Source: ACBL Unit 446 Newsletter Seattle NextGenBridge is back in seven schools this year and we have expanded on the Eastside. Our participating schools and teachers are:
  1. Denny Middle School, taught by David Skover and me;
  2. Washington Middle School, with Wayne English and Judy Dubester;
  3. Whitman Middle School, with Theresa Eck and Steven M. Lewis;
  4. McClure Middle School, with Bill Bumpas;
  5. Islander Middle School on Mercer Island, with John Weinberg, Sylvia Bailey, and Bill Campbell;
  6. Rose Hill Middle School in Kirkland, with Ann Romeo and Steve Lewis;
  7. and the Northwest Chinese School, where Greg Herman (three-time USBF junior champion) teaches with high school bridge player Jessie Cai and her father Roger. David Taylor and Shirley Johnson are kind enough to serve as our substitutes.
It’s been a fun fall with new, enthusiastic teachers each bringing a unique style to their students. We present a minimum of 16 hours of ACBL instruction, allowing for flexibility in approaches as a variety seems to work best. Sometimes we just play hands, or do hand analysis or exercises. With such a great lineup of school bridge teachers, it’s no wonder the competition is heating up. At the start of class, new students find bridge a bit daunting as they start to absorb all those funny rules we have, bridge terminology, and the “secret code” of bidding. After a while, the kids start to relax and ease into the game. It’s easy to tell when they’re focused — no more cutting up, excessive laughter, or talking as they start to zero in and focus on the finer details. Seriously, at the recent Lynnwood Regional and the unit’s NLM Sectional in November, there were several young people playing (with young partners, parents, or grandparents) and their bridge manners were excellent. They are taught Zero Tolerance in bridge class, at camp, or by their relatives and it shows! But occasionally they are not made to feel welcome by a few grumpy players. I have seen these students, who are playing fine and in tempo, discounted, rushed, and criticized by adult players who should know better. Maybe these “grownups” are not prepared for how good these young players are and are not very accepting of being defeated by them. The youngsters have every right to play in clubs and tournaments so wake up and smell the roses….remember they are the future of bridge. Please be kind and support our young bridge players. SNGB students will show off their new found bridge skills at the Happy Holidays Tournament on December 7, hosted by SNGB board member Barbara Nist at the Mercer Island Bridge Club. Anticipation is also building for the Annual School Tournament in the Spring. Not to mention plans are already in the works for the Youth NABC in Las Vegas in the summer of 2019. Several of our students’ parents are planning the trip there as a family vacation. Others who would like to attend really need your help. Please support our efforts to raise $10,000 to send the greater Seattle area students to the YNABC, July 25-27, 2019. It is hard to accept that there are kids who want to go but can’t due to financial limitations. Your generosity is greatly appreciated for this cause. I have the great honor to be the Youth Liaison Chair for the 2019 YNABC. Our goal is to host 500 young players at this event. An excellent group of volunteers from across North America comes together to make this happen for the kids. Your time is needed to volunteer for registration, banquet assistance, table monitoring, and many other positions which require very little except helping the kids have a great experience. Volunteers receive ACBL scrip and the joy of seeing young people enjoy bridge like we do. Please join us in making the 2019 YNABC the best ever! For more information, e-mail seattlenextgenbridge@gmail.com or call us at (206) 441-7244 or (206) 854-0008. Thanks so much for your support.

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