AMERICAN CONTRACT BRIDGE LEAGUE   

6575 Windchase Blvd.   Horn Lake, MS.   38637

 

Claire Jones

District 18 Director 

2708 Lakeview Ave

Regina, Sk. S4S 1G3

Canada

H: (306) 584-3516

F: (306) 585-1443

Email: district18director@accesscomm.ca

 

 

 
 

Kansas City Report

March 7-9, 2017

Printable Format

Board of Directors Meeting

March 7-9, 2017

Kansas City, MO.

 

2017 began with many changes. District 18 has 3 new members on its Board of Directors. Tom Romine is the new Montana representative, Jim Lucas is the new Idaho representative, and Ann Vermette is the new Saskatchewan representative. The first meeting of the new Board will take place at the Salt Lake City Regional. Be sure to pass along any questions you may have concerning Board business.

 

The ACBL is also looking for a new CEO. After 5 years of service Robert Hartman has tendered his resignation. The end of July is the official date for his resignation. The national Board has formed a search committee headed by Jay Whipple, the District 9 Director for Florida.  Bridge knowledge is an asset but not a firm requirement. If you know of any individuals you feel would be good candidates be sure to share this information with them. A more detailed description of the job requirements can be found on the ACBL web site.   http://www.acbl.org/help-wanted-ceo/

 

The District 18 Regional schedule will soon be on its way. Be sure to mark these dates on your tournament Schedule:

-        May 15-21, Salt Lake City, UT.     http://wasumi.org/Tournament/prog2017SaltLakeCityMay.pdf

-        July 10-16, Casper, WY                  http://web2.acbl.org/Tournaments/Ads/2017/07/1707019.pdf

-        August 14-20, Edmonton, AB.        http://wasumi.org/Tournament/prog2017EdmontonAugust.pdf

-        Sept. 11-17, Saskatoon, SK.       http://wasumi.org/Tournament/prog2017SaskatoonSeptember.pdf

 

The next event on the district calendar is the District level of the Grand National Teams. This takes place on line May 12th and 13th. Marilyn Swadron is our District coordinator. You can email Marilyn at dmswadron@shaw.ca with any questions. On Line registration can be done at http://www.acblunit390.org/index.php?p=1_166 .  If you haven’t started already be sure to put your teams together.

 

The meetings in Kansas City were very productive. A motion to have the Fall meeting of the Board of Directors held in Horn Lake as opposed to being at the site of the Fall NABCs was defeated. Many committee meetings happen at the NABCs and it was felt the small amount of money this procedure would save did not justify the loss of productivity that happens when the Board meeting aren’t held in conjunction with the Nationals.

 

A motion to add a subsidy for 3rd and 4th place qualifiers in the GNTs also was defeated. This is something I favor but it was felt the amount was not sufficient to encourage more entries. The idea has not died and a committee is investigating other forms of compensation as a way to encourage attendance.

 

Presently 5th and 6th team members at the NABCs are charged card fees when entering events. A motion to change this to a per team rate was defeated. Our district still follows the practice of charging a per team entry fee.

 

A motion to discontinue the use of the “stop card” was deferred to the summer meetings in Toronto. The idea was strongly favored but it was felt it was best to have more consultation with the Conditions and Conventions committee before final approval.

 

The paying of World Bridge Federation fees for all ACBL members has been a contentious issue. Supporting world bridge competition is important but many feel we are paying too much for this support. Negotiations with the United States Bridge Federation led to that organization contributing $50 000.00 to the ACBL to help cover some of these costs for this year. This is an open negotiation that is hoped will help lessen the ACBLs long term commitment.

 

The 2017 operating budget was approved. Last year saw the ACBL in a positive position for the first time in several years. We hope to continue this trend with a projected operating surplus of $62 479 for 2017.

 

There were many other items covered at the Kansas City meeting. Complete meeting minutes can be found on the District 18 web site. www.wasumi.org/BoardInformation/DistrictRep/2017KansasCityMinutes.pdf

 

Best wishes for this summer’s tournament trail and as always may all your finesses be successful.

 

Sincerely,

 

Claire Jones

District 18 Board of Directors

District18director@acbl.org

(306) 584-3516