Dear fellow bridge players
Why am I writing this? First, I am not being paid by either CBF or our unit to promote bridge in Canada and second, I am not a crazy fanatic who enjoys publicity. Talking with many bridge players about the CNTC, I got the impression that they were extremely sceptical about this event. Many raised the issue that this event is expensive and boring; that the travel subsidy provided by CBF is a pittance, while the card fees are sky high, not to mention the cost of airfare, hotel and meals to attend a National Final.
From my personal experience: In 2004, my partner Ilya Kuzkin and I with four friends from Saskatchewan won the Zone final in Flight B of the CNTC (under 1,000 mp). We were then invited to play in National Final in St. Catharines, representing Zone V. Our team received a ‘travel subsidy’ in the amount of $1,600.00 + (a good subsidy, considering that the GNT team received $1,200 US to play in the NABC).
We travelled to the National Final in St. Catharines and what a thrill that was!
Hospitality was excellent; we met most of the Canadian ‘Top’ bridge players – men and women; we mingled with other players; we kibitzed champions; we made new friends; we learned about other Canadian cities from players across Canada; we went through the agony and tension of the bridge competition, and most of all, we had lot of FUN! We even won Flight B and received a cash prize and ‘Gold’ Master Points, which was actually icing on the cake. The experience itself was priceless.
Hash Mohamed.
Ps: Please note that $1,600.00 subsidy is not guaranteed. It is dependent on the number of tables participating in qualifying rounds and the travel distance.