Better Bridge in Barry County
By
Gerald Stein
Learn Bridge in a Day? How is that possible? Many of
you know and will acknowledge that it has taken you years to learn how to play
bridge. The key, of course, is that no, you will not learn everything there is
to know about playing bridge in a one-day class. You will, however, learn in a five-hour
seminar the basics about the three aspects of bridge: the bidding, the play of
the hand, and the scoring. Once you have the basic building blocks of bridge
and you can see the overall view of one of the most exciting and challenging of
card games, you will know whether you want to continue playing and learning more
about this wonderful game of bridge.
“Learn Bridge in a Day?” is a program for beginning
bridge players, players who have never played bridge before, but who have heard of bridge from others and would
like to learn more before taking classes. They may have seen couples playing
bridge on cruise ships, at home parties, online, or bridge columns in
newspapers. They may know people who play and who have encouraged them to learn
this fascinating game. Others who may have learned bridge many years ago may be
interested in a refresher course, and “Learn Bridge in a Day?” is the perfect
way to discover the new methods, terms, and innovations that have developed
since those college days when students would rather play bridge than do
homework or go to classes.
Whatever your status, beginner or experienced
player, a one-day seminar of “Learn Bridge in a Day?” is coming to the Hastings
area on March 1st, 2014. This class was developed by two Atlanta,
Georgia, bridge players, Patty Tucker and Melissa Bernhardt, in April of 2010.
They formed a limited partnership called Whirlwind
Bridge, an apt name for the intensity and the amount of information
students gain after just a few hours of instruction. Both bridge instructors saw
the need to introduce bridge to new players who had never played bridge before,
players who needed or wanted refresher information, and young people in the
Atlanta area who could benefit from the social as well as the mental aspects of
this game we call bridge.
Since April 2010, numerous classes have been held in
large and small cities around America. The first class had a total of 149
participants during the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta. Georgia. Memphis, Tennessee
hosted a class with twenty school teachers to take bridge to their classrooms
as an after-school program. Over 300 students signed up for their classes. On
college campuses, in late January 2012, an extension of “Learn Bridge in a Day?”
was presented to 20 college students. Closer to Hastings and Barry County, the “Learn
Bridge in a Day?” program has been offered three times in the past year and a
half with over 50 participants, both students and adults, learning and enjoying
this challenging game. Students have taken these classes in Kalamazoo at the
Kalamazoo Bridge Club and have enjoyed the fun, the amount of information, and
a solid introduction to bridge.
Barry County has long been a bridge-playing
community. Meeting new friends, hosting bridge parties, and enjoying the game
has brought our community together over the years. Encouraging new players to
begin playing bridge is something that we who have played bridge and enjoyed it
for years can give back to others. Encouraging students and retirees, working
adults --- all are invited to come and learn some new card tricks at the
Hastings Community Education and Recreation Center on March 1st,
2014. This Saturday program will begin at 9:30 AM and finish at 2:30 PM in the
afternoon. A lunch and instructional materials will be included in the $30 fee
for those registering for the class. Sign up now by calling the office of the
Hastings Community Education and Recreation Center at 948-4414? to be sure that
you will be ready to learn a wonderful, new, and exciting card game. You will
have fun as you learn. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday, March 1st,
2014.
Gerald Stein
February 10, 2014
Number of words: 700
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