Published: March 21, 2008 12:38 pm            

Bridge brings students together, sharpens skills

EFFINGHAM — From a modest start, bridge is becoming a popular game among junior high school students in Effingham County.

Little more than a year after the game was first introduced in area junior high schools, 48 students gathered Tuesday for a tournament at St. Anthony Grade School in Effingham, and Jean Sehy couldn’t be happier.

Sehy, a teacher at Teutopolis Junior High School, organized the first bridge club at her school and is impressed with the results she has seen.

“It helps with thinking and logic skills,” she said.

Chris and Mary Beth Shaw of Carlinville moderated Tuesday’s tournament. Chris Shaw, who began playing bridge 62 years ago, encouraged players to silently interact with their partners.

“Look at your partner and smile because you are going to be looking at them for the rest of the evening,” Shaw said.

Sehy said silence is important in competitive bridge.

“When we are playing for fun, I’m pretty lenient about talking,” Sehy said. “But in competition, silence is good bridge etiquette.

“When you are thinking, you don’t want somebody talking all the time.”

Tuesday’s tournament featured kids playing duplicate bridge, in which the hands are predealt and placed in a container before the tourney begins. Each group of two players played the same hand all evening, placing a premium on skill.

“It’s not just luck,” Sehy said.

Shaw said a study in Carlinville showed bridge players improved their standardized test scores in all subjects.

Some parents say bridge is an excellent alternative to team sports.

“My son (Adam) is in both this and scholar bowl,” said Steve Beccue of Dieterich, whose son is an eighth-grader. “He likes these types of activities rather than sports.

“This is a good alternative activity.”

Susan Goldstein, whose son Michael plays for St. Anthony, said her son loves to play both board and card games.

“Bridge is a game that takes a lot of study and concentration,” Goldstein said. “I think it’s very good for him.”

Several students in the original Teutopolis bridge group who have since gone on to high school still like to play with the younger kids.

“It helps me meet new people,” said freshman Brian Campbell.

“We can communicate with people from other schools,” added classmate Allie Funneman, who said she has even started playing bridge online.

Beecher City students appear to have caught on well to the popular card game. The team of Braydon Braun and Mitch Kline won the championship, while teammates Ranae Brackney and Tiffany Boone tied for second.

Here are the rest of the results:

A tie for second/third: Lindsay Probst/Collin Wallace, Effingham, and the Beecher City team; tie for fourth/fifth: Kate Campbell, Teutopolis/Swade Unkraut, St. Anthony and Laura Reimers/Cheyenne Corbitt, Effingham; tie for sixth/seventh/eighth: Cecila Walker/Crystal Strauch, Effingham; Mitchell Zacha/Ethan Doty, Beecher City; Nathan Waldhoff/Josh Campbell, Dieterich; Tie for ninth/tenth/11th/12th: Natalie Goeckner/Tierney Hammer, St. Anthony; Ashton Oakley/Sarah Brackney, Beecher City; Arco Verhoven/ Alex Kreke, Teutopolis; and Michael Goldstein/James Ritz, St. Anthony.

The top two point-getters in a series of several tournaments will earn a $1,000 scholarship to play bridge in Atlanta later this year. The scholarship will cover expenses of the trip.

Bill Grimes can be contacted at 347-7151 ext. 132 or bill.grimes@effinghamdailynews.com