Bridge Blog 991: Another regional already?

Just three weeks after the annual Buffalo Spooktacular Regional Tournament, we have the biennial Niagara Falls Regional Tournament, starting Tuesday in the Crowne Plaza Hotel overlooking the great natural wonder.

How much do I adore the Niagara Falls Regional? Let me count the ways:

I scored my Life Master hat trick there in 2011. Missing a handful of gold points, I hit Life Master, Bronze Life Master and Silver Life Master all at once as part of a victorious team in the knock-outs.

It’s Canada. Friendly, familiar, foreign and near, as the tourist slogan used to go.

The hotel, which everyone of a certain age (including me) wants to call by its former name, the Sheraton Brock. Lots of free parking. That terrific dining room on the upper floor overlooking the Cataract. A pair of Starbucks coffee shops almost next door to each other at street level. And, as a fallback, the city’s old casino next door has a very nice buffet.

          Drawbacks?

          Getting there and crossing the border. Making the 10 a.m. start for the morning game means getting up early, leaving the house by 9 and paying tolls for the Grand Island and Rainbow bridges. At least EZ-Pass makes it quicker.

          It starts on Election Day, so I’m missing the first day. I feel honor bound to be in the newsroom Tuesday night to help handle the returns, even though this is an off-year.

          The prospect of really late nights Wednesday and Thursday. My plan is to play three sessions both days, but I feel obliged to check into the newsroom on my way home to tie up loose ends and make sure nothing urgent has popped up. Plus blogging. Although arrival home should be in the 1 o’clock hour, the early wakeup means a couple days with high potential for sleep deprivation.
          (Sudden thought a few hours later: Am I out of my mind? Let's just skip those evening sessions, take care of business at the office, get home relatively early and pick up some zzzs.)

          Plus I don’t have partners lined up for all 11 sessions I hope to play – there’s June Feuerstein for the daytime pairs on Wednesday and, if she can find a ride, on Thursday; Helen Panza, with whom I’ve played infrequently, for pairs on Friday; and Selina Volpatti for an incomplete Swiss team on Sunday. Nobody for Wednesday and Thursday nights, nor for the pairs on Saturday. Nevertheless, there’s always a chance of getting lucky at the partnership desk.

          Finally, despite my affection for this tournament, does it really love me? Let’s go to the history books.

          2006 – 2.32, thanks to coming in second in the C strat in the senior pairs on Friday with pickup partner Brian Bretzlaff, who was impressively good back then and still is.

          2008 – 1.50, no big score, just bits and pieces.

          2011 – 13.67, mostly as part of the team – Selina Volpatti, Helen Panza and Mike Silverman – that won the Whirlpool Bracketed Knock Outs B section. 12.07 gold points for that alone.

          2013 – 2.02, nothing special this time, either.

          2015 – 6.78, thanks to low-ranking success in Swiss team games Wednesday with Barbara Sadkin and pickup teammates, and again Sunday with Selina Volpatti, Marilyn Sultz and Ruth Wurster.