The Western Mustangs bridge team is heading to Philadelphia for major competition
A team of students from the Western University Mustangs bridge team recently won a top spot to compete at this year's Collegiate Bridge Bowl competition in Philadelphia this summer.
After coming in fourth place in an online qualifying tournament where they competed against 37 other post-secondary teams from Canada and the U.S. in February, the Mustangs won travel packages to attend the bowl.
Simon Hungate, a Western engineering student and captain of the bridge team, said he and his teammates Garrett Liu, Jeffrey Martinovic, Rachel Penney and Sean McBride were thrilled when they received the unexpected news.
"To have the opportunity to get to go to Philadelphia and play against all the other top collegiate players in North America, we're all really excited," he said. "We're excited to represent Western, and also excited to meet other people our age who are playing the game."
The Mustangs will compete against more than 20 other teams at the end of July for the top prize $10,000.
A 'challenging, engaging' game
Bridge is a trick-taking card game played by four players in two partnerships, using a standard deck. They compete to win tricks by bidding and strategically playing cards. Scoring in bridge rewards successful contracts and penalizes failures, with strategy, communication, and memory playing key roles.
Hungate said the game forces him and his peers to think critically.
"I think it's very challenging, it's engaging and it's a puzzle," said Hungate. "That idea that you're always having a problem to solve and you're always having to figure stuff out, and you're doing it with a partner… at the table, to me is extremely appealing."
Hungate said his love for the game came from playing with his late grandfather during summer visits, starting when he was about 12 years old. When he started university, he was eager to form his own team and teach his friends how to play the game.
Before every match, Hungate and his teammates gather weekly for practice sessions and discuss the different playing styles involved in the game.
"It's a lot of fun at the end of the day," he said. "We'll sit and someone will bring baked goods or we'll have a snack, and we'll play and we'll chat."
The Mustangs will compete for scholarship money, with a $10,000 prize for the top team and $3,000 for the first-place pair.
"[Winning] would help us grow the game at Western because that's one of the primary goals," said Hungate. "Obviously, we want to compete and win, but we also want to get other people playing. This is a social game as well as a competitive game."
The 2025 Collegiate Bridge Bowl will take place from July 31 to August 2 in Pennsylvania.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Ottawa Citizen
WHL champion, Regina Pats captain, Navy commander Bill Ansell dies at 63
Former Regina Pats captain Bill Ansell died at age 63 on Monday, one day after moving into palliative care because of pancreatic cancer. Article content Ansell won a Western Hockey League championship with the 1979-80 Pats. He became their captain the following season before playing for Hall of Fame coach Clare Drake with the University of Alberta Golden Bears. Ansell spent 33 years in the Royal Canadian Navy, serving on the HMSC Regina, before recently retiring as a lieutenant-commander in Sidney, B.C. Article content Article content 'Billy was the ultimate team guy,' said former NHLer Mike Blaisdell, a teammate on the 1979-80 Pats. 'Always positive, came to the rink with a smile on his face. He gained the respect of his teammates and coaches by his actions every day. Article content Article content 'He was a helluva hockey player. He won battles in every end of the rink. Smart payer, focused on the team's success. Played bigger than his size and never quit. I'll always remember how important he was to our WHL champion team.' Article content After playing minor hockey in Regina, at 5-foot-10 and 179 pounds Ansell tallied 182 points on 69 goals and 113 assists through 152 games in 2 1/2 WHL seasons with the Pats. He added 15 goals and 17 assists in 28 playoff contests. Ansell played 120 games for the Golden Bears, winning the 1986 national university championship and recording 42 goals and 58 assists during five seasons. Article content Article content Ansell was recently featured in a Leader-Post column, where he spoke about a cancer diagnosis that had originally given him four months to live. He was optimistic about a new treatment that could extend his life for another year while he hoped to hear from friends and former teammates. Article content Article content 'There's been lots of reaction,' Ansell said afterwards. 'I've heard from lots of people.' Article content Ansell was predeceased by his mother Maxine and father Ron, a long-time senior hockey player who coached the Regina Pat Canadians before scouting for the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and retiring to Vancouver Island in 1980. Bill Ansell's wife, Leslie, died from cancer earlier this year. He is survived by her three children, three grandchildren, siblings Max, Pat (a former Pats goalie) and Dawn and their families. Article content
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Feelings come 'roaring back' for former CFL star quarterback Doug Flutie in Calgary
CALGARY – Doug Flutie expects to feel the itch Saturday. One of the greatest CFL quarterbacks of all time will be on the sidelines of the Calgary Stampeders' season-opener against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as Flutie and other alumni celebrate the Stampeders' 80th anniversary. 'That's the problem. If I'm on the sideline, I want to pick up a ball and throw it. I don't want to get hit anymore though,' the 62-year-old Flutie said Friday at McMahon Stadium. Knowing he would attend a reunion of sorts, Flutie says he watched some of the games he played with the Stampeders from 1992 to 1995 when he won three of his record six awards for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player, and led Calgary to a Grey Cup victory in '92. The frigid '92 Western final at McMahon also stands out for Flutie. His shoe flew off while scoring the winning touchdown on a quarterback sneak with half a minute remaining in the game. 'So many fond memories, so emotional too,' said Flutie. 'I went and re-watched some parts of games just to remember all the guys for sure and the emotions come right back and seeing the hugs on the sideline, the joy or the passion to try to win it all. 'It all comes roaring back. How close that team was, all the hugs on the sideline, the emotion of the guys, the scene in the locker room afterwards, all that type of footage.' The NFL's initial disinterest in the undersized Boston College star pivot sent Flutie north of the border where he played for the B.C. Lions, the Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts. Flutie won a pair of Grey Cups with the Argonauts. He still holds the record for the most passing yards in a single season with 6,619 in 1991 with the B.C. Lions. He threw for over 5,700 yards in five of his eight CFL seasons. Flutie's CFL exploits revitalized the NFL's interest and he went on to play for the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots. 'I am forever grateful to the CFL for kind of rekindling my career and getting me going and rebuilding my confidence, and it was fun,' Flutie said. 'When I was in the NFL, I was always fatigued. You're up early, you're in the office, extra long meetings all day, 12, 14-hour days. Because of the way this is set up, it's not like that. 'You had time on your own to go in and watch extra film if you felt like it. You hung out with the guys a lot more, so it was pure fun for eight years and I wouldn't change a thing.' Flutie was the first non-Canadian inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and entered the Canadian Football Hall of Fame the following year. Calgary's current special advisor John Hufnagel was Flutie's offensive co-ordinator during the quarterback's Stampeder days. 'He taught me the CFL game, the passing game,' Flutie said. 'In a lot of interviews, I'll talk about how I called my own plays and then I got back to the NFL and was back to having a radio in your helmet. 'Well, I could call my own plays because I stole Huff's offence and went to Toronto with it, right?' Flutie will join Marcus Crandell, who signed a one-day contract this week to officially retire as a Stampeder, kicker Mark McLoughlin, receivers Nik Lewis and Jeremaine Copeland, running back Jon Cornish and linebacker Alex Singleton among Stampeders alumni Saturday. Head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson was Flutie's successor as the team's quarterback after the latter departed for the Argonauts in 1996. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'Happy to have a bunch of the guys here, but Doug to me is still the tops in the CFL ever,' Dickenson said. Flutie, who lives in Florida and says he surfs a lot, addressed Dickenson's team Friday ahead of its first game of the 2025 season. 'My words of advice, different perspective, I'm 62 years old now, it's a short window of time, enjoy it, get to know each other,' Flutie said. 'Don't be lazy, be prepared and take advantage of the situation because it doesn't last long.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
Toronto Star
6 days ago
- Toronto Star
Feelings come 'roaring back' for former CFL star quarterback Doug Flutie in Calgary
CALGARY - Doug Flutie expects to feel the itch Saturday. One of the greatest CFL quarterbacks of all time will be on the sidelines of the Calgary Stampeders' season-opener against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as Flutie and other alumni celebrate the Stampeders' 80th anniversary. 'That's the problem. If I'm on the sideline, I want to pick up a ball and throw it. I don't want to get hit anymore though,' the 62-year-old Flutie said Friday at McMahon Stadium. Knowing he would attend a reunion of sorts, Flutie says he watched some of the games he played with the Stampeders from 1992 to 1995 when he won three of his record six awards for the CFL's Most Outstanding Player, and led Calgary to a Grey Cup victory in '92. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The frigid '92 Western final at McMahon also stands out for Flutie. His shoe flew off while scoring the winning touchdown on a quarterback sneak with half a minute remaining in the game. 'So many fond memories, so emotional too,' said Flutie. 'I went and re-watched some parts of games just to remember all the guys for sure and the emotions come right back and seeing the hugs on the sideline, the joy or the passion to try to win it all. 'It all comes roaring back. How close that team was, all the hugs on the sideline, the emotion of the guys, the scene in the locker room afterwards, all that type of footage.' The NFL's initial disinterest in the undersized Boston College star pivot sent Flutie north of the border where he played for the B.C. Lions, the Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts. Flutie won a pair of Grey Cups with the Argonauts. He still holds the record for the most passing yards in a single season with 6,619 in 1991 with the B.C. Lions. He threw for over 5,700 yards in five of his eight CFL seasons. Flutie's CFL exploits revitalized the NFL's interest and he went on to play for the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'I am forever grateful to the CFL for kind of rekindling my career and getting me going and rebuilding my confidence, and it was fun,' Flutie said. 'When I was in the NFL, I was always fatigued. You're up early, you're in the office, extra long meetings all day, 12, 14-hour days. Because of the way this is set up, it's not like that. 'You had time on your own to go in and watch extra film if you felt like it. You hung out with the guys a lot more, so it was pure fun for eight years and I wouldn't change a thing.' Flutie was the first non-Canadian inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and entered the Canadian Football Hall of Fame the following year. Calgary's current special advisor John Hufnagel was Flutie's offensive co-ordinator during the quarterback's Stampeder days. 'He taught me the CFL game, the passing game,' Flutie said. 'In a lot of interviews, I'll talk about how I called my own plays and then I got back to the NFL and was back to having a radio in your helmet. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Well, I could call my own plays because I stole Huff's offence and went to Toronto with it, right?' Flutie will join Marcus Crandell, who signed a one-day contract this week to officially retire as a Stampeder, kicker Mark McLoughlin, receivers Nik Lewis and Jeremaine Copeland, running back Jon Cornish and linebacker Alex Singleton among Stampeders alumni Saturday. Head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson was Flutie's successor as the team's quarterback after the latter departed for the Argonauts in 1996. 'Happy to have a bunch of the guys here, but Doug to me is still the tops in the CFL ever,' Dickenson said. Flutie, who lives in Florida and says he surfs a lot, addressed Dickenson's team Friday ahead of its first game of the 2025 season. 'My words of advice, different perspective, I'm 62 years old now, it's a short window of time, enjoy it, get to know each other,' Flutie said. 'Don't be lazy, be prepared and take advantage of the situation because it doesn't last long.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
