It's hard to battle a stereotype as strong as the one that circles the game of Bridge. Ask someone who is unfamiliar with the highs and lows of this trick-taking four-person game battle and you'll hear the same comment over and over again.
"People think it's a hard card game for old people. We've got to really shift that perception," Bridge New Zealand's marketing and communications manager Mel Auld said.
In Te Puke, the local bridge club has been fighting to change that stereotype.
Janet Burrett's been here since the walls first went up.
"When the club was formed I was 25, and now I'm coming up to 90."
Her wits are still sharp, a trait she credits to the fast-paced game of Bridge, but in the past couple of years the seats around her have become increasingly empty.
"Yeah we got a bit low, people passing on, moving into rest homes," she said.
New members weren't embracing Bridge.
Lorraine Creasy took on the role of club president at the start of the year. She said the first step was to gather her club together and come up with a plan to combat dwindling numbers.
"I think last year we had no new players, the year before maybe one. It means that we would not have been able to continue for many more years."
Her club came up with a plan.
Together with a small team of Te Puke's loyal Bridge players, Creasy began spreading the word on the benefits of Bridge.
"You've got to use social media. We got on community boards, we got on our website, we got on Facebook."
Using word of mouth new people started to turn up. This group of "young ones" was still in their 50s and 60s but they injected new life into the club.
After their initial lessons the club never released their grip on the newly initiated. They took Bridge into their homes.
It was a younger, nibble and drink focused series of gatherings that not only created a comfortable environment to play but also to learn without judgement.
"It's relaxed, you can repeat your hands, you can talk about your cards. This gives them confidence — they get to say 'oh I didn't do that well', and they do it again properly," Creasy said.
But they could still go younger. In Te Puke High School's library, teenagers are now learning the game of Bridge for the first time.
"You hook them into Bridge early but they are such an enthusiastic group. It's exactly who we want to play Bridge for our future."
Creasy admits these kids probably won't all turn up to the club for the next tournament but she's happy to play the long game. "They'll go to work, get busy, they might not play for a few years but they'll come back to bridge."
Club nights now tell a very un-stereotypical story. The old and the "young" take their positions across from each other. The sausage rolls are gone before they're cold and the hum of energy that should surround this game is back.
Only one year into her unopposed tenancy as president and numbers here have increased by 45%. "Which is a huge relief because another two years like that and we were facing a totally different conversation," Creasy said.
But 90-year-old Burrett puts it best. When asked if she feels confident about the life of the club, she's quick to answer: "Certainly. It's full of life. Bridge has brought them all together."
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