What Members Say About the BIL - 2013
Thank you once again for giving me this opportunity to be a member of the BIL. I'm addicted to BIL and I can not imagine my future without BIL the BIL has been a life saver for me. I'm very glad to be in a position to offer my time and knowledge to the BIL and in particular the BBP program. Had they been around when I first learnt bridge in the early 70's, who knows how I might have advanced. As it is, I feel that I have improved enormously just from my 2 years associated with the BIL, and for that I thank you deeply for your vision and commitment in making the BIL such a happy and incredibly effective way to learn and improve. Thank you Maureen for looking out for us all. I know the stress must seem to be more than you think can hold up to sometimes, but you just keep on trucking!! You have a real heart for all us Billies, and those of us who have some tiny inkling of what you may go thru appreciate you so much Thank you so much, for all you do for Bil...without BIL I would be lost! ...... .my life has really changed...it is difficult for me to get back to playing at the present...but, just being able to kib , is my salvation The mentoring program is a wonderful feature of the BIL. I am so fortunate that people like you work so hard and give so much to help beginners like me learn to play bridge. I am indebted to you and to Pradeep. Thank you. I have learned so much and I continue to learn. BIL has made my retirement so much better. Thanks. Membership is the best bargain around. Where else could one have quality lessons with knowledgeable instructors, meet bridge friends, and have patient mentors. Thank you. Many thanks particularly as an acknowledgement of all you do for nothing! The tourney and review with Oliver today was extremely good and helpful, one of the best I have attended. Thanks for arranging all these for us. First of all : thanks for the BIL ! Re Bridge 201 I just can say it was perfect. Roberta is a great teacher. Her preclass notes made that we were prepared for class, so no time was lost. The voice application on BBO gave some problems, but I found it quite a nice feature. Roberta answered all our questions, and her postclass notes were complete and comprehensive. The practice sessions with Ian and Diana were very helpful. They really did their best to find a good timing for everyone. I really enjoyed this class and learned a lot.Thank you to all the people behind the screens. There is only one major drawback to the BIL : I am completely hooked on bridge now ! You dear, patient woman. I will print all this good info, study it, and conquer this thing. Thank you so much, I was fortunate to be able to attend this class, my first one on bbo. It was amazing!. Roberta is a great teacher. Very patient and understanding always explaining in a way that is easy to understand and with a great sense of humor! BIL is the best place to be for people like me and if I ever become a decent bridge player a lot of credit will The Transition: You selflessly perform a tremendous service to the Bridge World As you should know, you have done more for the game of bridge for the beginner and intermediate player than anyone not only on beginner base online but in the world. You provided education, sources of information including a bridge library, a place to play and meet new friends, mentoring, and so much more. No one has done more and you should consider yourself to be as relevant as other heroes of bridge such as Mary Bergen, Howard Schultzman and Mike Lawrence. ... a wonderful place to play and learn....You have recruited and trained to many dedicated people..............to continue the program which has been so beneficial to so many............I thank you for all that you have done for me and others. It has been a great journey When i re read what you were doing i thought it was a good idea for the reasons you stated. To be honest you've always run a tight ship and if these were your best options for the the BIL and yourself personally then you have my full support. You have done the bridge world a great service for which you will be remembered fondly by all the Bilies. Thanks to the BIL I am an advanced graduate. I was especially lucky to be assigned to Rose37 who thought one hour per week not enough and was gracious to spend 3hrs per week with me. The cost of a private mentor for six months would have been prohibitive. I am now a mentor myself and greatly enjoy passing on my knowledge to my mentees.I am not a computer nerd but can point and click on BBO - which is all that is needed! I still use the download version as there as many features which are not available on the web client, i.e. slowing down the speed of the cards, putting the declarer at the bottom when kibbing. I've tried the new version but just don't like it..... I'll be happy with the new format. Thank you again for you have helped me immensely. We all know that it must have been a very trying time making your decision. After spending so many years, day in/day out dedicating your time and effort in building and maintaining the BIL, the decision must have been an emotional time for you. I for one will continue to do what I can to help the 'dream team' maintain scheduled tournaments and events. The BIL has offered me so much and provided incredible support from all ends, and as I say, I will return the favour with the utmost of my ability. Maureen, you gave me this chance to be part of a wonderful group of people and I'm looking forward to continuing being so in in the future Please know that we all support your decision in every way, and look forward to doing our part in keeping the BIL flag flying high and proud! First of all, I would like to tell you how proud I am to be a member of BIL. The members are very nice and appreciate help. Second, I'm sorry that it will no longer be a "private" club but understand your concerns. I hope we can continue developing friendships in the new club, and I will continue to offer my assistance.You have done a wonderful job and wish you much happiness in your future. again, my sincere appreciation for all you have done for me personally and all others that have enjoyed BIL over the years. I consider myself a far better player today than before I was introduced to BIL and you started it all!!!.................. I realize that you put many hours, and are 100% devoted to BIL and what is best to your Bilies. It is a huge commitment and have no doubts that it takes most of your time. Again, all that you have done is greatly appreciated by people from all over the world. You are known and respected by the top bridge players in the world as well as loved by the rest of us. That should give you a tremendous feeling of accomplishment which has to be very rewarding!!! I think you and yours are doing s TREMENDOUS good service for bridge. Were it not for you, I for one would not be playing bridge. I try to spread the word as much as possible. I can not say enough good things about the BIL. It is good to know that it is still going strong, and that you are still at the helm. What a wonderful, wonderful job you're doing. TY Maureen for all you do for the game of bridge. i am new to bilbridge and i just want to say it is the greatest!!!---i have been struggling with the bbo site for a few years---mostly watching--playing with robots---and i happened onto a teaching board and a very kind host told me about bil---i promptly joined on monday and i love it! ---- i have spent the past few days exploring the site and trying to figure out how everything works (i am not the most adept at computer jazz)----i love all the great articles, classes (hope to take a few!) and i played today in my first ever on-line game today!-----such nice and helpful people----you and all of your great helpers have "rocked" my bridge world-----i look forward to improving my game and plan to tell all my bridge pals!----a thousand thanks You have built a tremendous organization and helped so many to learn and improve their bridge games I admire and congratulate you. This has been one of the most informative and helpful series of lessons that BiL has offered since i've been a member. Andy [Agumperz] makes things look so easy. my rankings in robot games have gone up since listening to his advice. I've made some accomplishments in the year I have been playing face to face bridge .I owe my f2f success to the years I learned so much attending lessons in the BIL when it first began. Thank you. regarding my mentor he is fantastic and i learn a lot of thing that i should know as a good basic of the game tu 1000 time Maureen, congratulations on your efforts to keep the BIL vibrant and responsive to the members' needs. And thank you for all the time and energy you put into the BIL. I see that the BIL is growing, expanding, and adapting through your leadership. It's a beautiful thing. thank you isnt enough. Last october 26 i started a course of BRIDGE ,once a week for 2 hrs.Of course it wasnt enough!Then i discovered BBO,a great improvement,but i still neededto learn the basics.THEN i found the bil mentoring programe.Imust admit i had my doubts,but if i dont try i will never know.WONDERFULL. You found me a mentor who always has time for an explanation,a word of encouragement but most of all is teaching me CORRECT BRIDGE. a HEARTFELT THANKS to you all but especially to my mentor thank you so much for the information - I do appreciate it - when with my mentor on Wed. night he also showed me how to get my hands back from BBO and to analyze them and view and learn from my mistakes - this can only help my game - with all the support and assistance I have received from BIL, my mentor, many on line and YOU, I am thrilled to see my game improving slightly Once again, thank you for the tremendous job you do. You're truly unbelievable! Thank you for all the help you give me. I am very proud to belong to this generous and special club. Everyone appreciates our special place in the BIL! Everyone appreciates what you do for us. I consider the opportunity to be involved as a once in a lifetime experience. Once again, thank you for your magnificent contributions to the game and for all the help you've given to so many of us! The club has given me many hours of wonderful bridge experiences, and I treasure all of its members and especially you! Without BIL, I would have missed many hours of enjoyment! Thank YOU! Thanks so much for your continued thoughtfulness, Maureen! I appreciate itI have met so many wonderful people through the BIL I want to thank you ( Mentor) for all of your time and commitment to me and the group for the last 6 months. It was very rewarding and has helped me greatly in my quest for a better Bridge game. I was just going through all of the many pages of info you sent me. You could write a book, with all of the data. I myself am going to put into a 3 hole binder.......with Leland on the cover. I will see you on BBO and hope we will get to play. Thank you for the wonderful club and all the help that I have had. I love the BIL. You've built a club in which members are friendly and helpful. My thanks to you and to all the volunteers in the BIL. . I want to use this opportunity to tell you how much I enjoy the mentoring sessions with my mentor. He is extremely thorough and methodical and has vast knowledge of the bridge game thanks for providing the BIL, its truly a great place for learning to play bridge. I am so impressed with the Bilies and such a nice group of bridge players. All clubs should have this clubs zero tolerance Thank you, for arranging for Barbara to teach, and thank you for allowing me to sit at the table. It was an fun and educational experience. You do so much to help beginner and intermediate players learn. We are all in your debt. Was an honor and a pleasure to be there with so marvelous woman and teacher. Thank you for the opportunity, and for every thing you do for us. I love tthe BILso much. You are a gem. I was thrilled to be able to participate in the session with Barbara Seagram. She is truly amazing and I learned so much from the session. I want to take this opportunity to tell you that the BIL is so wonderful. I don't think I would have learned nearly as much valuable information about Bridge and would certainly not be improving. I tell everyone that I meet in the bridge world about the BIL and really promote it. I also love my mentor (onlyyuman) . She is a wonderful mentor who teaches with kindness and so much knowledge. Thanks again for the BIL and all you do to keep it running. I think I can speak for all of us Bilies when I say that it is the best thing to promote bridge education since sliced bread. Thanks again for the thoughtful card. You are a very sweet person and I am glad I joined so I could meet all my new online friends Thank you so much! I really enjoyed the class. I am glad she stops us, corrects the play and then discusses the reason. I find that I cannot remember the tricks after the hand has been played. I so enjoy playing Bridge on BIL and appreciate the hard work that all of you put into making this an awesome site for beginner players! I think your vision for BIL is perfect! Thank you!!! Thank you so much for pairing me up with her. I have enjoyed every class. We have talked about meeting to play once in a while so I will look forward to that.Thanks again for all you do. I really appreciate it. The BIL is a wonderful place to play and learn. Thank you for all that you do I am also grateful for the support that you have given me since I joined BIL. What a great place to play bridge this site is! You have done an amazing job with starting BIL and all the wonderful programs that you have incorporated. Just trying to navigate through the website is challenging. You have my greatest admiration i simply wanted to say a big thank you for all the voluntary work you do to give us such a an active and instructive club environment. I’m really looking forward to the first lesson from Kathy shortly you have started and nurtured, and grown a wonderful thing in BIL. I recommend it to everyone I play with and against who could do with some extra help. The trouble is your 'baby' has grown up, and people want to marry it, and take it on honey moon, and give it a new job...lol I know I speak for all, when I say that you are hugely respected and a real star. Thank you for all that you do for the club. I love the club. I have learned so much since joining. My admiration for you is immense. Your achievements are something to be so very proud of. I hope you find time to enjoy a bridge game and relax. Take care and hopefully take a holiday. You do a great job. And I for one of many thank you; See you next week. Life is good!!!! You certainly DESERVE a holiday, it's unbelievable how much you do for us in the BIL. But if you took a holiday, what on earth would become of us all? Your BIL baby has grown into a big strong adult but we parasites that feed on it aren't capable of existing without the mother who keeps the body whole. ........I never cease to be appreciative at what you achieve with thousands of us with our bridge.Without BIL on BBO I would never have achieved where I am today with my bridge. Your dedication and support is very special. thank you so much for what you have done for this game. You are truly a remarkable person and words cannot begin to express my gratitude. Fred's mentoring session was fantastic, as all the ones you've arranged have been!! Once again, many, many thanks!!! Thankyou soooo much for ‘lessons with Fred’-was absolutely great Thank you so much for this afternoon's opportunity to play with Fred G.; it was fun to be a part of a team that set him; thank you again for a lifetime opportunity. Thank you so much for making that session with Fred possible!! It was so interesting to hear the way he thought everything through and reassuring to see that even he got it wrong sometimes!! Yes - a great evening. Thank you :) It is amazing that such a fine organization such as the BIL exists. But it does and YOU are the one that brought it to life. What a privilege to be part of it. I enjoyed every minute with you and your members....they really are a super group of people.!! It is an honour to be part of such a nice club! Congrats on your 10th anniversary and a very fun celebration. What fun! Show up and win a prize! What a nice surprise. Thanks so much for the gift and for BIL. I really enjoyed playing in The BIL Birthday Marathon Tourneys. I know a lot of organization and hard work goes into such a fine and fun celebration. I appreciate all that you and your good team of volunteers do to make the BIL such a wonderful place! I truly love the BIL! Maureen - wanted to THANK YOU for everything you do and have done - I have so enjoyed ALL aspects of the BIL - it has been amazing all the support and learning - it is the best place to play and learn bridge - forever grateful :) Thank you Maureen for the BIL, congratulations for the new organisation (BILlies retreat is magical The BIL is a wonderful resource for all those interested in bridge I really appreciate all those who give freely of their time. Congratulations to you and your people on a wonderful September so far in BIL. I'm sure that what's coming now, as the celebration continues, will be even better! The BIL is a fantastic mechanism - keep up the great work, we all do appreciate the BIL and what it stands for I can't imagine that I'd have over 50 masterpoints in my 18 month bridge playing "career" without the BIL. you are a Jewell: always taking care of all of us I hope you've been been able to take some time off from BIL and relax today with real-life friends. I can't restrain myself from congratulating you on your birthday and reminding you about the wonderful way you've made an impact on this planet with BIL bridge, and the personal way you molded it. Many thanks for all you have done and continue to do to make learning the game of bridge such a pleasurable adventure! I went through learn to play bridge 1 and 2.... threw myself into BBO .....and was IMMEDIATELY refered to the BIL ....lol I could not have landed it better hands! The BIL has made my retirement so much nicer. I started playing bridge 45 years ago. When i joined BBO, i thought I could label myself "advanced". After completely embarrassing myself at several tables, I realized i knew nothing about modern bridge. The only conventions that i played were Stayman, Gerber, and reg Blackwood. I started attending classes in the BIL. I had soooo much to learn. Thank you for all your efforts. You have worked tirelessly. I know because I was here in 2003. It is almost impossible to think that you have come from there to here, and 'here' is a first class Bridge Club available to everyone, except those that misbehave, hehehe. Enjoy your plaudits, you deserve every one. The celebrations have been outstanding - I am HAVE SO much enjoyed every aspect - wonderful learning and practice I would never have achieved anything without BIL. Thank you for all your efforts and dedication. What a fantastic collection! Once again, thank you!! You have done such a phenomenal job in creating a wonderful celebration for the BIL's 10th Anniversary - we, who benefit so much, will never be able to thank you enough!! thank you for all the time and trouble you take to make the BIL such a great club. I enjoy all the lessons in Billies and learn so much, your efforts and work in the BIL are such a treasure to us all. Maureen Hall has provided an extraordinary venue for beginner and intermediate bridge players to learn and practice. She worked very hard, she made it happen, and she continues! On this 10th Anniversary of the BIL, I would like to say thank you, Maureen, for giving all of us this ‘safe haven’ to learn and enjoy the game of bridge. I can't measure how much the BIL has helped me. I am one of your biggest supporters. I tell anyone who will listen what a great resourse it is My thanks to you for founding the BIL, I have made huge progress since I became a member. Also thanks to all those volunteers who made this birthday month so much fun I do hope you've seen how we all really are so happy with what you've created, how it developed to what it is today and that we are looking forward to many more celebrations :) I must say , what BBO and Bilbridge offer looks very impressive and a lot of work, effort and commitment must have gone into it; so well done to you. I am very impressed with your organization. - I am grateful to the BIL - I have learned SO much and met some wonderful people The mentor you assigned me not too long ago was a BIG help. Had me creating a bidding chart - such is studied almost everyday. I use the knowledge gained from her constantly. So many thanks for that. I think your Gazette is outstanding!!! My hat is off to a wonderful and hard working/giving lady Thanks very much for signing me as a member of Fred Nlobe's group. I already feel happier and more confident as a bridge player. His lessons and explanations are very clear and understandable. He sends us transcripts and homework for every lesson and I am certainly appreciative for the time he spends helping us voluntarily. I couldn't ask for a better mentor and feel very fortunate to be part of this group. Just wanted you to know how happy I am with the programs and opportunities I have here at the Bil Bridge. Roberta is an outstanding teacher, she sent us preparation notes prior to the lessons and summary following the lessons which made it easier to absorb and practice the new materials. It was a pleasure! I use the practice sessions when ever I can; I am still amazed at how orgainized you are. Over the years, as a volunteer non-profit worker, I have mentioned to Govt and self employed business about being orgaanized. Maureen, I must admit, you are the first one who I have encountered who are so organized and hands on. I have encountered many many. So please accept my compliment. It is coming from the heart. You are indeed an example. Wow, Maureen the kindness you show us (the users of your site) is absolutely so generous. I am so happy to have found your site, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and ask that you also think of yourself too.. Do not tire yourself too much... keep well and thank you so much for your kindness and all your work. Thank you. Will utilize this information. As always you are so prompt. Very much appreciated. Quite a learning curve for some of us. Great site. So pleased to have found BIL. the BIL has been so helpful for me; I am a much better player than I was prior to joining. My mentors have been great; the classes are wonderful. I thank you for starting and managing this cub and know many others are also very grateful. I hope the BIL continues to thrive You, yes you, are responsible (I will hold you to that) for me learning how to play this wild, crazy, "game". Perfect time, perfect place. You have done that for many others who may not write. But .. thank you, very, very, much.No one can take your place. I am so impressed by the amount of time it must take to put the Gazette together. The contributions,tid bits and letters are so worthwhile. I still think, so often, what a lucky find the BIL Club has been, and try to promote the club whenever I get the opportunity. Your wonderful work has given me a place to play bridge and a wonderful Mentor. I was delighted to be asked to meet with these BIL BBO'ers and go to an outing in Toronto with them (December 2, 2013). I have attached a picture of this new expanded group. What a delightful group! Maureen you have started something so wonderful and it keeps having such unexpected other wonderful results. I loved the time I spent in the BIL the people are great I will always carry a soft spot for the kindness and warmth of the club Thanks for all the wonderful things you and the BIL volunteers do! You and your Team have done a great Job. I am really impressed with BIL. Thank you, again, for all you do for me, as a new bridge player. I appreciate you and your wonderful BIL, more than you can imagine. I’m so impressed with the Bil Bridge you created, and all the additional programs you run. I enjoy every minute I’m there. Thanks, Maureen, for all you and your helpers do. I get so much pleasure out of working with people who are enthusiastic and eager to learn. I've made several very good friends You are so smart, energetic, gracious............I could go on, but you get the picture; it has been a great pleasure to get to know you and to work with you even in my small way I have gotten so much more from BIL than I can ever give back. If it wasn't for BIL, and you of course, I doubt I would have become the bridge addict I did - LOL Don''t know what I would have done without the BIL. I would have never learned Bridge, which has become my passion. I would never have met all the nice people I play and talk to online. Plus in f2f Bridge Tournaments in Canada and the US I have also been invited to play with these people and have made so many new friends. It been so much fun your hard work and dedication over the years will keep the BIL thriving for a very long time Thank you very much for all your help! And thank you for finding my Mentor. He is a great teacher and has a good sense of humor It is you that we all need to thank for conceiving of the BIL and getting it started, as well as maintaining it. I believe it has made a difference to many individuals
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