Re: Cherishing Novices
- From: Tim <thg@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:48:52 -0700 (PDT)
On Jul 31, 4:55 am, Dave Flower <DavJFlo...@xxxxxxx> wrote:
At a time when the numbers of players is falling, it is vital that
clubs retain new players.
You need to decide which potential players you are targeting.
If you hope to lure social bridge players out of the kitchen and into
the clubs, I think you must recognize that they will likely remain
novices for a very long time, perhaps forever. Very few of them will
ever become serious about duplicate bridge, but they might attend a
weekly game. If you make accommodations for these players, I think
you have to realize that you will likely have to make these changes
permanent. Some of these changes may not please the serious players
who may stop showing up as often.
If you are targeting players who have just finished a lesson series, I
don't think a club game should be their first exposure to the
mechanics of a duplicate game. The last lesson in their series might
be a mini-duplicate, for instance. After that, throw them right in
with the lions in the club duplicate. If they are offended by the
actions of some of the regular players and decide the first time in
the club should be their last, then you've got to consider a couple of
things:
1) These people are unlikely to ever become serious bridge players.
Even if you do your best to coddle them, they will turn into the
social bridge player who plays at a club and then the same caveats as
above apply;
2) Are your club players so rude as to drive away those that would
become serious players? If so, then psyches and false cards are least
of your worries.
Integration of experienced and inexperienced players is a major
challenge. One club in this area started a 49er game (for those
players with fewer than 49 masterpoints) when a couple of lessons
series were coming to an end. That game did quite well. But, that
game became a 99er game and then a 199er game and then a 299er game
because the players in it were isolated and never became comfortable
crossing over to the "big" game. This process took years and those
that played for years in the "er" game never became serious players.
And, they wouldn't have if the "big" game had been dumbed down to
accommodate them.
.
- References:
- Cherishing Novices
- From: Dave Flower
- Cherishing Novices
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