappelletti laughs with her opponents at the Sanibel Regional Tournament. Shannon's father-in-law created the
famous Cappelletti Convention, a bidding convention used by many bridge players. Photo: Michelle Reed

48 Life in Naples | August, September, October 2022 Life in Naples | August, September, October 2022 49