Susan Love
Part One:
Kathy O’Connell was a professional bridge player and teacher for 15 years, during which she rubbed elbows with top players across the United States. In her final year as a pro, she spent 176 nights in hotel rooms. She never had to advertise—her reputation alone kept her booked, with every job coming strictly through word of mouth. Kathy has lived in SaddleBrooke since 2021. Here is her story:
A Late Start, A New Challenge
Kathy grew up playing cards but had never learned bridge. That changed when she was 40. A friend finally challenged her: “If you think bridge is so amazing, why don’t you take lessons?” That question was the push she needed. Kathy signed up for beginner lessons at her local bridge club, stepping into a world she knew nothing about. “I had no idea what I was in for,” she admits. “The bidding, the scoring—it was all so foreign. I found it overwhelming.”
Fueled by Resistance
Just a few weeks into her lessons, Kathy and another beginner decided to test their skills at a Thursday evening Duplicate game at the club. Duplicate bridge, where the same hands are played across multiple tables and scores are compared, is a challenging format for beginners. The club’s director tried to dissuade them. “She told us we weren’t ready, that Duplicate was too advanced,” Kathy recalls. “But we hung around anyway. We wanted to see what it was really like.”
That first game was a struggle, but it planted a seed. Kathy noticed that many players, despite years of play, hadn’t reached the rank of Life Master—the first major milestone in the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) system. Inspired, Kathy set an ambitious goal: to become a Life Master quickly, despite starting later in life. When she shared her plan, she met resistance. “The director told me it would take five to eight years if I played a lot,” Kathy says. “That skepticism lit a fire in me. I decided to prove her wrong—and fast. I’ve always loved a challenge!”
That resistance was what truly hooked Kathy on bridge. She threw herself into the game, studying books by bridge legends like Mike Lawrence and Eddie Kantar and playing as often as she could. She kept returning to Duplicate games, undeterred by the steep learning curve. Her hard work paid off. In just one year, Kathy became a Life Master, shattering the director’s estimate and stunning her local bridge community. “I was driven by the challenge,” she says. “I started late, and I wanted to make up for lost time.”
Life Master was never Kathy’s ultimate goal—it was just the first leg of her journey. She soon achieved higher ranks, including Bronze Life Master, Silver Life Master, and beyond, each milestone a testament to her growing mastery of the game.
To be continued next month.