WWTBAM Bored

No, not at some tournament or other, although I am going to the Navajo Regional the end of February.

I took the bridge director's written exam today, and if my luck holds, I'll easily meet the 65% threshold for passing with approximately 90%. Most of the questions are fairly straightforward, but about 10% (the 10% I missed, of course ) require reading into the question what they really want to know.

So in about two to four weeks, I hope y'all can address me as "Ms. Director."

SportsFan68 wrote:No, not at some tournament or other, although I am going to the Navajo Regional the end of February.

I took the bridge director's written exam today, and if my luck holds, I'll easily meet the 65% threshold for passing with approximately 90%. Most of the questions are fairly straightforward, but about 10% (the 10% I missed, of course ) require reading into the question what they really want to know.

So in about two to four weeks, I hope y'all can address me as "Ms. Director."

Good luck, Sprots!

What impelled you to take the exam? --Bob

Well done.
I was an accredited local Director back in the 70's I am sure credentials have expired. Today it is so easy to score a game in those days we added the scores by hand and had the players leaning over our shoulder jostling for position to see their scores.
Your next step is to apprentice with a tournament director and become tournament accredited. A nice retirement job when you love the game but aren't good enough to be a pro or rich enough to pay one. You can usually fit in a couple of play sessions depending on the tournament

Another option to consider is the teacher accreditation program (you don't have to be a star to teach often times its a disadvantage) most of the instructing is at the intermediate and newcomer level where a positive attitude and love for the game is more important than master point total. The object is to get people to come back.

Luck! (bridge)

(also wherever else you can use it)

Luck!

Thanks a million to all of you who are wishing me luck! Maybe it doesn't help, but who knows?

You've got it Sprots!

Bob78164 wrote:

SportsFan68 wrote:No, not at some tournament or other, although I am going to the Navajo Regional the end of February.

I took the bridge director's written exam today, and if my luck holds, I'll easily meet the 65% threshold for passing with approximately 90%. Most of the questions are fairly straightforward, but about 10% (the 10% I missed, of course ) require reading into the question what they really want to know.

So in about two to four weeks, I hope y'all can address me as "Ms. Director."

Good luck, Sprots!

What impelled you to take the exam? --Bob

Mostly it was the age of our current directors. They're really good, but one of them demonstrated his frailty in no uncertain terms last year as he had to take off about three months. Basically, our most able director talked me into it, mostly by saying that we needed some new blood, partly by saying he thought I would be really good at it.

macrae1234 wrote:Well done.
I was an accredited local Director back in the 70's I am sure credentials have expired. Today it is so easy to score a game in those days we added the scores by hand and had the players leaning over our shoulder jostling for position to see their scores.
Your next step is to apprentice with a tournament director and become tournament accredited. A nice retirement job when you love the game but aren't good enough to be a pro or rich enough to pay one. You can usually fit in a couple of play sessions depending on the tournament

Thanks for your confidence in me, Macrae. I have no aspirations ever to go pro as a player, but I wouldn't mind traveling around to area tournaments and getting paid for it.

SportsFan68 wrote:So in about two to four weeks, I hope y'all can address me as "Ms. Director."

Just as soon as you quit addressing ES as "Mr. Mangy Rodent"....

lb13

littlebeast13 wrote:

SportsFan68 wrote:So in about two to four weeks, I hope y'all can address me as "Ms. Director."

Just as soon as you quit addressing ES as "Mr. Mangy Rodent"....

lb13

Yeah, right. Except there's never any "Mr." involved. . .

macrae1234 wrote:Another option to consider is the teacher accreditation program (you don't have to be a star to teach often times its a disadvantage) most of the instructing is at the intermediate and newcomer level where a positive attitude and love for the game is more important than master point total. The object is to get people to come back.

I taught two beginner classes in connection with a Continuing Education program. The director loved me because it takes eight students to hold a class, and I got 12 and 16 students. Many students commented on my positive attitude, but not one person came over to duplicate. So I quit. Some positive attitude, huh? But I didn't see that changing.

ghostjmf wrote:Luck! (bridge)

(also wherever else you can use it)

Thanks!

At the moment, I'll use it on this blasted cold and on buying a nice used red Toyota Corolla without breaking the bank.

Do you ever go on Bridge base online? My ID is the same as here and maybe we can play a few hands.

I taught two beginner classes in connection with a Continuing Education program. The director loved me because it takes eight students to hold a class, and I got 12 and 16 students. Many students commented on my positive attitude, but not one person came over to duplicate. So I quit. Some positive attitude, huh? But I didn't see that changing.

In a continuing education class on bridge it is hard to 'sell' duplicate in a vacuum. Did you do this in conjunction with your local club? Giving the students free games a few times to get them interested in duplicate. I know in the old days when I started 'rudeness' to encapsulate the attitude in one word at the table was common place. This discouraged new players as the experience wasn't fun. The ACBL in the '90s implemeted a zero tolerance policy to discourage this type of action. It was started by Audrey Grant in Toronto in her clubs. It is really terrible that during the nationals here the ACBL had to reiterate this policy not only at the bridge table but with regards to hotel staff apparently not only were players berating the staff over the coffee, soft drink prices but actually helped themselves to soft drinks.

macrae1234 wrote:Do you ever go on Bridge base online? My ID is the same as here and maybe we can play a few hands.

I taught two beginner classes in connection with a Continuing Education program. The director loved me because it takes eight students to hold a class, and I got 12 and 16 students. Many students commented on my positive attitude, but not one person came over to duplicate. So I quit. Some positive attitude, huh? But I didn't see that changing.

In a continuing education class on bridge it is hard to 'sell' duplicate in a vacuum. Did you do this in conjunction with your local club? Giving the students free games a few times to get them interested in duplicate. I know in the old days when I started 'rudeness' to encapsulate the attitude in one word at the table was common place. This discouraged new players as the experience wasn't fun. The ACBL in the '90s implemented a zero tolerance policy to discourage this type of action. It was started by Audrey Grant in Toronto in her clubs. It is really terrible that during the nationals here the ACBL had to reiterate this policy not only at the bridge table but with regards to hotel staff apparently not only were players berating the staff over the coffee, soft drink prices but actually helped themselves to soft drinks.

Thanks for the offer, but I don't go onto Bridge base online. The last time I was there was several years ago, and I couldn't get anybody to play with me. The intermediate players wanted to play with experts, and the experts wanted to play with experts.

My class was not in conjunction with the local club. What we are going to do instead, if approved at the club's director meeting Tuesday, is start a Newcomer game. Since you don't even have to join ACBL to play in a Newcomer game but can get your Masterpoints later if you win any, just by joining and paying back dues, and since we have heard from six or eight people that they are interested, we think it will be a great success.

That's really creepy about bridge players being mean to hotel staff, generally the most undervalued and underpaid workers in any city. Hotel management should have intervened. Well, maybe they did, I dunno. I love that zero tolerance policy, and we almost kicked somebody out last year who pitched a loud fit over a scoring mistake. He got a sternly worded letter, a sternly worded letter indeed, and he's been Mr. Congeniality ever since. Scoring mistakes are virtually a thing of the past now that we have BridgeMates.

SportsFan68 wrote:I took the bridge director's written exam today, and if my luck holds, I'll easily meet the 65% threshold for passing with approximately 90%. Most of the questions are fairly straightforward, but about 10% (the 10% I missed, of course ) require reading into the question what they really want to know.

So in about two to four weeks, I hope y'all can address me as "Ms. Director."

I think directing traffic on a bridge would be kind of neat. You know, deciding whether to let the cars go and hold up the boats or vice versa.

silverscreenselect wrote:

SportsFan68 wrote:I took the bridge director's written exam today, and if my luck holds, I'll easily meet the 65% threshold for passing with approximately 90%. Most of the questions are fairly straightforward, but about 10% (the 10% I missed, of course ) require reading into the question what they really want to know.

So in about two to four weeks, I hope y'all can address me as "Ms. Director."

I think directing traffic on a bridge would be kind of neat. You know, deciding whether to let the cars go and hold up the boats or vice versa.

So did Gov. Christie.

The BBO offer was to play with me and some friends so you don't need to worry about the expert/advanced issue

it is so bad hotels don't want to offer refreshments and staff don't wont to work

Sending good thoughts for the scores to come back high.

I got a lot out of my time playing bridge in my early 20s but I doubt I'll ever go back. I think of it the way I do religions - I was obsessive about it for a while; I'm glad it's there for the folks who like it; but it doesn't fit me anymore.

Thanks for all the good thoughts and best wishes! I was informed today via E-mail that I passed with 95%.

She sent a summary of the eight questions I got wrong along with the correct answers, and that means I got all three bonus questions right to bring me up to 95%.

I already have my first director job! No money, Mac. The Thursday afternoon "fun" game is switching to a Newcomer game in March after we all get back from Albuquerque, and since I already play on the second and fourth Thursdays, I've been asked to direct.

Happy bridging, everybody!

And stay warm, Kusch -- supposed to be minus 20-something up there tonight.

Congrats on the great accomplishment.

One thing might interest you:

My parents were big time duplicate players in their time. It was a major part of their lives. So much so, they picked my name so that my initials would be ACE (I shit you not).

Anywho…

In retirement, my mom dad became directors. Why?

Not many people realize it, but most major cruise lines offer a bridge game as part of their package. They need directors to run the games. My folks loved cruises so they registered with various cruise lines. I don't know all of the compensation given, but at a minimum, their fare was GREATLY reduced, or probably free. They went on 2, maybe 3 cruises a year. So, if you like to do this type of vacation, you might want to inquire further.

Sorry, I fucked up and submitted twice.

it's about getting your feet wet Sprots you don't make a lot of money as a full time director but you visit nice places, stay in nice hotels and most of the time meet nice people hope to see you at my ytable in the near future

Thanks for the encouraging words, Ace and Mac.

What a great story, Ace! I hope for similar golden years with SteelersFan after he retires.