The team of John Duong, Max Cheng, Olivia Laufer and Martin Chen, named after the scientific term for UW’s unofficial mascot, the Canadian Goose, The Branta Candensis, showcased their skill set and earned themselves a spot to compete in the annual Collegiate Bridge Bowl. The team earned an all-expenses-paid travel opportunity to compete in the Collegiate Bridge Bridge Bowl by finishing first in the February team bridge event. They were one of five teams awarded complimentary travel packages to compete in this North American collegiate competition.
This event will feature the top bridge players from various colleges and universities throughout Canada and the U.S. The competition is set to take place on July 25-27 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. They will be competing for the grand prize of $10,000 in scholarship, awarded to the team finishing first.
To gain more insight into these outstanding accomplishments paired with this amazing opportunity, I sat down with Olivia Laufer, a fourth-year computer science student and the lead of the UW bridge club.
Laufer shared that bridge is something that runs deep in her family tree, “I am a product of bridge, my parents met at a bridge tournament.” Ironically enough, it is no surprise that she started playing the game at the ripe age of seven years old. “Bridge is a game that combines theory and strong mathematical problem-solving and probability skills. It is not just something you can just pick up and be great at — it requires hours of practice and a strong understanding of the game to play at a high level.” With this being the case, it is no surprise that the eternity of the team going to represent UW is majoring in heavy math-based programs, including computer science, engineering, and math.
When getting more into the details about the team as a whole, Laufer shared that “for the most part, the bridge community is relatively small,” citing that not only did she know the majority of the members on the bridge team at UW before attending UW, but they are also teammates on the Canadian National Bridge Team.
This is not the first time that this team will be entering the Collegiate Bridge Bowl together. “For the most part, our core group is the same with a few new people joining from years past.” Laufer shared that this is the second year she will be attending the Collegiate Bridge Bowl. Last year the team qualified to compete on the last day but ultimately fell short of winning the grand prize. This year the Branta Candensis will look to flip the script and take home first-place honours.
Any students interested in learning how to play or joining the UW Bridge Club can reach out to oerlaufe@uwaterloo.ca for more information.
