Education

The Village Card Club (VCC) maintains an active educational program for all its members and prospective members nearly year round. Non-club members are also welcome to take classes at the VCC. The VCC is aware that many social bridge players may want to improve their game without membership in a duplicate bridge club. The VCC offers non-sanctioned games for social bridge players.

Whether a player is a novice, intermediate, advanced or expert player, the VCC encourages its members' participation in roles that vary from beginning student to expert instructor. The VCC is proud to offer high quality bridge education at a fraction of what it typically costs in other areas throughout the country.

For entry level students, the dynamic Easybridge program is ideal. The students learn to play bridge in a fun atmosphere from the very first day of the class. Easybridge 1, 2, and 3 are inexpensive ten-week courses. Refer to the Easybridge tab for more information.

Additionally, the VCC offers the American Contract Bridge League's (ACBL) series of classes at various times throughout the year. These classes are excellent for beginners, Easybridge graduates or for players with some bridge experience in the past.

The VCC "Mentor" program is also an excellent option for novice to intermediate level players. Expert volunteers mentor a group of four students during the bidding and play of the hand. The practice hands focus on one particular subject matter per session. The mentor program is a terrific method to improve a partnership under the guidance of an expert player. The program is free to the participants.

For intermediate to advanced students, various courses are offered throughout the year. These courses focus on partnership development, bidding systems, play of the hand and defense. The popular "Two Over One" bidding system, for example, is a course offered annually.

One or more educational workshops are offered almost weekly. Most of the workshops use a "play and learn" format with an expert instructor on the particular subject matter. Its recommended that partnerships attend the workshops together to learn new skills as a partnership although individuals without a partner are welcome as well. Many new partnerships form from the workshop environment. Handouts that outline the instructional material are usually provided to the attendees.

Unquestionably, the VCC workshops are popular because they focus on one topic and only require a two-hour commitment. Topics vary greatly throughout the year. Refer to the club calendar for dates and topics. Workshop announcements are also posted at the VCC with sign-up sheets.

If you need additional information, please contact the VCC Education Manager, Denny Penticoff, at 501-984-3622 or email him at fsudenny@att.net.

Thanks for your interest and participation in the VCC educational program.