12 March 2016 Reno North American Bridge Championships CSBNEWS USA Correspondent GS Jade BarrettGentleman James J Corbett 1890
You become a champion by fighting one more round. When things are tough, you fight one more round» – Gentleman James J Corbett
After completing the last six hours of 135 Km per hour driving – you have to like those new higher speed limits west of the Mississippi River – we finally arrived at our destination – Reno, Nevada, the Biggest Little City in the World.
It was another beautiful day of driving – except for the 50 Km headwind and the last two hours driving directly into the desert sun – but we made our way downtown to our home for the week at the Worldmark Resort.
These long tournaments are hard enough to play in, living out of a suitcase and eating out every meal, so we make a point of renting a house or apartment for the duration. I enjoy cooking as a means of relaxing before and after sessions of play, and as luck would have it, my team enjoys my cuisine (mostly Romano Italian, some French and a little Thai with the traditional Irish breakfast). I travel with a knife, my Moka pot and a La Creuset nonstick pan that every kitchen should have. I have also recently acquired an Induction plate that cooks by magnetic energy. This is my new love for hotel living.
No open flame, no coils and can hit 450 F without throwing off extra heat into the room. Perfect for the traveling chef.
Dr Donna Lombardini and I made our way to the playing site, only to find that once we entered the Silver Legacy Casino that it was easy to get lost. The multiple venues are over three casinos and gambling establishments make sure that it is very difficult for anyone to escape the gaming floor – every time you think you have found the exit, there appears another level of slot machines or black jack tables. I am quite sure that somewhere hidden in a cul-de-sac you can find the skeleton of some poor lost soul who just could not quite make it back outside.
Our first day of competition saw us supporting nearly everyone we played against – that is to say we did not have a good day. It was one of those sessions where most everybody was sad to leave our table.
There are days like that, but we have nine more to go and we are thrilled to see so many of our friends at the tournament.
