Jacksonville’s Battle of the Sexes - Updated!

Ye Olde Battle of  the Sexes

It all started in the summer of 2004, when the usual lively banter was being exchanged during the lunch break of one of our regular club games.  Some naïve gentleman (name suppressed) asked why more men won the “A” strata on a regular basis than our ladies fair.   Unfortunately, he asked Michele Raeuber, a strong supporter of Women’s Rights and an ACBL Goodwill Ambassador to boot.  Is this an oxymoron?

 

But right there, on that fateful day, the Battle was enjoined.  WE would show who could play this durn game and there would be no doubt about it.  A date was set for the fall and a $10.00 minimum entry fee was agreed to make this a great charity game.  In the meantime, team captains were chosen and a format of nine teams per side playing 4 boards per round in a Swiss format (Win 1, tie ½ Lose 0) was agreed.

 

During the next 10 weeks the Club walls started to sprout antagonizing posters.  Every day, two or three new posters appeared on the club walls and those who attended our Remlinger Sectional in October, saw some 50 or more posters, all deviously concocted by Geoffrey Cross. And in that 10-week period he certainly stirred it up with posters like:

 

“Blood Will Flow”

“Guns Must Be Checked at the Door. Knives Optional”

“Cleavage Encouraged”

“ What A Pity the Ladies will not want a Rematch”

“If It Is Only A Game, How Come Both Sides Are Nervous”

“No Carpetbaggers, You Must Be a Club Member”

 

On Game Day, many dressed appropriately for the occasion (but cleavage was noticeably absent).  The Rounds went by and the Warriors built up a 6-point lead through Round 6. But the Valkyries rallied in the next 2 rounds and the Warriors were up by only 1 and nervous going into the last round.

 

As the game drew to a close, everyone stood at the scoreboard and cheered or booed as the last scores were recorded. With one score outstanding, it was tied at 40-40!!!!!!!!! And then to tumultuous cheers, it was announced that the Valkyries had won the final match and were the CHAMPIONS.  The Warriors were distraught and not looking forward to the next few days.  But then …  Mutterings amongst the Warriors.  Had there been a miscount on the final score? How could it be?   The match was between the Valkyries No. 1 team and the Warriors No. 9 team.  And yes, those lowly, wonderful Warrior “C” players had beaten their Valkyries’  “A+” opponents!!!  What a day and what an event.

It all starts again on September 12, 2005, when the 1st poster and the team sign up sheets will be posted. 
The Battle is on November 12!

 

On Sunday, August 1st 2004, the Jacksonville School of Bridge ran a special charity event … the Battle of the Sexes!  It was Michelle Raeuber that came up with the original idea, she thought it only fair to give the men a chance to prove that they really can play as well as the women.  The battle-lines were drawn, and Team Captains appointed … Julie Bradley for the Ladies, and Doug Rollings for the Gentlemen.  In next to no time, each side had signed up 9 teams of four, experts and novices alike, all were eager to do battle and to defend the honor of their sex.

 

The format of the event was a little unusual … each team-of-four would play all 9 teams from the other side … 9 rounds of 9 matches, 81 matches in all.  Each match would be a scant 4 boards, a grueling 36 boards total.  Scoring was at IMPs, and then converted to a win, loss, or draw.  So, 81 total points were at stake, and 41 were required for bragging rights.  And, to keep the game moving along briskly, there were no team comparisons … instead, the Directors would collect pick-up slips, do the IMPing themselves, and post the results on a big scoreboard.

 

After the first round, it was all square at 4 ½ to 4 ½ .  Exciting stuff!  Then the Gentlemen started to pull away, and by the end of Round 5 they were ahead by 26-19, a whopping 7 point margin.  The Battle of the Sexes was turning into a slaughter, the bookies were no longer laying odds, and it was all but over.  But not so fast!  The Ladies mounted a comeback, clawing themselves back into contention, and suddenly, with one round to go the match was all tied up!

 

Tension was high as the final results were turned in … a win for the Gentlemen, another win for the Gentlemen, then a flurry of ties and wins for the Ladies.  When the dust had cleared, the final result appeared to be:

 

            Ladies             41

            Gentlemen     40

 

Mayhem and most unladylike celebrations ensued!  Alas, it was all premature, within a couple of minutes there was a score correction!  And a revised result …

 

            Gentlemen     41

            Ladies             40

 

The Ladies’ heroic and gallant triumph had suddenly turned into a fluky victory by those so-called Gentlemen.  This being Florida, the lawyers and auditors are still combing through the data, but unless they come up with some irregularities, this one will go down in the history books as a win for the Gentlemen.

 

Said the event’s organizer, Brian Gunnell, “Everybody loved the format, and there is talk of a rematch.  Those short matches acted as a great equalizer when the lower-ranked teams played the higher teams”.  Yes, indeed, if it had not been for a shocking last-round win by the men’s 9th ranked team over their top-ranked opponents, the overall result would have been different.

 

We’ll leave the final word to Michelle Raeuber.  “I sure wish we had won, but the actual result was fine, too, it’s so good for the game when the little guys win”.