| ACBL District 21 | From the Golden Gate to the Silver City |
Board of Directors |
D21 President Katherine Ewing introduced and warmly welcomed ACBL President Sharon Anderson and her husband, Roger.
Bill Corliss has been appointed Education Chair and would like ideas for getting a College Tournament underway. (b.corliss@sbcglobal.net)
Vice-President Bob Garret is the new D21 Ombudsman and can be reached at bobgar101@charter.net with questions and complaints.
Complaints about cards in predealt hands are being taken care of.
There will be a reception later today honoring departing staff Barbara Morman and Bob and Jo Geissler, as well as Jackie Matthews who will step into the position of Assistant Tournament Manager. The District is presenting each departing staff member with $2500 in appreciation of long and dedicated service.
Harvey Brody encouraged Units to submit payment for Forum ads.
Tournament Manager Pam Hughes announced that the January Regional 2013 is scheduled for the waterfront Portola Hotel in Monterey. Parking is free to hotel guests and the space is easy walking distance to Cannery Row as well as many other attractions. Reservations, as well as a virtual tour of the hotel, can be made online at the D21 WEB site.
SF NABC Chairman Jim Leuker noted that the NABC tournament flyers are available at Sectionals and Regionals as well as online. Jim encouraged members to make their hotel reservations at the Marriott early. Room rates are $149 per night, the same as 5 years ago. Naming rights for each session of bridge are $250 and apply to corporations as well as individuals. Everything is going well and the costs should come in well within the budgetary guidelines.
National Director Bruce Blakely also welcomed Sharon Anderson and noted her expertise in long range strategic planning. Sharon is working closely with new CEO Robert Hartman on membership, club and marketing goals. Sharon has been attending many tournaments and has benefitted from listening sessions with input from local members and clubs. Players under 19 are allowed free plays and players under 26 can buy $10 coupons for NABC events. Bruce is introducing a motion at the Summer NABC so that professional players under 26 earning $1000/year or more playing bridge will not be eligible for these coupons. Strength of Field is still under discussion. There will be a motion on whether Directors will be allowed to play for points during STAC weeks.
Pam Hughes has suggested bringing back ZIP KO’s as she feels there is a certain group of people who really enjoy this game. Gold Rush events bring at least 40 extra tables to events. It was decided to add a Compact KO on Friday to next year’s Sacramento Regional since a large number of pairs played in the side game.
Charles Smith reported that 2 Units still need to finalize their Sectional dates for this year. Many Units are scheduled through 2014. Charles encouraged Units to lock in their sites as this is the biggest problem facing Units. (smithec@pacbell.com) D21 Reps should give the District Tournament Schedule to their Unit Coordinators.
GNT Chair Jackie Ortiz reminded Units that a sanctioned GNT Fund Game can be scheduled in July. This provides extra points for players at no additional cost. Jackie does not need to be notified.
Charity Chair Jeff Hack noted the $30,000 ACBL grant to D21 which will be divided into 6 grants of $5000 each. No bridge related organizations can apply although D21 is using their own $5000 grant for Youth Bridge this year. Deadline is July 4, 2012. (jnamyats@aol.com)
Send Grant Robinson any information that would be of interest to bridge players for the WEB site. (dist21webmaster@gmail.com)
Articles are encouraged about the early history of D21 Units and should be sent to Katherine Ewing for publication in the Forum. (turtle7nt@att.net)
The question of Bridge Clubs which must close during two Regionals per year in a Unit’s area will be discussed in the Executive Committee.
Respectfully submitted,
Cindy Kirk, Secretary
District 21