The Reno Youth Bridge teaching program for 2011-2012 has registered 190 students as of November 1st with a few scattered additions each week. Where class sizes averaged about 8-10 students last year, this school year classes are averaging 15-17 students. Participating for the first time this year, Pine Middle School students are learning Bridge in a special elective class during the regular school periods four days a week. This should give their team an advantage in the coming tournaments with almost twice as much classroom work learning the game. Hillside Elementary School in Storey County was accepted into the program at their request and although students are in 3rd to 5th grade, they have had two or more years of attending classes and learning the game. In fact Hillside was invited to play in the RYB Silver Cup Team Game Championships last year and they did well. Mendive, Incline, Swope and Vaughn Middle Schools have been unable to form their Bridge teams as of this date. Teachers organizing their class for the first time are finding it difficult to get students who want to join a team that involves a game they never heard of. This is in strong contrast to the second year school teams who are registering as many as 23-25 students. It seems the school with returning Bridge team members are benefitting from their Bridge Team members talking to their buddies and telling them how much fun it is to learn and play this game of Bridge. Washoe County school teachers responsible for organizing, recruiting and teaching the student candidates for their school’s Bridge team are finding the after school environment much less formal than regular classrooms. This tests their class management skills and they are grateful for a RYB assistant teachers’ help controlling the class.
Among the many benefits received by students who take up the game is their increased proficiency in critical thinking, solving math problems and inferential analysis. For some reason, unknown to researchers so far, the ability to make reasonable inferences analyzing the actions by one’s opponent is a skill that is difficult to teach in the normal academic classroom environment. But playing card games like Poker, Chess, Cribbage or the granddaddy of all, Contract Bridge, exercises this skill and provides enrichment in the ability to do better solving all kinds of everyday problems. When asked what it is about Bridge that they like the best, most students answer that not only is the game fun to play and compete, but the hands are different all the time. They say they enjoy the partnership aspect although they have only scratched the surface of how partners, using a limited language called “Bridge Speak” communicate with each other. Bridge Speak is made up of 15 words and numerals that when used in the bidding to contract phase, allow a player to communicate the strength of his hand, the suit in which he holds the most cards, or if defending , whether he believes his side will defeat the Declarer’s contract. When he has nothing further to tell partner he just says Pass. Because of this limited number of words, phrases or numerals, bridge players can go anywhere in the world either by personal travel or by going online in a program called Bridge Base Online where he can sit down with one of 250,000 members to partner with from any country in the world and play the game.
Reno Youth Bridge, a 501(c)(3) non profit Nevada Corporation, is funded by the generous contributions from individuals, families and charitable foundations here in the Reno Community. None of the RYB Directors or Officers receive compensation for their services. WCSD Certified teachers at each of the participating schools do receive a stipend for their volunteer efforts to teach the game of Bridge to WCSD Middle School Students. If you would like to help us fund our program we have provided the convenience of Pay Pal Credit card services. Just click on the Donate Button on any page or call Bud Brewer at 775-849-4113. Thank You!
