While the basketball team practices for the upcoming national
championships, a group of unique competitors prepare for a
different kind of tournament ““ the North American Collegiate
Bridge Championship.
Though they practice indoors, and sometimes online, the Bruin
Bridge Club members are nothing short of athletes, as the game
includes the most vital elements of every sport ““ teamwork,
communication, strategy and skill.
Meeting every Wednesday night for two hours in the gaming lounge
of the Wooden Center, the club provides a friendly atmosphere for
players of all levels to learn or hone their bridge skills, as well
as to socialize with their peers.
Started two years ago by UCLA students and brothers Blake and
Brad Haas, the club has not only expanded, but has sent a team of
four to the national championships in the past two years, placing
third in 2004 and fourth in 2005.
“It needed to be done,” said Blake Haas, a
third-year physiological science student, emphasizing the need for
a bridge club on campus. “There are more people dying than
joining the game,” he said, adding that the average age of a
bridge player is 66.
Ironically, bridge used to be popular among college students 50
to 60 years ago, but never made the transition to younger
generations, said Daniel Aharoni, a fourth-year physics student.
Aharoni is one of four team members who will be representing UCLA
at the championship in July.
As an intellectually challenging game, members of the group said
the skill and patience involved in mastering it could be reasons
why younger crowds are not that enthused about playing bridge.
“If you are looking for a quick fix of enjoyment, poker is
better for that. … It takes a long time to learn, (but
it’s) well worth it in the end,” said Brad Haas, a
fourth-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics
student.
Though the championship is months away, early preparation is
always beneficial ““ especially for an event that consists of
playing the card game for two days, eight hours each day, Aharoni
said.
“You have to build up your endurance for the game,”
he said, explaining that the team participates regularly in local
tournaments for their age group to build stamina.
Participants of the competitive team at UCLA practice anywhere
from 10 to 15 hours a week, meet with a professional bridge coach
once a week, and read books about bridge strategies. And like most
professional sports, the team has uniforms.
“We went to the athletic department, and (they) gave us
nice light blue-collared shirts,” Blake Haas said.
While UCLA’s rival in most athletics is USC, the Bruin
Bridge Club has other schools to worry about ““ like the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which placed first in the
national competition two years ago.
The Haas brothers started the club with the aid of a scholarship
from the American Contract Bridge League, the largest bridge
organization in the world. The organization strives to reintroduce
bridge to a more youthful population.
Blake and Brad Haas were introduced to the game almost a decade
ago, and went on to start a bridge club at their high school.
“My grandparents taught us, (but) it skipped a generation
““ my parents don’t really play,” Brad Haas
said.
Besides meeting new people and exercising analytical thinking
skills, playing bridge has additional perks.
Studies have shown that playing the game decreases one’s
risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease and increases white
blood cell counts, Aharoni said.
Experienced or not, Bruin Bridge Club members encourage everyone
to try a hand at this game.
“It’s a very intellectual game, which is great for
college,” Aharoni said.