Group aims to draw next generation to classic card game

CEDAR FALLS | Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have more in common than their considerable wealth. Both are avid bridge players.

The card game enjoyed a peak in popularity in the United States in the 1940s when it was played in nearly half of U.S. homes, according to the American Contract Bridge League.

Jo Van Gerpen, of Cedar Falls, would like to see it come back into fashion.

“We are really trying to market this to the Baby Boomers,” she said. “Bridge was a very popular game for our parents, and then it kind of faded away. … There is still a strong core of people who play. Gradually, we’re seeing more people in our age group getting involved."

Currently, players meet at locations throughout the Cedar Valley, including the Cedar Falls Community Center and the Waterloo Center for the Arts.

“There are usually between 24 and 30 in each group,” Van Gerpen said. “Then there is social bridge, or party bridge, which meets in people’s homes.”

Van Gerpen, who is retired, started playing about four years ago.

“Actually the mother of one of my high school classmates was very persistent in recruiting me and some of my friends,” she said. “We have really enjoyed it and kept at it.”

Van Gerpen likened learning the game of bridge to learning a language.

“You can learn the basic information, like saying ‘hello’ or ordering at a restaurant,” she said. “Or you can learn more of the language, become more proficient.

“A lot of people are retiring earlier and are looking for a challenging activity to keep their minds active. Bridge is very good for that.”

Bridge games also are available online.“You can play with people all over the world,” Van Gerpen said. “I’ve played with people from Italy, France, Sweden.

“It has been a great way to meet people,” she said. “We’ve really enjoyed the widening circle of people we are meeting. Bridge is mentally challenging. It is a game you keep learning, and it takes a lot of practice to become good at it.”

In hopes of attracting more players to the game, Van Gerpen organizes classes to teach the intricacies of the game.

Upcoming classes include a beginner level class on bidding Sept. 18 and a class on defense Sept. 24. There is a $36 charge for the classes, which will be held at the Cedar Falls Recreation Center, and a $13 fee for the book.

Tony Barre, whose wife, Susie Livingston Barre, was raised in Cedar Falls, will teach the classes.

The couple, both retired, come back to the area each fall, and Van Gerpen schedules classes for him while he is here.

“I just show up and teach,” he said. “That’s the easy part. I love it. I get to meet a lot of new people.

“So far, the classes have been pretty big, and I get excited when I see my students have moved on to play in the regular sanctioned bridge club. Several are participating in tournaments now.

“I’ve been playing bridge for 40 years,” Barre said. “I started playing in the army. I like the competitiveness of it. I got involved with teaching seven or eight years ago.”

Barre also is a certified bridge cruise director and teacher.

“In bridge tournament open events, it doesn’t matter what your experience level is,” he said. “You can have beginners and world champions at the same table. That doesn’t exist in any other sport.”

For more information, contact Van Gerpen at 230-3918 or jvangerpen@cfu.net or go to www.bridgeunit163.com.