JUNIOR BRIDGE IN KINGSTON ONTARIO
Ed O'Reilly shares his secrets, tips and success
Ed O'Reilly
It is with some concern that I update you on our school
bridge program. The last time that I did so, the net, the telephone
and the mail never stopped. People all over America wanted more
details. Fortunately, Julie Greenberg at ACBL compiled a list of
80-some items from a report which I had sent her. She made it
available to anyone asking ACBL about school bridge lessons.
As recently as this week, a Chicoutimi, Quebec player sent an e-mail
request that I forward to him all I know (which in itself will not be
too time consuming) and all about what we have done and what is
available for teaching junior bridge. I referred him to ACBL Education
folks and offered to call him if he tells me a convenient time. At my
business cost of only 35 cents for 10 minutes of Bell time anywhere
in Canada, anytime, he may tire of me after a dollar or two worth.
Since this is probably too long for a Bridge Canadian article,
perhaps, you would like to include whatever you like on the CBF home
page for awhile, in case someone could benefit from it. I would have
a home page but am not in a position to keep it updated, running a
full time club on my own with the assistance of a very helpful wife.
Kingston, Ontario still has many accredited bridge teachers capable
of giving the pre-Club or Club Sseries of lessons in schools. The cast
changes as people try it and find that teaching anything in some schools is
not all "beer and pretzels." Others are still available to help out if I
encourage them to. Presently-active bridge teachers include: Ruth
Blacklock, Isabel Dean, Phil Dumontier, Liam Elliott, Isobel Garrett,
Muriel Gilroy, Mel Hazell, Joan Nolan, and Bess MacMaster, all of
whom I am proud to have recruited.
I do about 16-20 hours weekly in schools which ask me to go,
because they have had me before, or because another school teacher
tells them "they just have to have me." (They should have seen me
starting out three years ago, before I got to like the kids, found
out better ways to "get around" them, and became more effective
through actual experience with this age group, and with much helpful
input from trained school teachers and principals.).
I will have about 400 total Club Series graduates and, by the
end of the school year, about 1/2 of these will have done the Diamond
series, too. The other teachers will graduate about 200 more and
1/2 as many Diamond students.
Diamond Series grads will all receive one year ACBL memberships courtesy of Unit 192.
Again, without the assistance of ACBL and its Education Foundation,
we would not be in local schools. They supply a textbook and Bridge Club
T-Shirt for each student, plus, they send a trophy and pay a teacher
honararium of $270 U.S. per Club course and $240 U.S. per Diamond
course. They, too, are the source of TAP trainers and amterial.
The ACBL TAP program has proven to be invaluable to us. I
have organized four such events - one every two years in each of the
last even-numbered years. The third one drew 57 teacher candidates,
the fourth "only" 31. This has provided an endless supply of
local teachers, but we have also attracted TAP students from
Cape Breton, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba,
Cape Cod and many other areas of the U.S., too.
Kingston must be receiving recognition as a place for TAPs, because
11 out-of-town approaches to schedule another TAP this year have
been received already. If I thought that it could attract 30, I would
schedule one for this summer, instead of thinking about one for the
summer of 2000.
Funds are available, through the ACBL co-op advertising program, too,
to help people wishing to advertise and promote activities such as
bridge lessons, TAPs , etc. The contact is Jean Patterson.
All this ACBL info. may seem redundant, but I assure you
that, in spite of all the good publicity from headquarters, very few
people who call, write, e-mail, etc., seem to know much, except vaguely,
about most ACBL programs which do not directly affect them at the moment.
We are still looking for any ideas that work to get youth playing in
greater numbers and more frequently. About 3-7 tables of elementary
and high school players (from a pool of around 80 active ones after
three years in schools) show up at our weekly Friday night games.
Another two dozen or so have grown out of this game and play in our
Saturday afternoon individual, along with adults, or in our other regular
club games. Education officials assure me a new activity usually
requires up to five years to catch on. After all, we are competing
with generations of gymnasts, swimmers, skaters, soccer players, etc.
Still, I think that we are on the track to improve on this. I have
cut the Friday night Youth game to 12-15 hands over 2-1/4 hours, including a
10 minute hospitality break. This is in response to reaction from an
informal survey of many who had stopped coming. Response indicated 3 hours
was too long for many 10-13 year olds.
Why did we refuse to heed the advice of such experts in the field of
education as Canada's own Audrey Grant? She is right, right, right in
saying that there are people out there (not the addicts, mind you) who
really would pay more to play fewer hands. Kids play 2 x 20 halves
of basketball and are happy about it. They may play two or three
games at a tournament, but still only 15 or 20 minute halves, and
they sit on the bench a good deal of that time.
I have been fortunate for the first time this year to work my way
into assignments of whole school classes, during regular class time,
and alongwith the regular class teacher, who maintains control while
I present bridge. Most have been persuaded to allow me in for two
hours twice weekly, thus having the course completed within a
month and before the students lose interest.
Some may suggest that this is too much too soon, but I detect a greater
interest than when I first used to go one hour at a time, once
a week, over about a five month period (yawn, yawn). And as one
who has taught adults for 30+ years, I do not find the kids learn any
less in four hours per week than kids in two hours weekly or, for that
matter, than adults in two hours weekly.
There are further advantages to twice weekly for two hours. You are
in and out of the teacher's hair in a month. The adventurous school
teacher, willing to risk something as innovative as bridge as
puzzle solving, logic, mathematics, and life skills, has a stake in seeing that the kids' time is not "wasted." This class teacher encourages bridge
homework, bridge playing and attending bridge games.
Too, the funding goes much further when whole classes of 28-32 are taught
at one time by one bridge teacher. In some schools, I have done two
classes of 28-32 each and then the teachers selected 28 for a Diamond
course. School teachers are impressed about seeing another hitherto
unknown side of their pupils - one told me it was similar to seeing
them on such activities as ski trips or other outside class excursions
for the first time.
A further advantage of doing whole classes is what bowling promoters
refer to as "commonality of interest" which makes it easier to form
new leagues that gel within a shorter time. When one goes into a
school class representing 4 or 5 different grades, one has to be
awfully lucky (i.e. have mostly gifted or very bright kids) to enjoy
the whole group. You all know how a grade eight wants little to do with
even a grade seven, let alone a couple of grade fours. And, without
the class teacher, the bridge teacher is like a supply teacher. Ask
teachers and your kids how kids treat a lot of supply teachers!
Which age groups work best? I find that grade sevens are a wonderful
group. They are at the age where logic and reasoning powers are
supposed to mature. They do not yet "own" the school like the grade
eights. And we will get a second year of elementary school to try to
get them interested in playing bridge.
Having said that, I have experienced some wonderful grade eight classes
when the class teacher really is in charge. I have also enjoyed a grade four
French Immersion class. The kids seemed more motivated. And, even
though I detected the "glaze" too often for my liking on one grade four
class, another grade four class has produced six students who play
bridge regularly! Of course, the best groups I have ever had were at
Queen's University, where students are used to listening.
There are many who will say "How do you get into the schools?" It
has taken much patience, hinting, prodding, cajoling, and even
working through parents. The big seller this year - it has opened
many doors - is a letter that both local school board (Catholic and
Public) Directors of Education circulated to over 100 principals. My
letter outlined the advantages of bridge as it relates to the new Ontario
mathematics curriculum.
It has not hurt our program that I write a Saturday Kingston Bridge
column on area bridge news in Canada's oldest daily newspaper- Bobby
Wolfe does the other five days on technical matters. The column is
used to praise the principals, school teachers and students and to report
on school bridge happenings. One teacher (CBF President Doug Heron's
son-in-law) wrote a letter to the editor saying that he had never had so
much recognition during his teaching career as he received after his
name appeared in a couple of bridge columns!
You cannot, however, merely say you and bridge are there. You have
to pursue every opening. And, as with most sales jobs, you never
expect the least likely discussion to produce. But, some do, if you
stick with them long enough! (I tell the students about Henry Ford's
saying "Whether you believe you can, or whether you believe you cannot,
you are absolutely right!")
It may interest some to hear that the most frequent complaint from
parents and kids was about the deluge of mail they received from
ACBL, CBF, CYBORG, the Unit, The Bridge Grapevine, and even
from being put on mailing lists (until ACBL kindly and wisely put a
stop to this). Even after memberships were provided free, they
complained about too much reading material, the impact on the
environment of so many wasted trees, the costs for much material
that simply was not being looked at.
Thus, although I am one of the ACBL Bulletin's greatest boosters, we
are providing Better Bridge to new youth members, with the exception
of two member households, where we ask for one of each magazine.
On Wednesday 19 May, 1999 we will have our 3rd Annual Bridge School
Field Day. The first attracted 112, the 2nd only 78 (there were
teacher strikes, a big ice storm, and our school activities were somewhat
curtailed that year.) This year, we expect 35-40 tables to get the
afternoon of school to come to The Bridge Centre for pizza, a
beverage, a piece of fruit, and a 12 hand 2-counties School Bridge
Championship Tournament.
The winners receive a trophy (separate trophies for those who have taken
only the Club Series, unless Club Series and overall winners are the
same). The winning pair's school will receive a permanent plaque,
too. Many principals, teachers, and parents, as well as the TV and
print media show up for this event.
The present challenge is to get more high schoolers playing. Bridge
is not yet seen to be "cool". We are fighting the onset of hormonal
urges, too. Sending two students to the World Scholar-Athlete Games
in Rhode Island last year helped somewhat.
I think that since former CEO Roy Green helped to obtain
recognition for bridge at the WSAG, that we should continue to
maintain that recognition by helping some high school bridge players
attend the U.S. (Canadian High Schoolers will be welcomed, too)
Scholar-Athlete Games this summer. We are trying to raise enough
money to send seven and I would go along as a coach/chaperone,
van driver. Charlotte Blaiss suggested that I may even be able to
direct some bridge games. (Charlotte Blaiss appears to be the
continuity at ACBL for the junior programs and has been most helpful
for and encouraging of our efforts.)
It could be difficult to sell a two day North America-Wide Youth
Tournament in Olive Branch or Memphis. The concept is commendable,
but we found that it would require about $1,000 per player to transport
each player to Miss/Tenn. and for only two days.
Then, too, when local elementary school kids go on any school-organized
excursion, they have board policies of one chaperone(teacher/parent) per
15 kids. Most schools insist on one per ten. For insurance and liability
reasons, I think that it would be wise for our Bridge Centre and ACBL
to adopt similar policies as schools.
These last two paragraphs explain why I suggest to Memphis that a
number of regional youth endeavours, in conjunction with sectionals or
regionals across America, be attempted at a future time. The issue
will still be travel and accommodation costs but not to the extent of
getting from, say, Vancouver or Kingston to Memphis.
Then, too, at area tournaments, there may be a willing supply of
chaperones among the bridge playing community who are familiar
names to the kids' parents.
A last item for now (do I hear applause?) - When I looked into the City
of Kingston policy for subsidizing conventions which attract large
numbers of out-of-town visitors to our community, I discovered that
they would assist with a hospitality allowance of $3 per out-of-town
visitor, which, even in the case of our small Regional , represented
a possibility of a few thousand dollars.
One of their requirements, however, involved doing a CPIC (Canadian
Police Information Check) on officials of the not-for-profit organizing
body. It occured to me that the last thing that a bridge organization,
working with young kids, needs is a scandal involving even one
paedophile among the organizing group. One only has to look at
what this has done to our churches and our local cathedral choir to
fear the worst should it happen in one bridge tournament anywhere.
I have not heard anything since I brought this to ACBL attention
last year, so maybe they are not as concerned that this could present
a problem. The check costs about $10 a person.
Since I own a Bridge Centre and pay for considerable insurance
coverage (mall landlord policy alone forces me to carry $5,000,000
liability insurance, and these mega-landlords know this a necessity
to cover potential legal defence costs) I am not too concerned here in the
mall. But, when we move tournaments for kids into a public place,
does it not make sense to take whatever precautions to show that we
acted in good faith?
Thanks are due to Audrey Grant, Charlotte Blaiss, Julie Greenberg, George
Retek, Jonathan Steinberg, Doug Heron, past-President Richard Anderson, and
current-President Val Covalciuc for everything they have done to see that
teaching advice, encouragement, funding, and supplies continue for the
school bridge program.
Unit 192 has been supportive of Junior bridge, too. In addition to
the aforementioned ACBL memberships for Diamond Series junior
graduates, the Unit has donated $1,000 in Junior scholarship prizes
for each of our first two January Kingston Junior Sectionals.
I keep hoping that our District 1 will assess a $1 per table fee at
Regionals to go towards Junior bridge, but I am not allowed to
politic about this, for I am a local-rated tournament director.
Charlie Waddell, who used to teach as many classes as I did locally,
until he decided last summer he had had enough, has been an extra-
special force in the local program. He ran the regular Friday night
Youth/Family (we allow a family member to play with a youth, but very
few do) game for many months, but has taken at least a four month
sabbatical, leaving the pleasure(task?) to me. It was wonderful
while it lasted to know that there was competent and dedicated help
and backup.
The Ambassador Hotel and Convention Centre has committed free
use of its ballroom to Kingston Junior Bridge for the January Junior
Sectional, which we combine with the regular Open Sectional. As
well, they have committed $1,500 annually for each of the first five
years to youth bridge scholarship prizes.. And they recently donated ten
bridge tables plus $6,750 for use in the junior bridge program. Of
course, they receive lots of acknowledgement in the local media
whenever we can arrange it.
The cash is most helpful. It permits us to provide pizza and soft
drinks at every Club Series school tournament. It allows us to do
Diamond Series Tournaments with the same. It covers a lot of
paperwork costs, e.g. getting notices out and permission slips back to
allow kids to take bridge classes and to play in special events, and
in keeping the kids informed of local junior activities. It covered costs
of all the ACBL teaching aids for the school bridge teachers. Most of
all, it assures that when we tell the schools that bridge is a no-cost
program, we do not even ask them for a photocopy.
March 10, 1999