Bridge(ing) the distance

Drop by the Vestavia Hills Civic Center on any given Friday morning, and there’s a good chance the tell-tale sounds of the most popular card game in the world will be coming from at least one room.

For nearly three decades, seniors have been gathering in groups of 20 or more to play bridge. And while many of the players are in their upper 80s or early 90s, they show no signs of retiring from the game.

“Everybody who comes is pretty frisky and bright,” said Julie Harper, program coordinator for senior services.

Harper said the city began offering space for folks to play bridge at the civic center more than 25 years ago when a group got together and asked to play. While most of the original players have since passed, attendance is still regular and strong.

“We just kept growing and growing and growing,” Harper said, adding that the city has been supportive of letting groups continue to form over the years.

There are four main bridge groups, Harper said. Two meet on Fridays, and the others meet on Mondays and Wednesday evenings.

“More than anything, it’s just a continual group, it’s a great way to socialize, and that’s really what our seniors want to do,” Harper said. “And they connect. Old friends connect. It’s not just playing bridge; they’re sharing information and sharing life with each other.”

Many of the bridge players have been playing the game for decades — some for as long as 60 years.

Several said they knew other card games growing up in the 1940s, but they grew to love bridge while in college.

“There used to be an automatic bridge game going during finals,” said Jimmie Brindley, who plays with the group that meets in the Vestavian Room each Friday.

Martha Beachum, also a member of that group, echoed Brindley’s recollections.

“I was going to take tennis when I went to college, and it was interfering with my bridge playing, and I quit playing,” she said with a chuckle, adding, “Now is that pitiful?” which earned a laugh from the entire table.

One of the few male players, Andy Wehrenberg, said his interest in bridge came later.

“Now see, I didn’t play bridge in college on purpose, because I have three friends who flunked out playing bridge. They’d rather play bridge than go to class,” he said, getting even more laughter from the group.

Wehrenberg uses the civic center group to practice, Brindley said, and plays in tournaments regularly, like many of the seniors in Vestavia.

“He uses us to warm up for next week so he can beat everyone else in the city,” she said.

But the jibes are all in good fun.

“It’s fun though,” Beachum said. “And you do have to think — I don’t act like you do — but you do.”

Harper said many of the seniors who play bridge at the center do it as a means to get out and about, keep in touch with friends and keep their minds sharp.

“One thing I’ve noticed about bridge, and people who play bridge, is it’s pretty mathematical,” Harper said. “They’ve had a really strong life, and they continue to have a real strong life.”

Harper said she’s read article after article citing studies that show bridge is helping senior citizens stay mentally acute and even provides physical benefits.

In fact, AARP references multiple studies on its website that link bridge playing to benefits because of its use of memory, visualization and sequencing parts of the brain.

And the bridge players themselves seemed to agree.

“I think it just is good for your mind,” said Martha McElroy, 96, who plays with a group that meets in the Dogwood Room.

McElroy said she hopes younger generations will learn to play bridge and join them someday.

“You should learn when you’re young and you’ll never forget it. It’s like riding a bicycle,” she said, adding that she isn’t sure what young people today are going to do when they get old if they don’t learn how to play bridge.

Harper said that in the future, she would like to find someone to teach bridge lessons, as the game can be complicated to beginners.

In the meantime, she encouraged the community to come out and meet the groups, even if they aren’t a seasoned bridge player.

“I think it’s a good group to connect with, and I think each of them have an individual story that is wonderful to investigate,” she said.

For more information about senior services in Vestavia Hills, visit vhal.org/community/senior-citizens.