High School Bridge Clubs Offer Chances for Young Players to Enjoy the Game

SiVY offers many opportunities for young people to learn to play bridge and play against other students, but many players want to find additional ways to enjoy bridge with their friends and improve their bridge skills. High school bridge clubs are one way to meet those goals.At present, SiVY players have formed bridge clubs at seven local high schools: three in Palo Alto-Gunn, Kehillah, and Palo Alto high schools-and one each at Leland (San Jose), Los Gatos, Monta Vista (Cupertino), and Mountain View high schools. Palo Alto High School has had a bridge club for eight years or more, but all the rest of the clubs have been formed by players who have participated in SiVY activities since it was formed in 2013.

Students see many benefits to their participation in these clubs. Olivia d’Arrezzo, of Palo Alto High School, says that the “best part about it is watching [the club] grow and playing bridge with my friends.” Sophie Lian, whose club at Monta Vista meets at lunchtime, says that the “best part about [the club] is that I can take a break from academics in the middle of the school day and casually play bridge with friends.” Sophie also observes that although she finds bridge a relaxing and entertaining game, she feels that the club is helping her to develop her skills in leadership, teamwork, reasoning, and memory. In particular, Sophie says, “Bridge teaches me about probability, which can be useful when learning about statistics in math classes.” The Mountain View High School Club is one of the newer ones, formed in 2016 by students who graduated from Graham Middle School, where they learned bridge through a SiVY after-school program. Neil Balch, club president, said the best part about the club is the “fun atmosphere during meetings.” Last year the club visited a local Senior Center to play bridge with residents, and a good time was had by all (see pictures here). The newest high school club was formed in 2017 at Leland High School. Many of its members learned bridge at Bret Harte Middle School, where classes were sponsored by the one of the teachers.

Even though entertainment and interacting with friends are major reasons for players to participate, most are also quite interested in refining their skills. One motivator for doing so is the annual Bay Area High School Championship, which offers cash-value prizes as well as ACBL masterpoints and trophies for high-ranking participants. Monta Vista High School won the first championship, and Palo Alto High School has won for the past two years. Both teams are enthusiastic about playing again on April 29, 2018, and both hope to be able to send two teams next year. Leland High School has not participated in past championships, but the student club organizer, Jonathan Yue, hopes to form a team for 2018. The chance to meet players from all over the Bay Area and compare their skills with those of their peers are major reasons for participating, but Sophie Lian says “the cash prizes and free t-shirts given out at the event are always a bonus.” Sign up for the 2018 event

If you are interested in forming a bridge club at your high school, SiVY can help! The rules for forming clubs vary from school to school, but most require that a student or students initiate the request, and most also require that the club have a faculty sponsor. Although SiVY volunteers have contacts at some local high schools, this responsibility typically falls to the student leaders of the club. The students must also secure a space, usually a classroom, for the club to meet.

SiVY will provide supplies, such as bidding boxes and decks of cards and duplicate-style boards. It will also find an adult mentor for each club, if the students want one. Mentors function not only as bridge teachers, but also as facilitators. For example, many deal and duplicate boards so that students at more than one table can play the same hands and compare their scores. Other mentors volunteer to watch students play online, and offer tips to improve their play and bidding.

If you’d like help in forming a bridge club, please contact Cheryl Haines.