Kids Bridge

What is Kids Bridge?

I give the younger students a place to play bridge with others who are just starting out as well. All the players have completed at least a beginning set of lessons. The purpose is to give them the opportunity to practice and to speed up their play. It is free! You just need to sign up ahead of time. Parents are welcome to stay and watch! Call 816-237-0519 or e-mail to sign up and get directions. This is usually held in my home, unless the numbers signing up require a larger space. We hope to continue this starting some time in 2024. After building up speed, for those who are comfortable with the idea, we plan to go play at some of the Duplicate Bridge Clubs in the area.

SUMMER 2024 LESSONS

May 31 – Aug. 16, at least 8 of these Fridays,

not sure of exact dates yet

Mo-Kan Bridge Academy is offering youth lessons and supervised play on Friday Mornings in conjunction with their duplicate game. They will offer a 45 minute lesson from 9:30 to 10:15, snack break until 10:30, and then continuing lesson/supervised play until noon. Any students the teacher deems ready for duplicate play may play in the duplicate game from 10:30 until about 1 for no additional charge if they wish, instead of playing in the supervised play until noon. Cost is $5 per student ages 8 and up! Adults are welcome to join the lessons for the same $5 as long as they bring a youth to learn too! Any adults switching to the duplicate game will need to pay an additional $3. This essentially gives the adults the lesson for free if they wish to play in the duplicate game. Sign up ahead of time is required. No need to attend every session -Mo-Kan will provide instruction at your skill level! Absolute beginners welcome. See the 2023 summer flyer (until the 2024 is available) or check out the Mo-Kan Bridge Academy website.

Here’s some pictures taken at our last class of 2023.

Fall Sectional Tournament, Oct. 28, 2023 at the Jewish Community Center, 5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park, KS. Youth Section will be held at 2 p.m. FREE entry with trophies and scholarship money to the winners. (For Scholarship $ you must reside within unit 131). It would be helpful to let Kathy know if you plan on playing! Must be High School Age or younger, member of ACBL, and have less than 10 masterpoints.

PLAY DUPLICATE WITH ME AS YOUR PARTNER

I will play duplicate with you at a local club. The cost for this varies from free to $35, as follows: Kid prices: First 4 times I play with you, I’ll pay my own entry fee. Next 4 times I play with you, you’ll need to pay my entry fee. Playing with you time # 9 and above, you pay my entry fee and $35.

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SPRING 2024? Youth Lessons

Youth Lessons and Play to be held at The Bridge Studio, 7115 W. 95th St., Overland Park, KS Sunday afternoons from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Presented by Mo-Kan Bridge Academy.

These lessons are for any youth, age 8 to 18. You don’t have to know any bridge at all to start! Cost is just $5. Adults are welcome to attend for the same $5 if they bring a youth with them! To sign up call or email Kathy Rolfe. Not required to attend all the lessons, just sign up for the ones you can. We cancel by the Saturday evening prior if we have no registrations for the next day’s class.

These kids had some fun in the spring 2022 Youth Lessons.

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FALL 2019 HOMESCHOOL School Bridge Tournament

Playing hard in their end of class pupil game! Five Tables of kids ranging in age from 8 to 17!

And the winners are: Sophia & Clare with a 79.92% game, (1st Overall & 1st EW)! Miles & Joseph came in 2nd overall (1st. NS) with a 57% game.
3rd overall (2nd NS) with a 56.64% game, some of our youngest players Lucy & Charlie!
4th overall (2nd EW) with a 52.83% game, Isabella & Theresa

Hear why bridge for kids is fun for a lifetime, from one of our newest life masters., Brian Zhang.

A new Youth Bridge organization. Youth Bridge Association, run by youth to teach youth!

Bridge Competition Scholarship

Student competition will be held this year at the Fall Sectional Tournament on Oct. 28 at 2 p.m. The students will play in their own section if there are at least 3 tables. If at least 10 students don’t participate, those attending will play in the 0-299 section with the adults. This is for high school students and younger with less than 20 masterpoints who are members of ACBL. You can join ACBL at the tournament if not already a member. Winners will be awarded masterpoints and the Unit provides a trophy to the top student winners as well. In addition, Kathy Rolfe is providing a $50 scholarship to the top winners residing within Unit 131 through the Rolfe Bridge Fund administered through the Truman Heartland Community Foundation. It will be free to play. Contact Kathy via e-mail or call 816-237-0519 to let her know you plan on playing. NO Covid Vaccination Required!

The 2019 Spring Tournament hosted 3 tables for the competition bridge scholarship on June 1. Finishing in first place were Peter Caughron and his grandmother Nancy Caughron (playing to complete the 3 tables) with a 60% game, picking up .92 Silver masterpoints and winning Peter a $50 scholarship when he graduates from high school next year. In second place were Patrick and Michael Caughron with a 57.5 % game picking up .69 masterpoints and $50 each in scholarship money to be used this fall at their college.

Fundraiser at Culver’s!

The 13th Annual Scholarship fundraiser was held at Culver’s at 1275 SE Oldham Parkway on Wednesday Aug. 2, 2023. 10% of all sales made were donated to scholarship funds held with Truman Heartland Community Foundation. The first fund is the Eugene J. Rolfe Memorial Scholarship Fund, providing $1500 renewable scholarships to Engineering students. The next fund is the Rolfe Bridge Fund. This fund provides $500 renewable scholarships to Kathy’s students who have at least 1 masterpoint upon graduating from high school and who continue to add to the masterpoint holding while in college. The Bridge Fund also provides scholarships to students winning at the local Unit 131 Spring Tournament when a student section is offered. You can read about these scholarships on this website or read and apply for them via the Truman Heartland Community Foundation.

We raised almost $500 with the Culver’s donation and private donations at the event this year.

Here’s a few pictures from this year! A lot of former, current and future bridge students and players here! (Sorry Dave and Jen-forgot to take your picture!)

Home School Bridge Classes. FREE!

Interested in getting the classes into your school?

Click School Bridge to find out why your school should be doing this!

See the survey results provided by teachers on the benefits of bridge in school!

Home School Students! These classes are great for you. I can work with your schedule!

There is also the option of a semester long elective class in Bridge that meets National Math Standards for Middle School Students. Looking for an elective credit that will truly benefit your students? Any teacher can teach this class once they know the basics of bridge themselves. Take one of my beginning courses and then you can feel confident of teaching the class yourself! Contact me for more details!

These pictures are from the fall 2018 and 2019 home school classes I taught. It is great fun! Try it, you’ll like it!

Daniel (partner not shown) 1st N/S, Teacher (Kathy Rolfe) Robert and Benjamin 1st E/W

Daniel (partner not shown): 1st N/S Robert & Benjamin: 1st E/W

2019 School Bridge Game Download

Student Wins National Scholarships

Former Student Wins the King of Bridge Title

Also Wins Baron Barclay Open Pairs Event at the Youth NABC

Reese Koppel participated in the 2018 Youth NABC (North American Bridge Championships) in Atlanta this summer. He won the Baron Barclay Open Pairs event which comes with a $1000 scholarship. Reese attended the YBEO Youth Camp in Carlinville, IL in 2015 and then attended the Wanna Play Bridge High School Camp that same summer. You’ll find his picture from that on this website as well! Read all about it here.

Reese also won the ACBL King of Bridge title this year which also comes with a scholarship. So proud of him! Read all about it here.

Good job Reese!

Get Classes into Your Summer Camp – FREE!

Interested in getting the classes into your school?

Click School Bridge (and then click on School Bridge Articles) or click here to find out why your school should be doing this!

In Your Summer Camp Program:

These classes are designed to get the students playing right away, without needing to learn how to bid first. They are a lot of fun and help the kids develop playing skills before the more math and logic oriented bidding skills are developed. These mini-bridge classes require 8 students minimum to a class. Each class is up to 10 hours in length, we can do this in as little as 45 minutes a session; I’m flexible and can work with your program – all at no cost to you!

Get Classes into School: 1st through 6th grade. FREE!

Interested in getting the classes into your school?

Click School Bridge (and then click on School Bridge Articles) or click here to find out why your school should be doing this!

See the survey results provided by teachers on the benefits of bridge in school!

1st grade through 6th grade:

ACBL provides a book bag to the students and pays the bridge teacher a small stipend to teach 16 hours of class. These classes are designed to get the students playing right away, without needing to learn how to bid first. They are a lot of fun and help the kids develop playing skills before the more math and logic oriented bidding skills are developed. These mini-bridge classes require 8 students minimum to a class. These are ideal for before or after school daycare as well as during the day.

Get Bridge Classes into School: 4th grade and up. FREE!

Interested in getting the classes into your school?

Click School Bridge (and then click on School Bridge Articles) or click here to find out why your school should be doing this!

See the survey results provided by teachers on the benefits of bridge in school!

4th grade and older:

ACBL provides the textbook and a book bag to each student. At the end of the 8 lessons we have a small tournament in the class and the top student gets a trophy.

ACBL pays the bridge teacher a small stipend to help compensate for the time. So the class is free to the students! I’d love to start a class in your school if you have at least 8 students in the class. If you are in the greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area, I can probably fit you in to my schedule.

The classes are great as part of a math class or a gifted class. They would work wonderfully in an after school program as well. The classes are taught using the Bidding in the 21st Century series, which is a series of 8 two hour lessons. It works best as 2 hour lessons, but we can modify it to work as 16 one hour lessons as well. If you don’t live near me, contact ACBL to see if there is a teacher available in your area.

Engineering Scholarship

This scholarship is not associated with Bridge but rather with Engineering, which was both my late husband’s profession as well as my own. It is available only to graduates of the Lee’s Summit Public High Schools, St. Michael The Archangel High School, or to Lee’s Summit school district residents who are homeschool graduates. If you are planning on majoring in Engineering, graduating from one of these high schools, and have some music performance in your background please consider applying. This scholarship is the Eugene J. Rolfe Memorial Scholarship available via online application through the Truman Heartland Community Foundation. It is a $1500 scholarship renewable for an additional 3 years with a college GPA of 3.0 or higher while continuing to major in engineering.

Bridge Scholarship for Graduating High School Seniors

The Kathy Rolfe Bridge Scholarship is administered through the Truman Heartland Community Foundation. This $500 scholarship is open to graduating high school seniors who are former bridge students of Kathy Rolfe or to students of students. In addition, the applicant must have at least a B average and have earned at least 1 masterpoint (black, red, silver, or gold) and be a member of ACBL. The scholarship can be renewed for an additional 3 years if the recipient maintains at least a B average in post-secondary work and earns additional masterpoints (or fractions thereof) in each succeeding year. Deadline is July 15 of each year. Applications are available through this website Truman Heartland Community Foundation.

So if you are interested in pursuing this scholarship and need practice or a partner to play at a duplicate club, keep informed about when Kids Bridge practice nights are being offered or call me when you are ready to go play duplicate. I’ll help get you started! I’ll play with you for up to 4 sessions, paying my own entry fee. For sessions 5 to 9, you’ll need to pay my entry fee. Beyond that, I charge $30 to play with me plus you pay my entry fee.