Bridge player Jake Olson is well aware that his competition is usually retired people, but the University pre-pharmacy sophomore finally got a chance to play the card game against his peers this July and walked away a national champion. âĂ„ĂşMy friends give me crap,âĂ„Ăą he said. âĂ„ĂşThey say, âÄòIsnâĂ„Ă´t that for retired people?âĂ„Ă´ or âÄòWhat is it like playing with old ladies?âĂ„Ă´ I say I like to make old people cry.âĂ„Ăą Olson, who has only been playing bridge for two years, won the first-ever Youth North American Bridge Championships in July, held in Atlanta, along with partner Eli Jolley from Auburn, Ala. Because Olson normally partners with his dad or grandpa in local tournaments, he had to get a random partner to compete in the youth tournament, Olson said. OlsonâĂ„Ă´s partner, Jolley, showed up only about five minutes before tournament play began, so Olson said introductions were short. âĂ„ĂşWe had practiced online a lot, so we sort of knew each other,âĂ„Ăą Olson said. âĂ„ĂşBut it wasnâĂ„Ă´t as weird as it would seem, meeting him in person for the first time.âĂ„Ăą Jolley, a first-year student at Auburn University, said Olson was a bit different than his normal partner, who is 73. âĂ„ĂşWe play good bridge together,âĂ„Ăą Jolley said. âĂ„ĂşWe just click.âĂ„Ăą Patty Tucker , chairman for the Youth National American Bridge tournament, said she petitioned the American Contract Bridge League to hold the tournament to give younger players a chance to compete against one another. The tournament attracted 198 players, age 6 to 19, from 21 states and three Canadian provinces, Tucker said. âĂ„ĂşThey beat out some tough competition,âĂ„Ăą she said of Olson and Jolley. Aware that the majority of bridge players are retirement-aged, Tucker said she has worked with the ACBL to inspire young people to learn the game. âĂ„ĂşBridge is one of the only games you can play that you will never know everything you need to know,âĂ„Ăą she said. âĂ„ĂşThere are billions of combinations.âĂ„Ăą According to 2008 ACBL member demographics, 63 percent of members are age 60 to 75, while only one registered member is between the ages of 18 and 25. Two percent of registered members are between the ages of 26 and 39. To keep the tradition of bridge alive, Olson said more young people should learn to play, but it isnâĂ„Ă´t an easy game to pick up. âĂ„ĂşIt drives people away because you canâĂ„Ă´t learn it in five or 10 minutes,âĂ„Ăą he said. Modern bridge debuted in the 1920s and is played with a standard 52-card deck. Each player receives 13 cards and makes bids that determine the âĂ„Ăştrump suitâĂ„Ăą and how many âĂ„ĂştricksâĂ„Ăą will be won. Olson said he learned the game from his dad and grandpa and then taught himself more about it by reading books and practicing online. âĂ„ĂşIt plays a lot on what I am naturally good at,âĂ„Ăą he said. âĂ„ĂşThere is a lot of math involved and a lot of logic reasoning.âĂ„Ăą Beyond her chairman duties, Tucker said she works to get bridge programs started in Atlanta area schools, because research has shown that those who play bridge perform better on standardized tests than their non-playing peers. Felix Meschke, assistant professor of finance in the Carlson School of Management, said bridge has the same basic probability and psychology elements of poker, but probability plays the larger role in bridge, whereas psychology dominates poker. âĂ„ĂşAs the game goes on, you can infer more and more information,âĂ„Ăą he said. Meschke said bridge players tend to be analytical people. Famous bridge players include partners Warren Buffet and Bill Gates , along with many other well-known business leaders. Tucker said the game puts players elbow-to-elbow with a wide variety of people, ranging from politicians and businessmen to housewives and teachers. âĂ„ĂşBridge transcends all the educational and economical backgrounds,âĂ„Ăą she said. For Olson, bridge helps transcend generations, as he said it gives his grandpa and dad something to be proud of. Jeff Olson , JakeâĂ„Ă´s dad, said playing bridge with his dad and his son online keeps them in touch, even when they are all in different places. âĂ„ĂşWeâĂ„Ă´re real proud of Jake,âĂ„Ăą he said. Winning the tournament was a surprise, Jake Olson said, as his interest just started after watching his grandpa play. âĂ„ĂşIt was nice to make people proud, represent Minnesota and my family,âĂ„Ăą he said. âĂ„ĂşThey were all really pleased.âĂ„Ăą
Student wins national bridge tournament
Published September 10, 2008
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