Keep an eye out in the sky for the mahjong signal beckoning all bulldogs! Mahjong — a game of strategy commonly connected with, well, “old people” — has become a hit recently among the students at Wylie West Junior High thanks to the newly established Bulldogs and Bams Mahjong Club.
The club kicked off Sept. 23 due to the efforts of West Junior High fifth grade math teacher Sydney Heidenheimer.
“When I first learned mahjong, I couldn’t help but wonder why Abilene didn’t have the same kind of fun, social mahjong events that other cities did — so I decided to create one,” said Heidenheimer. “That idea turned into building a mahjong community right here in Abilene. I hosted Camp Mahj at ACU for kids ages 6 to 14, and it was such a hit! The campers kept saying how much they loved playing mahjong with other kids their age. That excitement sparked the idea of an after-school club where students can keep learning, playing and having fun together.”
The club meets twice a month and averages about 40 members each time, which is something Heidenheimer believes will increase over the school year.
“Right now, we have a lot more fifth and sixth graders participating since they don’t have junior high volleyball, basketball or other “stay after-school” sports yet. We expect to see more seventh and eighth graders join in once their sports seasons wrap up or between seasons,” said Heidenheimer.
Each club, students bring snacks, provided by parents, and enjoy learning the game with friends, eventually becoming what Heidenheimer deems as pros of the game.
“I’m the only official teacher, but I have amazing 11 and 12-year-old mahjong pros who’ve become quite the teachers themselves,” said Heidenheimer. “They love showing new players the ropes, helping explain the rules and making sure everyone feels welcome at the table. It’s the sweetest little mahjong community in action.”
The students feel the same way, and expanded on the club being a fun, hands-on learning experience where they meet new friends, help others and enjoy challenging themselves in a casual environment. Fifth-grader Emma Clark and sixth graders Parker Brown and Jones Weltzin are some of the club pros, all bringing prior experience.
“It’s actually a fun game and doesn’t involve grandmas; it’s for young people, too,” said Brown. She enjoys teaching the game and seeing friends grow in game IQ. “I feel good about myself that they can go teach others.”
“It’s kids teaching kids,” said Weltzin. “You not only get to learn the game; you get to hang out with peers – familiar and new faces – with the same mindset and vocabulary.”
The website mahjong-rules.com describes the game as “…. a tile-based game of strategy, skill and memory played by four players. The goal is to form specific tile combinations (called hands) before your opponents does.”
“You can really play with anyone, and once you get started, it gets easier,” said Clark. She and Weltzin believe mahjong is beneficial, too; Clark attributes her better memorization skills to the game, and Weltzin said his patience has improved, something at which he used to struggle.
The daughter is fifth grader and club member Olivia Rinard. “A couple of years ago, my mom wanted to learn to play, so I was tasked to learn.”
Rinard credits Clark for teaching her the basics and rules at the first club meeting, and then she in turn taught her mom and grandmother.
“It is complicated and at first it was frustrating. I didn’t know how to explain, but as I came to club, things became more clear,” said Rinard. Now, she said they often play before bed.
Heidenheimer couldn’t be more excited about the club increasing the awareness of mahjong, and more importantly, bringing people together.
“One of my favorite moments since starting this club involved a student who was completely new to mahjong. With help from a few of her peers during club meetings, she was confidently playing — and even teaching others — after just two sessions! A few weeks later, I was teaching mahjong at an event, and her mom and grandma joined in. To my surprise and delight, they were already mahjong pros — all thanks to their daughter learning at just a couple of club meetings! I love how mahjong traveled through their family, creating a fun, shared hobby that now spans three generations. It’s moments like this that make the club so special,” said Heidenheimer.
By Kristen Johnson