Retired teacher switches subjects to bridge building / 1-19-12
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by Doug VanderLaan
Editor
As a 35-year teacher of English and language arts at Thornapple Kellogg Public Schools in Middleville, Gerald Stein grew accustomed to turning the pages of compositions and book reports. Today, in the freedom of retirement, Stein has found renewal — and some ability — in turning playing cards.
“I learned how to play bridge in high school and then got hooked up with the game through a graduate student during my years at Central Michigan University,” says Stein, 65. “Professor West, a chemistry teacher, was the coach of our team, and I remember going to places as far as Bowling Green University for games.”
Unlike many bridge aficionados who drifted away from the game after learning it at an early age, Stein and his wife, Regina, looked at bridge as a way to introduce themselves to the new community of Middleville when they arrived in 1969 — and then nearly collapsed from their exposure to the game.
“I found out that Hastings was a really big bridge-playing town, and I told Regina that we should join a group at St. Rose Church as a way to get to know people,” Stein chuckles today. “Well, we had also already joined the Middleville Reading Club which was doing the same thing.
“The St. Rose club had a big tournament that lasted from September to May and you played 10 matches — five of which you had to host in your home and five in the homes of other people. It was a great way to meet new couples, but we found out that a lot of couples were older and went to Florida for the winter.
“They would all come home at the end of April and, in order to get the 10 matches played in one year, we had to play seven nights of bridge in seven nights.”
Overexposure never waned the enthusiasm of the Steins — it fueled it.
Today Gerald is an accredited bridge teacher, certified through the American Contract Bridge League. He’s taught the game privately, to community education classes in the area, and this week begins a stint as a bridge columnist for the Hastings Banner.
He’ll also be leading a nine-week introductory class to held at the Regional Manufacturing Training Center in Battle Creek on Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon, beginning Jan. 29. Reservations are still being taken at 269-948-9500 ext. 2804 or by calling Stein at 269-795-3713.
Stein’s passion is to help build the game to the high level it once enjoyed in nearly every community in America.
“It’s a game that is always evolving,” marvels Stein of the one card game that combines intellect with good fortune. “It’s still played with 52 cards, and you still have hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades — but there are always new conventions and new ways of doing things.”
Stein concedes that bridge, like many table games, may be fading from the radar screens of younger people, but he’s quick to point out the game’s advantages and the ACBL’s response to the challenge.
“The ACBL has 165,000 members and [the continued popularity of the game] is a worry of theirs. If you want new players, you have to teach them; you have to welcome them. Today, there are a lot of bridge software packages and there’s even an app for the Smartphone.
“We want to encourage kids to play. We want them to have choices rather than just texting all day — and there’s not much violence in bridge.”
Stein points out the game has perhaps the greatest ambassadors who play as bridge partners and who have targeted interesting younger people in the game: Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.
Though the Steins have yet to meet or to match wits against that stellar duo, they have met many people throughout the country in their loving pursuit of the game.
Each week, the couple drives 40 miles to a bridge club in Kalamazoo and recently participated in a masters point tournament in Louisville, Ky., that attracted 10,000 players for a 10-day event. They stay apprised of table talk, technical tips and national news from 3,200 bridge clubs and 1,110 tournaments held in North America through Bridge Bulletin magazine.
“Frank Stewart (a leading bridge expert) says that, of the 165,000 ACBL members, only 1 percent of them are interested in playing competitively,” says Stein. “My interest is in sharing something I like to do with others.”
Editor
As a 35-year teacher of English and language arts at Thornapple Kellogg Public Schools in Middleville, Gerald Stein grew accustomed to turning the pages of compositions and book reports. Today, in the freedom of retirement, Stein has found renewal — and some ability — in turning playing cards.
“I learned how to play bridge in high school and then got hooked up with the game through a graduate student during my years at Central Michigan University,” says Stein, 65. “Professor West, a chemistry teacher, was the coach of our team, and I remember going to places as far as Bowling Green University for games.”
Unlike many bridge aficionados who drifted away from the game after learning it at an early age, Stein and his wife, Regina, looked at bridge as a way to introduce themselves to the new community of Middleville when they arrived in 1969 — and then nearly collapsed from their exposure to the game.
“I found out that Hastings was a really big bridge-playing town, and I told Regina that we should join a group at St. Rose Church as a way to get to know people,” Stein chuckles today. “Well, we had also already joined the Middleville Reading Club which was doing the same thing.
“The St. Rose club had a big tournament that lasted from September to May and you played 10 matches — five of which you had to host in your home and five in the homes of other people. It was a great way to meet new couples, but we found out that a lot of couples were older and went to Florida for the winter.
“They would all come home at the end of April and, in order to get the 10 matches played in one year, we had to play seven nights of bridge in seven nights.”
Overexposure never waned the enthusiasm of the Steins — it fueled it.
Today Gerald is an accredited bridge teacher, certified through the American Contract Bridge League. He’s taught the game privately, to community education classes in the area, and this week begins a stint as a bridge columnist for the Hastings Banner.
He’ll also be leading a nine-week introductory class to held at the Regional Manufacturing Training Center in Battle Creek on Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon, beginning Jan. 29. Reservations are still being taken at 269-948-9500 ext. 2804 or by calling Stein at 269-795-3713.
Stein’s passion is to help build the game to the high level it once enjoyed in nearly every community in America.
“It’s a game that is always evolving,” marvels Stein of the one card game that combines intellect with good fortune. “It’s still played with 52 cards, and you still have hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades — but there are always new conventions and new ways of doing things.”
Stein concedes that bridge, like many table games, may be fading from the radar screens of younger people, but he’s quick to point out the game’s advantages and the ACBL’s response to the challenge.
“The ACBL has 165,000 members and [the continued popularity of the game] is a worry of theirs. If you want new players, you have to teach them; you have to welcome them. Today, there are a lot of bridge software packages and there’s even an app for the Smartphone.
“We want to encourage kids to play. We want them to have choices rather than just texting all day — and there’s not much violence in bridge.”
Stein points out the game has perhaps the greatest ambassadors who play as bridge partners and who have targeted interesting younger people in the game: Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.
Though the Steins have yet to meet or to match wits against that stellar duo, they have met many people throughout the country in their loving pursuit of the game.
Each week, the couple drives 40 miles to a bridge club in Kalamazoo and recently participated in a masters point tournament in Louisville, Ky., that attracted 10,000 players for a 10-day event. They stay apprised of table talk, technical tips and national news from 3,200 bridge clubs and 1,110 tournaments held in North America through Bridge Bulletin magazine.
“Frank Stewart (a leading bridge expert) says that, of the 165,000 ACBL members, only 1 percent of them are interested in playing competitively,” says Stein. “My interest is in sharing something I like to do with others.”
