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First-year math student Jeff Schrader plays bridge with the Bruin Bridge Club.

While the basketball team practices for the upcoming national championships, a group of unique competitors prepare for a different kind of tournament – the North American Collegiate Bridge Championship.

Though they practice indoors, and sometimes online, the Bruin Bridge Club members are nothing short of athletes, as the game includes the most vital elements of every sport – teamwork, communication, strategy and skill.

Meeting every Wednesday night for two hours in the gaming lounge of the Wooden Center, the club provides a friendly atmosphere for players of all levels to learn or hone their bridge skills, as well as to socialize with their peers.

Started two years ago by UCLA students and brothers Blake and Brad Haas, the club has not only expanded, but has sent a team of four to the national championships in the past two years, placing third in 2004 and fourth in 2005.

“It needed to be done,” said Blake Haas, a third-year physiological science student, emphasizing the need for a bridge club on campus. “There are more people dying than joining the game,” he said, adding that the average age of a bridge player is 66.

Ironically, bridge used to be popular among college students 50 to 60 years ago, but never made the transition to younger generations, said Daniel Aharoni, a fourth-year physics student. Aharoni is one of four team members who will be representing UCLA at the championship in July.

As an intellectually challenging game, members of the group said the skill and patience involved in mastering it could be reasons why younger crowds are not that enthused about playing bridge.

“If you are looking for a quick fix of enjoyment, poker is better for that. ... It takes a long time to learn, (but it’s) well worth it in the end,” said Brad Haas, a fourth-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student.

Though the championship is months away, early preparation is always beneficial – especially for an event that consists of playing the card game for two days, eight hours each day, Aharoni said.

“You have to build up your endurance for the game,” he said, explaining that the team participates regularly in local tournaments for their age group to build stamina.

Participants of the competitive team at UCLA practice anywhere from 10 to 15 hours a week, meet with a professional bridge coach once a week, and read books about bridge strategies. And like most professional sports, the team has uniforms.

“We went to the athletic department, and (they) gave us nice light blue-collared shirts,” Blake Haas said.

While UCLA’s rival in most athletics is USC, the Bruin Bridge Club has other schools to worry about – like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which placed first in the national competition two years ago.

The Haas brothers started the club with the aid of a scholarship from the American Contract Bridge League, the largest bridge organization in the world. The organization strives to reintroduce bridge to a more youthful population.

Blake and Brad Haas were introduced to the game almost a decade ago, and went on to start a bridge club at their high school.

“My grandparents taught us, (but) it skipped a generation – my parents don’t really play,” Brad Haas said.

Besides meeting new people and exercising analytical thinking skills, playing bridge has additional perks.

Studies have shown that playing the game decreases one’s risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease and increases white blood cell counts, Aharoni said.

Experienced or not, Bruin Bridge Club members encourage everyone to try a hand at this game.

“It’s a very intellectual game, which is great for college,” Aharoni said.