This is the Deal!
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett Are Catalysts for School Bridge League
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are partners in business, philanthropy — and Bridge. They are avid players and passionate about the life lessons that can be learned from the game, especially in decision making, critical thinking and teamwork. Their commitment forms the foundation for the School Bridge LEAGUE.
Says Microsoft founder Gates: "Bridge helps you think about decisions and consequences before you make a move."
Buffett, the investor and founder of Berkshire Hathaway, concurs: "Bridge is a great way to learn from inferences. A lot of decisions in life you make by inferring from what you know."
So strong is their passion that Gates and Buffett promised $1 million to finance a Bridge program in schools, believing that young people should be introduced to the multi-faceted education embedded in a simple deck of 52 cards.
The Gates-Buffett initiative was made public in a New York Times article (link) by Sharon Osberg. The duo asked Osberg, a business and Bridge partner and world champion player, to coordinate the project.
The project faced challenges. Students perceive the game as old-fashioned. Who would teach the children? What venues were available for them to play after they learned? How could Bridge meet the educational testing standards so critical to the success of today's academic programs?
Meanwhile, Osberg's article made an impression on Bill Hoogterp, founder of The LEAGUE. Osberg identified Bridge with terms such as partnership, trust, communication, logic and problem-solving. All of these are elements for success for The LEAGUE's mission to build character, leadership and community relations. Gates and Buffett also articulated The LEAGUE's commitment to philanthropy. When you believe in something, you give back.
Already, The LEAGUE's programs were crafted around a concept attractive to students – service and learning in a sports-type environment with interscholastic competition. Already, The LEAGUE was building a nationwide network of schools to participate. And already, The LEAGUE had recognized the importance of matching curriculum with testing standards.
A new partnership was formed. With funding from Gates and Buffett, the School Bridge LEAGUE is reaching across the nation, with detailed lesson plans matched to testing standards, custom Bridge supplies, and playing opportunities at schools, online and in the community.
The lifelong benefits of Bridge may not be immediately apparent to the new generation of players. Another attraction will get their initial attention. "It's educational," commented one young student of the game. "You just don't realize it because it's so much fun."
Within School Bridge LEAGUE students compete based on their level of experience, from beginners (those who have been playing less than six months) to advanced (those that have been playing more than two years). Students can also compete in the Mini-Bridge division, which does not include the bidding process, so any student, even the most recent to the game of Bridge, can compete.
The three categories under the School Bridge LEAGUE umbrella are:
Beginner
Playing less than 6 months, no tournament experience
Intermediate
Playing more than 6 months and less than 2 years, but played in at least one tournament
Advanced
Playing more than 2 years