Mentoring Program

PURPOSE. The purpose of the VCC Mentoring Program is to enhance the enjoyment of duplicate bridge for beginning and intermediate-level VCC members by providing individual tutoring in the various aspects of the game. Its secondary purpose is to encourage more participation in VCC Open Games by demonstrating that familiarity breeds comfort.
PROGRAM OVERSIGHT. The VCC Mentoring Program Steering Committee will oversee and coordinate the conduct of the program and appoint any necessary subcommittees to accomplish the following tasks:

Advertise the Program and encourage participation.
Select mentors.
Post a semiannual Student Sign-up List.
Coordinate mentor-student pairings and publish the Mentor-Student Pairing List.
Publish and distribute letters of instruction for mentors and students.
Schedule and coordinate monthly Mentor Program games, game directors, and associated instruction periods.
The Mentoring schedule will be coordinated with the Education Director, and the Club and Game Managers.
Prepare and issue Mentoring Program Free Play certificates.
Monitor the Program, recognizing that it is an evolving endeavor, and revise it as necessary

SELECTION. The Program Mentor Selection Subcommittee shall invite selected VCC members to serve as mentors. The general requirements for mentorship are:

Prior to the semiannual terms, check the posted Mentor-Student Pairing List to determine whether he/she has been paired with a student.
Provide tutoring on duplicate bridge rules, etiquette, bidding, play and defense to the student.
Ensure that the student-mentor partnership participates in the requisite number of games during the partnership term. The goal is to play in the three monthly Mentoring Program games and three other games (Intermediate, Mixer or Open) during the three-month term.
When asked by the Program Committee, provide instruction in the form of a 15-minute lesson on a selected topic at a monthly Mentoring Program game.

SELECTION. The selection of students shall be self-initiated. A VCC member who meets the Program requirements may become a student by entering his or her name on the Student sign-up sheet posted prior to each Program term. The Steering Committee may take student mentor preferences into consideration when preparing the Mentor-Student Pairing List.
REQUIREMENTS. To qualify to be a student in the Mentoring Program a VCC member must:

Be a current ACBL member and a Village Card Club member.
Have earned between 20 or the equivalent experience, and under 300 masterpoints.

Participate with his/her mentor in the monthly Mentoring Program game.
Participate with his/her mentor in three other games (Intermediate, Mixer or Open) during the three month term of the partnership.
Exercise consideration in seeking the mentor's time for tutoring or for playing in games beyond the six recommended for the partnership.

TERM. The term of the mentor-student relationship will be three months. Early in the partnership term the pair should prepare a convention card. The student may use this joint preparation as an opportunity to form an outline of the those areas on which he/she wants the mentor to focus during the term of the partnership.
B. TUTORING. During the term of the partnership the student may ask questions or seek explanations from the mentor regarding duplicate bridge rules, etiquette, bidding, play of the hand or defense.
GAME PLAY. The goals of mentor and student game play are to reenforce tutoring points and to expose other areas in which the student might develop questions. The Mentor-Student pair will participate in game play as follows:

The Monthly Mentoring Program Game. The pair will participate in the monthly Mentoring Program games during the three-month partnership term. These games will be held at the Casa de Carta on a designated day each month.

The purpose of these games is to provide the Mentor-Student pair a less competitive atmosphere where duplicate-style play and tutoring occur concurrently. Players may refer to convention cards during play. Time will be allowed for short pair discussions between hands. Consequently, a maximum of 21 boards will be played during a game.
When available, qualified "rover" advisers may be on hand during these games for consultation on difficult or troublesome bidding or play situations.
The games will not be ACBL sanctioned and masterpoints will not be awarded.
There will be no fee for the game.
No scores will be kept, except individual scores.
An instruction period will precede each monthly Mentor Program game. This 15-minute period will be presented by an active mentor or a guest speaker. Monthly instruction topics will be determined by a Mentoring Program Committee in coordination with the selected instructor. Whenever possible, handouts summarizing the instruction will be distributed to all attendees.

Other Partnership Games. The mentor-student pair will participate in three VCC regular games during the partnership term. Two of these games may be intermediate games. At least one of the three games should be a VCC open game or Mixer to introduce the student to the environment of Open-game play. The Game Director will recognize Mentoring Program pairs at the beginning of all games in which mentor-student pairs are participating.

The mentor-student pair may play in two VCC intermediate games to provide the student with a more comfortable initial game environment. The pair may not earn master points in these games, however there will be no fee for playing. The pair may refer to their own convention cards during play.
At least once during the Mentoring Program term, the pair will play in a VCC open game or Mixer. There is no fee for playing in either of these games, however the pair may earn master points. The pair may refer to their own convention cards during play.

Date of revision, February 2008