District 24 Newsletter....................Alvin Levy....................Volume 08.1
Published after each NABC

Detroit spring NABC

The attendance at the Detroit NABC was disappointing at 8,550 tables. The playing space was excellent and spacious.  The Marriott Renaissance Center was a glamorous place, with a maze of stores that you passed...but didn't visit...on your way to trying to get to the food court...which you could see but couldn't easily get to.  There were good restaurants in Greek Town, a short distance away by tram.  For many the food court was the place to eat.  It was mediocre, with not much variety...on the weekend there were only a few vendors open with long lines.  Many of us on the Board have been trying to push for a plan to go to only popular destinations.  A motion was narrowly passed a couple of years ago which put the popularity of the city at the top of the list.  We promptly voted to hold a NABC in Memphis.  Of course, the locals worked very hard to make the experience a good one. Late night entertainment was fun and the food was good.  There were promotions at the previous NABCs.  We all applaud their efforts, but those efforts couldn't bring the crowds to Detroit, especially in the winter.

Repeat Editorial, shortened

Nothing against Dallas, Pittsburgh, Denver, St. Louis or Detroit, but they are not cities where our players flock to!  Holding NABCs in exciting cities, ones that our members would want to visit even without a bridge tournament, greatly enhances attendance and player enjoyment.

This also affects our financial health.  For example, the 2004 NABC cities, Reno, NYC and Orlando, brought three exciting sites, near record attendance and healthy profits.  The total 2004 NABC table count was 42,881, with a profit of $921,000.  The 2003 NABC cities of Philadelphia, Long Beach and New Orleans produced 7,382 fewer tables.  Profits from our 2003 NABCs were $482,000.  The 2005 NABC cities, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Denver, produced approximately the same lower results as in 2003.

ACBL State of Affairs

Our assets are $8,425,000, an increase of $1,700,000 over last year.  This is due to the sale of our Memphis headquarters, the sale of the Product Store to Baron Barclay Bridge Supplies, lower salaries due to attrition, profits of $725,000 from our three 2007 NABCs, St. Louis ($117,000), Nashville ($285,000) and San Francisco ($325,000) and an increase in dues.

Membership continues to increase and stands at 158,250, 1,000 higher than a year ago.

Thee were more than 3,000,000 sanctioned tables in 2007, including Online sanctioned bridge games, which now generated well over $100,000 a year.

Detroit ACBL Board of Directors Actions

Zonal Authority Action:  The ACBL, acting as the Zone 2 Authority, expresses its disapproval of all non-bridge related public statements and demonstrations by any Zone 2 federation representative participating in an international bridge competition. Carried.  Nay: 3, 5, 6, 11, 13, 15, 24.

Club Fund Games:  The Board of Governors requested that the Board of Directors reconsider a motion to limit the number of Sectionally rated fund games that a club could run.  Once again it was defeated.  Aye. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 12, 24, 25. [Five percent of club games are Sectionally rated Fund games.  Very few clubs hold more than 25% of their games as Fund games.  Two clubs that run all their games as Sectionally rated Fund games are the 110 Bridge Club and the Delaware Bridge Club.  Each of these clubs has produced three Ace of Clubs North American winners.]  

Code of Disciplinary Regulations:  The major changes are: (1) except in certain limited situations (cheating), Units, Districts and the ACBL have no original jurisdiction over behavior at club sponsored games; (2) Defendants can be represented at a hearing by another person who shall not be an attorney.  The person charged may be represented by an attorney outside the Hearing Room; (3) at hearings, the Unit, District or ACBL can appoint an advocate to aggressively prosecute a complaint.  The advocate that appears at a hearing cannot be an attorney or a member of the ACBL Board of Directors.

Unit Championship Games:  The number of Unit Championship is increased from 16 to 24 per year.  Carried unanimously.

STaC fees:  Effective March 31, 2008, STaC fees will be a sliding scale, based on the number of tables.  This replaces the Director fee, the sanction fee and certain miscellaneous fees.  In our area, we previously ran STaCs with our two Units, four Units from District 3, and one Unit from District 25.  While we shared the cost of the Director, we did not combine our separate STaCs for overall awards, but rather each Unit had their separate overall awards.  Under the new policy, if the Units continue to score separately, they will not be allowed to combine their table count to get a reduced fee.  If all Units combined the cost per table would be $0.50 lower.  The approximate cost for the GNYBA and the NSBA will be the same as before if the Units combine, and $0.50 more per table if they don't combine.  The NSBA, at their last Board meeting, overwhelmingly voted to not combine scores. Unit 140, the largest Unit in District also voted to not combine scores.  The other Units are still to decide.  At this point, the savings will be at most $0.25 per table.  Carried.  Nay: 3, 6, 12, 24, 25.

Electronic Devices at NABC+ events:  Electronic devices, excluding health related equipment (headphones, earphones, cell phones and minicomputers) shall not be allowed in the playing areas, adjacent hallways, rest rooms or accessible break areas.  This applies to all players, captains, coaches, recorders and kibitzers and shall apply throughout the playing session.

Top District NABC+ finishers

Congratulations to Gail Greenberg and Jeffrey Hand for winning the Mixed Pairs.  Congratulations to Valerie Westheimer for winning the Women's Pairs.  Congratulations to Adam Wildavsky for winning the IMP Pairs.  The top finishers in NABC+ events follow.

North American Open Pairs, Flight A: 3rd, Melih Ozdil - Erez Hendelman; 4th, Glenn Milgrim - Robert Levin.

Silodor Open Pairs: 5th, Martin Fleisher, 6th, John Solodar, 13th, Michael Moss; 14th, Michael Polowan; 16th, Winthrop Allegaert - Jaggy Shivdasani.

Rockwell Mixed Pairs: 1st, Gail Greenberg - Jeffrey Hand; 8th, Debbie Rosenberg; 

Lebhar IMP Pairs: 1st, Adam Wildavsky; 2nd, Marc Nathan; 20th, Robert Blanchard - Shane Blanchard.

Whitehead Women’s Pairs: 3rd, Susan Picus; 13th, Valerie Westheimer; 14th, Ljudmila Kamenova - Diana Schuld.

Jacoby Open Swiss Teams: 4/5th, Jaggy Shivdasani; 4/5th, Brian Glubok - Bjorn Fallenius, David Maidman - Marin Marinov; 8/9th, Michael Massimilla, Syosset NY; Louis Glasthal, Berwyn PA; Michael Polowan; 11th, Robert Levin - Zia Mahmood - Michael Rosenberg - Steve Weinstein, Andes; 17/20th, Joe Grue.

Machlin Women’s Swiss: 1st,Valerie Westheimer; 12th, Jill Levin.

Vanderbilt KOs: 3/4th, Alan Sontag; 5/8th, Robert Levin - Steve Weinstein - Zia Mahmood -  Michael Rosenberg; 5/8th Jim Krekorian; 5/8th,Winthrop Allegaert - Judith Bianco - Justin Lall - Kevin Bathurst - Jaggy Shivdasani - Lapt Chan; 9/16th, James Cayne; 9/16th, Andrew Rosenthal - Aaron Silverstein - Bjorn Fallenius.