The idea behind
this “Wall of Fame” is to promote bridge in Edmonton. This idea was borrowed from the Saskatoon and Regina bridge clubs
where pictures of their local masters, together with their bios, are displayed. We will follow suit here in Edmonton;
however, due to lack of wall space at the Edmonton Bridge Centre, we will do it
in cyber space. In sports like hockey, or entertainment and the movie industry,
the stars of the game are promoted. In
bridge, recognition of the better players should be an incentive for
generally promoting the game in Edmonton.
Earning 5000 MP in the ACBL is not a trivial accomplishment. A lot of
skill, and a lot of devotion, contributed to this milestone. Everybody likes to do well in his or her
hobby, so we think recognition of lifelong achievements should be a part of the
bridge scene. Bridge players are competitive, so acknowledging those who
have done well in the game should be included in the big picture of promoting
bridge in our area.
All bridge
players coming to play in Alberta tournaments know these Edmonton players. What
they may not know is details of the players’ backgrounds and their thoughts on
the game. Clicking on their names will reveal some history of these
players from information provided by the players themselves. There are
eight Diamond Life Masters (5000 to 7499 masterpoints) and one Emerald Life
Master (7500 to 9999 masterpoints) in Edmonton. As of 2008, there are 18 players who are Gold Life Masters (2500
to 4999 masterpoints). These master players are the Picassos and Rembrandts of
our game in this neck of the woods. To
take a tour of the gallery, click on the link Wall of Fame
and then click on the player’s name to read his or her bridge biography.