[helene_t]

H: There is only one bridge club in Leeds.
L: Yes, sad isn't it? Bridge clubs are closing down. I wonder what young people are doing these days, apparently the aren't playing bridge.
H: Well I guess they are playing with their phones.
L: Actually, I asked a niece of mine how she spends her free time. She said she goes to these health clubs where they drink carrot juice.
S: Hahaha I wonder what they put in it!
A: Or they dance salsa.
L: Yes but it would be so good for them to learn to play bridge while they are still young, they will have much more pleasure of it later then. And they aren't going to drink carrot juice and dance salsa when they are 60.
H: Well actually R is 64 and she dances salsa.

[aguahombre]

we switch to prune juice.

[ggwhiz]

Overheard at our club:

"When I took up Bridge 40 years ago, I was the youngest player at the club. I still am!"

[Bbradley62]

I play more tennis than bridge these days, figuring that I'll return to bridge when I can't play tennis any more. But then I overheard this conversation at courtside:
Young woman, to one of her opponents after a very long match: Do you mind if I ask how old you are?
Opponent: Not at all. I'm 73.
Opponent's partner: Aren't you gonna ask me?
Young woman, sighing because she almost lost to a woman older than her own grandmother: Okay, how old are you?
Opponent's partner: I'll be 82 next week.

[Hanoi5]

Age is overrated.

But yes, I do think that more should be done to get more young people for bridge. And young people who play should be more helpful in this respect.

[ggwhiz]

Hanoi5, on 2011-February-26, 15:32, said:

Age is overrated.

But yes, I do think that more should be done to get more young people for bridge. And young people who play should be more helpful in this respect.

I stumbled onto this blog that makes good points on this subject.

"At the Junior reception at the recent Las Vegas NABC, several speakers reiterated the same point: the ACBL needs more young players, and they want us, the juniors, to get our friends into the game. I have a question for those who keep telling us to get our friends involved: Who do you think our friends are?

Our friends are already here. We met them at the bridge table. And while there is a camaraderie among young players, most of our friends are the same as yours: other bridge players, young and old."

The rest of it is here. http://www.doublesqu...ng-players.html

[Cyberyeti]

ggwhiz, on 2011-February-26, 12:36, said:

Overheard at our club:

"When I took up Bridge 40 years ago, I was the youngest player at the club. I still am!"

I know the feeling, but I can understand why, the hostility of some of the older members to juniors is ridiculous. I experienced this 35 years ago, and it's still going on.

At one of our local clubs, Norfolk's only decent junior received complaints about turning up in T-shirt and baseball cap. There is no formal dress code, and his attire was similar to what one of Norfolk's now deceased best players used to wear all the time.

I'm 46 and there are precious few under 40s that play here.

[ArtK78]

ggwhiz, on 2011-February-26, 12:36, said:

Overheard at our club:

"When I took up Bridge 40 years ago, I was the youngest player at the club. I still am!"

I could have said that (in fact, I did say that!).

[Quantumcat]

ggwhiz, on 2011-February-26, 17:37, said:

"... Our friends are already here. We met them at the bridge table. And while there is a camaraderie among young players, most of our friends are the same as yours: other bridge players, young and old."

This is very true. I am a youth player and I reckon more of the people I consider my friends play bridge than don't. And the ones that don't I have already tried to coerce them into learning and failed.

Anyway the people that have card-sense and natural talent for this game will find themselves learning bridge at some point or another so there isn't really any need to force youth to play. As long as there are university bridge clubs there will be new youth players every year.

[helene_t]

A non-regular pair, male (M) and female (F) come to our table.

F: So what system are we playing?
M: No, I don't play that sh*t. Just play normal.
F: Yes, but ...
M: You know, last time I bid 5♣ and then you bid 5♦ although you knew I had no diamond support. I don't play that sh*t. Just pass.
F: But you could have bid 5♥, I had already bid hearts and we had a heart fit.
M: Look, who are you playing with? Me or the opponents? Anyway, I don't play that sh*t.

At this point we received the boards so no more time for system discussions. Unfortunately they didn't get into the auction on any of the boards at our table so we didn't get a taste of their (no) sh*t system.

[blackshoe]

Whatever it is, next time it comes up, if she passes like he told her to, he'll probably rag on her for that.

[ggwhiz]

From Eddie Kantar

Husband and wife who are playing at the home of friends begin to quarrel. She goes to the lady's room in tears and the husband says, let's deal out a hand and I'll bid for her without seeing her hand because it couldn't be any worse than if she were here.

He deals and opens 1H. Next hand passes and he bids 2H for her. When it comes back to him, he bids 3H. Now he thinks a while and bids 4H for her.

As the play winds down, he finds he needs a finesse to make the contract. As he takes the finesse, which loses, his wife returns determined to finish the game. He looks at her and says "You just had to bid 4H, didn't you"

[Antrax]

My wife and I are 30. The first time we played in a weekday tournament, several of our opponents asked us how our parents let us skip school to play Bridge. I don't think they all had a weird sense of humour

[Fluffy]

I was youngest player for my country from 13 to 17, and youngest in my region till 19. I failed misserably to bring friends into playing bridge. I think I am kind of faulty for me, I though it was cool to make everyone think bridge was very very hard to play, and they all scared.

[FrancesHinden]

All the junior women players I have ever known (and know now) did one of two things:
- marry a male bridge player and carry on playing
- marry a non-bridge player and give up

Look around the expert women players. They virtually all have bridge-playing partners, even if they don't play together. {or they are still single, or widowed}

If you are a female junior it's a great way to meet suitable young men.

[NickRW]

Actually, even for us men, life provides a lot of distractions: going to university, getting your first job, getting married, having a family, moving house (and losing contact with your regular partner). Obviously it is even harder for most women having a family - but - life - it should be banned!

Nick

[barmar]

I know one woman who continued to play bridge after getting married. She's getting divorced now.

[awm]

I don't really know what these comments mean, and they seem weirdly sexist.

In general, if you take people who are extremely involved in a particular activity, it is likely that many of their friends will enjoy that activity as well (else how do they meet? what do they do together? etc). People often meet their spouses through either activities they mutually enjoy or by being introduced by mutual friends. And often couples who stay together are the couples who enjoy spending their free time together...

If you add these things up, it's no big surprise that a fairly high proportion of bridge players have friends and spouses who play bridge also. However, I think you could say the same about swing dancers, skiers, runners, gamblers, etc.

[Phil]

FrancesHinden, on 2011-May-07, 09:40, said:

All the junior women players I have ever known (and know now) did one of two things:
- marry a male bridge player and carry on playing
- marry a non-bridge player and give up
- marry a bridge player, get divorced and then:
..........marry another bridge player and keep playing
..........stay divorced and keep playing..

FYP

[zasanya]

This link was given by one of the members of Indian Bridge Contacts -a forum of Indian Bridge Players.

http://www.nytimes.c...ridge.html?_r=1

Seems relevant.
Any Comments?