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Sasanka
Ramanadham
Duties:
Web Site, St. Louis Knockouts, Ask The Expert (ATE), &
Tournament Publicity
My
name is Sasanka Ramanadham and I am an Associate Professor
of Medicine in Washington University School of Medicine. I
have lived in St. Louis since 1991, which is my longest tenure
anywhere since I went through Junior High School and High
School in New York.
My
bridge playing began in 1995 when I registered for a class
at the U. City High School Beginner's class. I would have
had an earlier start except that when I registered for a similar
class in Houston in 1990 the instructor called the night before
to inform me that the class was cancelled because they did
not have enough registrants for even one table !!!! Suffice
it to say that I waited by the telephone in 1995 also but
the call never came and my life as a bridge player commenced.
I
owe my interest in card games and bridge to at least three
people. Firstly, there was my grandmother who taught her grandchildren
many different card games, including one which involved declaring
a trump suit. Secondly, there is my father who talked about
playing bridge during his college days raising my curiosity
about the game. Then there is my first and still tournament
partner Greg Barnes who I met in that beginner's class in
1995 and, within a few months convinced me to travel to play
in the Nationals in Miami. Let's just say that after winning
a few trophies there, I was hooked.
As
my regular partners will attest to, I have other interests
that do not include a card table. I enjoy more the thrill
of winning tournaments than accumulating points and have been
known to skip bridge tournaments for baseball games, golf,
or work. I also enjoy skiing and biking and have ridden to
raise money for the American Diabetes Association.
November 2004 was the
beginning of my term on the Board and I am looking forward to
contributing to a game that has given me a lot. For one, it
has provided me with a haven where I am able to forget about
everything else and enjoy the game for what it is "just a game".
More importantly, I have been introduced to a community of really
gifted and wonderful people from many walks of life and I am
happy to call many of them my friends, even away from a "bridge
venue". I am not sure what challenges we will face over the
next three years, but I will try to do my part in promoting
the game to novices and make the game a more enjoyable one for
everyone. My ultimate goal in bridge: Identify the "Phantom
Pair" that parade in and out of games.
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