cherdano, on Oct 15 2007, 02:45 AM, said:
Anyway, are you really so sure the Rodwells and Versaces take it as such a big privilege to "represent their country" every single time?
I am sure about Rodwell. He has been my friend for over 20 years.
I do not know Versace very well personally, but I get the strong sense that he (rightly!) takes a great deal of pride in representing Italy (every single time). I would be very surprised if he or any of his current teammates said that, for them, it was not a privilege to represent their country in the World Championships (every single time).
I realize Rodwell and Versace were just random names, but as I said before I think that almost all players who reach this level would feel the same way regardless of which country they come from, how they feel about their countries, and whether or not they are professional players.
For those international players who feel differently, I would expect most would be smart enough to keep this to themselves. A quick glance at the posts made in this thread by those who have played intentionally is further indication that I might actually be right about this (yes I know the sample is small and biased).
Was I unfair to Jon? He was the one who asserted that "it is not a privilege to play for your country in the World Championships" even though this is something he has never experienced himself. He did not include "IMO" or "for me".
Like Mrdct and Walddk who say so explicitly and like Hedyg and other posters who I think I can safely infer feels the same way, some of the proudest moments of my life came when I was representing my country (countries actually in my case).
It has without a doubt been a privilege and an honor for me to have had a chance to do this.
I wrote the post in question because I met Jon at a recent ACBL Nationals. I liked him and, as a result of playing a lot of boards against him, my impression was that he has potential and ambitions as a player.
Other posters with zero bridge credentials as far as I am aware of have made similarly ignorant remarks in this thread. They did not receive any free advice posts from me. If anything it is a compliment to Jon that I care enough to try to save him future pain and frustration. It would have been a lot easier for me to conclude "what an ignorant jerk" and go on reading the next post.
Believe it or not, I was trying to do Jon a favor by saving him from learning an important lesson the hard way (that speaking with an air of authority about subjects you know nothing about is not a good way to make friends and influence people in the bridge world).
Perhaps it would have been more appropriate to use e-mail, but I was also was trying to make a point that is relevant to this discussion:
It is a privilege to play for your country in the World Championships.
I believe that this particular point neeeded to be stated by someone who knows from personal experience that it is true.
Anyways sorry if I ruffled any feathers out there.
Fred Gitelman
Bridge Base Inc.
www.bridgebase.com