[straube]

I expected as much from you. Not even clever.

[hotShot]

jdonn, on Apr 22 2010, 04:58 PM, said:

Except at the end he recommends replacing normal school subjects with bridge. How should I treat such a bad suggestion, coddle him? Of course that would be good for bridge, just as replacing normal school subjects with marbles would be good for the game of marbles. But bridge is a GAME, and is not anywhere near more important than what is currently taught.

Blasphemy

Spoiler

I know what sarcasm is.

[zasanya]

chasetb, on Apr 21 2010, 07:55 PM, said:

As one of the young players, I believe that my personal experience can shed the light needed.  I am 22, a college senior, and have been playing Bridge for just over 13 months now.  I learned Standard American entirely on my own by reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bridge (1st Edition) and entirely because I was bored (new Quarter) and wanted to understand the daily column in the local newspaper.

I have tried to teach my friends, but most laugh it off.  The top 2 reasons are that "It's a rich old person's game" and "I don't have the time". I can understand the time aspect- I can't play in the local game because of classes; I make a 90 minute drive one-way once every two or three weeks to Pittsburgh to play.  The one person that did try to learn from me gave up after 3 weeks because he didn't want to spend the little bit of time every day to learn it- he tried 90 minute sessions once a week, and it didn't work.  He just didn't want to put in the 30 minutes a day I told him to, and I racked up $3 in late fees for nothing.

The perspective is that it just seems like a pain to spend all that time in the beginning when you aren't getting any satisfaction. Conversely, I can pop in Call of Duty- Modern Warfare 2, and within 5 minutes I am talking smack when getting kills, and calling people cheaters when they kill me. Technology created instant gratification, and Bridge just doesn't provide it (at first).

I am the youngest person at any local tournament; I am the youngest at my club by almost 30 years, and I would guess the average age at the club is pushing 65.  Of these players, very few, if any have taught their children to play Bridge.  We have had 2-3 people join in the past 6 months, and they are in their 60's and came from playing Party bridge.

At the club (which has roughly 65-70 members and has no clubs within 20 miles), there are only 10 people including myself that can play 2/1, and only myself that can play a Precision Club.  Of course, I live on the edge of nowhere in West Virginia, but even in Pittsburgh, PA, there are only 5-6 people up there that play Precision Club, and over half of all the people from Pittsburgh I would say play Standard American with a tweak here or there.

All Clubs in the US control what systems can be played, but to ensure they make money, 99.9% use the ACBL GCC.  After all, when over half the people play Standard American, you don't want to scare them and lose their money by allowing a Strong Pass, or even possibly a Polish Club system. System regulations ensure that Bridge can survive.  I would like to see that at a National or International event that anything goes, but it's crazy to remove them at anything less then a world class event.

If you want to swell the ranks of younger players, you need to have a widespread movement.  Start teaching it in schools, and start spreading the word that to become rich like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, you need to play Bridge.  Public schools in Cleveland, OH, are supposed to start teaching 7th and 8th graders Bridge this September if they want to not take a math class, so that's a start.  If you can expand that to all major cities, but replace Home Ec. or other not important classes, you could solve the youth problem.

Otherwise, the few young people that do play today have either been taught by family, or are the unusual person who picks it up like me.  If it wasn't for that column in the local paper, I wouldn't be posting this today...

-Chase B.

I think your post confirms my belief that the thrust target group should be 'over 30' population who have leisure time, and the spending power and are no longer interested in break-neck speed or mindless violence which the youngsters find attractive.Homemakers is another promising target group.I think persuing school and college kids to take up bridge is almost a waste of time.
Minibridge is the best way to start teaching bridge and references to cult figures like Bill Gates or Omar Sharif is useful.