Teaching Laws at the Club

[jillybean]

I am wondering if anyone has been involved in running an educational program for their club/unit on the laws of DCB. I have not seen any such initiative around here although I don't play in the new comer games so there may be some component of the laws taught in those games. I am thinking more along the lines of laws for your regular club/tournament player.

 

Has anyone had any experience?

[Chris3875]

We usually allow part of one session during our Beginners' classes for a Director to come and speak but it is more to acquaint them with the role of the Director (not the big bad bogy person there to hit you over the head with a stick if you make a mistake). One of our State Directors does run a session for club players - the aim being for them to understand how the Laws can work in their favour at the table e.g. when they are given choices for lead out of turn, etc.

[blackshoe]

I've given a lecture or two to the beginners at our biggest local club, but it's been a while - partly because the club owner doesn't seem to think it's worth the effort. Given the fact that a lot of those beginners came up to me after I gave the class and thanked me for it, I think she's wrong, but that doesn't faze her in the slightest. :rolleyes:

[bluejak]

I got so frustrated with one common and continuing abuse that I asked my local clubs if I could address the players at the start and did so on four different sessions. The feedback certainly suggested that more of the same might be not just a good thing but acceptable to the players.

[paua]

I am wondering if anyone has been involved in running an educational program for their club/unit on the laws of DCB. I have not seen any such initiative around here although I don't play in the new comer games so there may be some component of the laws taught in those games. I am thinking more along the lines of laws for your regular club/tournament player.

 

Has anyone had any experience?

 

Continuous responsibility of the club committee to educate the players. Combination of educating at the time of an irregularity, notices/booklets/emails, and the occasional speech by the Director during play. Some people are stubborn, so they only learn by being smacked.

[blackshoe]

You assume that a club has a committee. :P

[jillybean]

Continuous responsibility of the club committee to educate the players. Combination of educating at the time of an irregularity, notices/booklets/emails, and the occasional speech by the Director during play. Some people are stubborn, so they only learn by being smacked.

I'm interested in ACBL specifically here, when you say club committee would would that be the unit board in the ACBL?

[blackshoe]

I probably shouldn't try to speak for someone else here, but I think he's from a place where clubs being owned by the members, and run by a committee, is common. This is in contrast to North America, where most clubs seem to be sole proprietorships.

 

So far as I know, there's nothing in the ACBL Handbook about Units being responsible for educating club TDs.

[jillybean]

I probably shouldn't try to speak for someone else here, but I think he's from a place where clubs being owned by the members, and run by a committee, is common. This is in contrast to North America, where most clubs seem to be sole proprietorships.

 

So far as I know, there's nothing in the ACBL Handbook about Units being responsible for educating club TDs.

 

That a different topic altogether :) I'm interested in player, unit member education.

[blackshoe]

That a different topic altogether :) I'm interested in player, unit member education.

 

My bad. Too many threads in my head. :D

 

There's something in the afore-mentioned Handbook about education for players, but you'll have to read it for yourself, as the ACBL seems to have set up their handbook online so I can print it, but not save it and not copy from it. :(

[Vampyr]

If the club has a monthly or quarterly newsletter, a short educational piece on the Laws could be included in each one.

[aguahombre]

A Director/teacher in these parts has created a new market of party bridge players bringing them into the ACBL. She has done this twice...in different locales about 30 miles from each other. In addition to bidding and play lessons before each weekly game, she teaches about laws and regulations via EMAIL.

 

Each week there is a different topic for her "Ask the Director", sent to all the players.

[jillybean]

A Director/teacher in these parts has created a new market of party bridge players bringing them into the ACBL. She has done this twice...in different locales about 30 miles from each other. In addition to bidding and play lessons before each weekly game, she teaches about laws and regulations via EMAIL.

 

Each week there is a different topic for her "Ask the Director", sent to all the players.

Could you give her my email please. (kathrynjshannon(at)gmail(dot)com) I would like to see the material if she is happy to share it.

[aguahombre]

Could you give her my email please. (kathrynjshannon(at)gmail(dot)com) I would like to see the material if she is happy to share it.

PM, me with your preferred email account and I will forward some of them.

[paua]

I probably shouldn't try to speak for someone else here, but I think he's from a place where clubs being owned by the members, and run by a committee, is common. This is in contrast to North America, where most clubs seem to be sole proprietorships.

 

So far as I know, there's nothing in the ACBL Handbook about Units being responsible for educating club TDs.

 

Yes. Why do so many North Americans assume everyone else is in North America ?? :)

[aguahombre]

Yes. Why do so many North Americans assume everyone else is in North America ?? :)

Well, just for the record, one of our NA clubs here in town is owned by the members, and run by a committee; all annual profits not used for maintenance of our toys is blown on a bash at the end of the year.

 

Edit: Mind you, a bash in St. George is not quite equivalent to a bash in other places, such as the little town about 122 miles up the road.

[blackshoe]

Out of curiosity, how much do you pay your directors?

[aguahombre]

Out of curiosity, how much do you pay your directors?

25 or 35 only. The regular directors of the other games in town are the proprietors, but that is all they pay when they are absent. 35 when table count goes to 9 1/2.

 

Card fees are only 4 bucks, too.

[Cthulhu D]

On beginners night at my club the director would do a quick piece about one item of the laws (I noticed that he rotated through the most common infarctions occasionally mixing it up), and the odd bit on ethics. I liked this - if you teach yourself the game there is no-one to teach you the laws. Unfortunately I stopped playing the beginners night!

[jillybean]

25 or 35 only. The regular directors of the other games in town are the proprietors, but that is all they pay when they are absent. 35 when table count goes to 9 1/2.

 

Card fees are only 4 bucks, too.

4 bucks? For ACBL sanctioned games? That can't include coffee and dare I say, hand records?

[aguahombre]

4 bucks? For ACBL sanctioned games? That can't include coffee and dare I say, hand records?

We don't have the Hand generating stuff. We shuffle. Lots of coffee, people bring munchies; we occasionally supply pizza for all, give free sessions to everyone. Rent is per-table and cheap. We add a dollar for NAPS and STACS, even though the additional expense is more than a dollar per person.

 

At the end of the year, for this once a week game, there is about 3K left over for the party. We have a web site, too for results, announcements, etc.

[Vampyr]

We don't have the Hand generating stuff. We shuffle. Lots of coffee, people bring munchies; we occasionally supply pizza for all, give free sessions to everyone. Rent is per-table and cheap. We add a dollar for NAPS and STACS, even though the additional expense is more than a dollar per person.

 

At the end of the year, for this once a week game, there is about 3K left over for the party. We have a web site, too for results, announcements, etc.

 

That's amazing. At our once-a-week game we do have Bridgemates and hand records, but those are already paid for. Card fees are 5GBP for members and we use playing directors. Rent is our biggest expense.

 

Though we may be the only club in London who provide free tea and coffee (instant :( )*

 

*For Americans: Instant coffee is a sort of brown powder that you mix with hot water; this produces something vaguely like coffee.

[aguahombre]

We do have Bridgepads, the coffee is real and made by an expert (me). Churches in the community (not LDS) are more than willing to accomodate with nominal rent. Liability insurance is only about 150 a year. The game owns its own tables, laptop, etc.

 

It would cost about 4K to purchase the hand-generating system and the new boards for the machine to spit the cards into. That's one and a third annual bashes.

[blackshoe]

Coffee is best taken with a good shot of Jameson's. B-)

[bluejak]

*For Americans: Instant coffee is a sort of brown powder that you mix with hot water; this produces something vaguely like coffee.

In a hotel that I shall be playing in a team with Steffie they have tea and coffee which you pay for. Allegedly. The tea tastes like weak coffee, and the coffee tastes like ..... :(