Club aims to grow membership with mentorship & series for newcomers

Mark Ducharme spent years as a software engineer at Hewlett Packard, so he’d know you don’t have to be an engineer to enjoy bridge, but it helps when your partner’s bidding needs some structural support. These days he’s the Sedona-Oak Creek Duplicate Bridge Club’s veteran instructor.

“No. 1, bridge is a very social game,” Club President Peg Cook said. “No. 2, it’s stimulating. It’s a very, it’s a challenging game… you never finish; you always keep growing. There’s never an end to everything you can learn. So I love that challenge.”

In September, the club rolls out its “Retain and Recruit Campaign,” inviting new and experienced players to its regular game schedule Monday through Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley synagogue, at 100 Meadowlark Drive.

Following Wednesday games, players can also head to a Happy Hour at Outbound Sedona, 1752 SR 179, at approximately 4:30 p.m. to socialize away from the table.

Cook said the membership push is about keeping the club’s numbers steady. With around 120 enrolled members and 40 to 50 playing on any given day across four game days a week, the club loses players every year for various reasons. “It’s usually not that they want to leave,” Cook said. “So every year we lose some members, and it’s critical that we maintain our club — that we get old members coming back, new members learning the game.”

“People hear that bridge is intimidating, and that is true,” Cook said. “But we’ve added some new classes that allow new members not to have to compete with real advanced members. We have a mentor-mentee game, where you have a mentor, and after each hand you discuss what was good and what could have been better. We also have games based on master points, so you’re playing with members more at your level. Those things help a lot to get you ready for the bigger group.”

Also this fall, the club will start a free four-week beginner series Oct. 28, meeting Wednesday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon at the JCSVV Library. The only cost is $20 for the introductory book, and the series welcomes complete novices and rusty former players alike.

Beyond the beginner track, the club runs advanced lessons and games four days a week for players of every skill level.

Cook said she estimates that it takes about a year for new players to feel ready to hold their own at the table without help.

“We’re going to start out by having the newbies just try it out for four classes, and then if they want to stay on, then we will charge a weekly fee of $5, which is a good deal because our normal games are about $8,” Cook said. “We are also going to have ambassadors with all the new members, so that there’ll be an older or seasoned member who will help the new member get into the club and learn all the ins and outs of bridge,” Cook said.

To sign up or get more information, or if you’re looking for a bridge partner, contact Molly Gartner at 928-274-6161 or Molly_gartner@yahoo.com, or visit bridgewebs.com/sedona.