Also attending a portion of the meeting: Gary Zeiger, DIC. Absent: Tom Shulman, Rod Southworth

Transcription

1 Minutes of the District 17 Board Meeting, October 12, 2013 at the Holiday Inn Palo Verde, Tucson, Arizona (Subject to Board approval at the next District 17 board meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 25, 2014) Present: Board members: Darwin Afdahl, Bonnie Bagley, John Grossmann, Jim Horton, Karin Kelsey, Ralph Liguori, JoAnne Lowe, Art McHaffie, Flo Newlin, Jerry Ranney, Marianne Spanier and John Van Ness. Board Member elect: Robb Gordon Also attending a portion of the meeting: Gary Zeiger, DIC Absent: Tom Shulman, Rod Southworth President s Opening Remarks/Executive Committee Darwin Afdahl called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. He thanked Steve Reynolds, chairman of the Tucson Regional and the volunteers for their hard work producing a successful tournament. A special thanks for the delicious dinner/reception Friday night. Darwin announced this is Marianne Spanier s last meeting as she did not run for reelection. Marianne has been on the D17 Board since Darwin thanked Marianne for her dedication, especially for the tremendous job she has done as D17 Tournament Coordinator. Marianne will be missed. Darwin also noted that Tom Shulman did not run for reelection and is transferring his membership to D22, where he will be working with D22 regionals. Tom will also be missed. Darwin stated the Executive Committee approved the 2014 Denver Regional schedule and approved a subsidy of $500 each to Burke Snowden, of Fort Collins, and Bill Trabaudo, of Albuquerque, to attend the World Bridge Federation Youth Championships, which were held at the 2013 Atlanta NABC, August 3-9. The Executive Committee also approved the a change to the 2014 Mesa Senior Regional Schedule, allowing one session Swiss Team events to be open to all ages. Darwin welcomed Robb Gordon, who was elected to fill the remainder of Darryl Helton s term as D17 Arizona at Large Representative. Darryl submitted his resignation effective at the end of the June Las Vegas meeting. A motion was made seconded and passed to seat Robb. Approval June 2013 Minutes A motion was made to approve the June 2013 Las Vegas minutes. The motion was seconded and passed. Secretary s Report Bonnie Bagley announced flyers advertising D Regionals are available; please take some and distribute at your clubs and sectionals. Treasurer s Report Jerry Ranney reported that as of October 1, there was a surplus of $91, but is projecting a loss of $10,000 for 2013, about $7,000 more than the budgeted loss of $3,000. This is due to higher shipping costs of the bidding boxes, higher cost for board duplication, non-budgeted charity donation to the Alzheimer s The Longest Day, the non-budgeted youth subsidy and more D17 free

2 plays. Jerry predicts a yearend balance of $150,000, a healthy treasury. Jerry stated the Phoenix NABC Fund Raiser Games held the week of March 18 th raised $4,433. The second Las Vegas NABC Fund Raiser the week of June 24 th raised $1,600. The second Denver NABC Fund Raiser will be October A motion was made to accept the treasurer s report. The motion was seconded and passed. Current Regional Darwin announced the regional is going smoothly and the prediction from Gary Zeiger is 1,300 tables, which is more than the 2010 Tucson Regional. National Board Bonnie Bagley stated Don Mamula resigned as 2013 ACBL President effective at the conclusion of the August Atlanta NABC. Bill Cook was elected to fill the remainder of the term. The ACBL Bridge Bulletin is undergoing a transformation which should be complete by the 2014 January issue. The ACBL website will be redesigned with a new set of mobile capabilities for members. Options are being considered for new ACBL stationery and letterhead, a new look. ACBLScore+ is a few months behind, but still progressing. Regional results can now be available on the ACBL website during the tournament. David White, a director from D23, will be working full time on ACBLScore+. Club table count was down 5.5% in August, 3% for the year and if online bridge is factored in the loss is 1%. The next board meeting will be at the 2013 Phoenix NABC in November. Board of Governors Bonnie Bagley reported there were no elected D17 BOG members attending the meeting in Atlanta. Jon Gustafson and Craig Snowden, both from Fort Collins, attended as proxies. The BOG passed three motions for the BOD to consider. First, that the ACBL Board of Directors look into setting the same policy for electronic smoking that is in place for smoking at NABC Tournaments. The second motion is that the Board of Governors be given balance sheet, change of position, and more detailed financial information, and the third that the Board of Directors establishes a permanent Club committee that will include Club Managers/Directors, Management and Board of Directors. The next BOG meeting will be at the 2013Fall Phoenix NABC, Sunday, December 1 at 10:00 a.m. This is the yearly membership meeting and all ACBL members are invited. Western Conference Carolyn Newcomb, D17 Western Conference representative, was unable to attend the meeting, but submitted a written report. It is attached to the minutes. Committee Reports Elections Karin Kelsey reported all ballots have been mailed. The contested elections are Colorado at Large, John Grossman and Jim LaForce; Phoenix, Rod Bias and Sheryl Buchler; and Arizona at Large, Robb Gordon and Polly Hoover. The following are unopposed: Darwin Afdahl, Tucson, Art McHaffie, New Mexico-at-Large, Jerry Ranney, Denver and John Scibelli, Las Vegas. Grand National Teams (GNT) Darwin reported for Rod Southworth, new GNT Chairman, who is enjoying two weeks in Hawaii, that the D17 GNT Conditions of Contest have been approved. John Grossmann pointed out the GNT CoCs are posted on the D17 website. Page 2 of 6

3 North American Pairs (NAP) Ralph Liguori announced Flight B of the NAPs was held Friday with a disappointing turnout of 8 tables. Flight A and Flight C will be held Saturday. Ralph believes that the omission of the NAPs on the Tucson flyer contributed to the low turnout. Discussion followed with various ways to increase participation, advertising, promotion and publicity of the NAPS and the GNTs. I/N JoAnne Lowe stated the mailing of the postcards to I/N players has been suspended. Darwin pointed out the Western Conference will subsidize a quarter page ad in the FORUM advertising the I/N program for Western Conference Regionals, on a space available basis. By-Laws Karin Kelsey asked each member to read the Bylaws thoroughly and report to the committee what should be changed or is not clear. Charity/Goodwill Karin Kelsey reported she and Flo will start the process for the 2015 Charity Foundation grant for $30,000 to be awarded to D17 501c3 charities. Karin announced Art McHaffie appointed Neil Hunter as a D Goodwill Award recipient. Karin purchased smiley face pins which were distributed Thursday, D17 Goodwill Day. She will order 1,000 for Goodwill Day at the Las Vegas Regional. Regional Tournaments Jerry Ranney stated the Regional Tournament Committee has approved the 2014 Denver schedule, the 2014 Colorado Springs schedule and the 2014 Phoenix schedule. ScoreCard Bonnie Bagley reported Kitty Cooper, upon request by players, will repeat the Newcomer Lesson Series. Bonnie explained that D17 pays for four pages which are dedicated for D17. D17 sectional ads and results are on those pages as well as any articles submitted. Tournament Coordination Marianne Spanier stated that the 2014, 2015 and 2016 D17 tournament schedules are in the folders. These schedules only include tournaments which are sanctioned or those for which the sanction is pending. Tournament Supplies Jerry Ranney reported for Tom Shulman that the pass cards are being replaced and he will order more to finish the job. Jerry reiterated that the cost of shipping the bidding boxes has increased and if anyone has a business discount which could be used, it would be helpful. John Grossmann pointed out that it is less expensive to ship directly from UPS then a store which has UPS shipping. John Grossmann volunteered to replace Tom Shulman as Tournament Supply chairman. Finance Jerry Ranney noted that the Finance Committee approved the 2104 Denver Regional budget, the 2014 Colorado Springs budget and the 2014 Phoenix budget. Las Vegas has not submitted a 2104 budget yet, it will have to be approved by the Executive Committee. Jerry stated the Finance Committee recommends lowering the D17 sanction fee from $5.50 to $5 and possibly raising the regional entry fee in two years. Much discussion ensued. A motion was made to reduce the D17 sanction fee from $5.50 to $5 effective January 1, The motion was seconded and passed. A motion was made and seconded to raise the player entry fee from $11 to $12 effective January 1, Again, much discussion followed. The motion was soundly defeated. Jerry Ranney reported the Finance Committee considered a proposal from Karin Kelsey to raise the stipend D17 representatives receive for each meeting attended from $400 to $500. Jerry said Page 3 of 6

4 the Finance committee recommends an increase to $450. A motion was made to increase the D17 per meeting stipend from $400 to $450 effective January 1, The motion was seconded and failed. Jerry presented a preliminary budget and asked that everyone review it for approval at the January meeting. A motion was made to approve the budgets and schedules for the 2014 Denver, Colorado Springs and Phoenix Regionals and offer them the D17RTP. The motion was seconded and passed. Education Flo Newlin stated the Education Committee report will be addressed under Old Business, Junior Discount Policy. Unit Affiliations no report Contract Review Art McHaffie said he and John Van Ness had reviewed several contracts. Website John Grossmann reported he has had training sessions at the D17 Regionals for D17 Board Members on the D17 website maintenance. Rod Southworth will now do the updating for the GNTs. John will continue to train others and his goal is that board members take ownership of the content on the website of their areas, for example, Goodwill, Charity, schedules, GNTs, NAPs, etc. If a board member is not able to maintain their areas, they need to be responsible for providing John with update information. John has been in touch with Kitty Cooper, the D17 website designer, about making the website more user-friendly, especially uploading photos and better display of photos. Robb Gordon suggested using Word Press, a most used system and most user-friendly system. Gary Zeiger, DIC, joined the meeting. He reported that through Friday night the table count is 952, which is 39 tables ahead of A comparison cannot be made with the 2012 tournament because that tournament was in February when the snowbirds are still in town. The 2010 tournament had 1253 tables, which this is on track to exceed. Gary reported there was a mistake on the schedule, as it listed I/N games at all three sessions and the only D17 Regional that can support three sessions of I/N games is Las Vegas. The evening I/N games have not occurred. Gary stressed schedules need to be diligently reviewed. Darwin thanked Gary and his crew of directors for doing a great job. Grants John Van Ness stated he and his committee (John Grossmann and Ralph Liguori) reviewed four grant requests, from the Pueblo Unit, the Santa Fe Unit, the Northern Colorado Unit and the Boulder Unit. A motion was made to fund fully the Pueblo Unit request of $1,000 to buy BridgeMates. The motion was seconded. Robb Gordon asked what the parameters of the grants are. John Grossmann responded the grants are for outreach, player development, player education, technology, extenuating circumstances for losses at sectionals. The motion passed. A motion was made to fund the Santa Fe Unit request of $500 to fund a Bridge Festival, an outreach open house event, which will funnel people into bridge lessons. The motion was seconded and passed. Art McHaffie reported the event was a success with 20 people attending. A motion was made to fund losses up to $1,000 incurred by the Boulder Unit for having to relocate their sectional due to the Colorado floods. The motion was seconded. A motion was made to table. The motion was seconded. John Grossmann will convey to the Boulder Unit the avenues are open for a firm grant request. A motion was made to fund an outreach program of mini-lessons, mentoring and practice, in the amount of $500, by the Northern Colorado Unit. The motion was seconded and passed. Page 4 of 6

5 Old Business Junior Member Discount Flo Newlin reported the ACBL definition of Junior is 25 and under and Youth is 19 and under. As of the last report, D17 had 17 Junior members, of which 7 of those are Youth members. Flo s committee (JoAnne Lowe and John Van Ness) contacted all the districts asking them what; if anything, they did for their Junior and Youth members. Fifteen districts responded with varying degrees of support. A motion was made that D17 provide a $5 coupon for each session Youth and Junior ACBL members in good standing (not for hire players) play at D17 Regionals. The motion was seconded. A motion was made to amend the above motion to provide a $6 coupon. The amendment was seconded and passed. The motion passed. A motion was made that all D17 Youth and Junior ACBL members in good standing receive a $500 stipend to attend an NABC Youth event. The motion was seconded. The motion was restated that all D17 Youth and Junior ACBL members in good standing (not for hire players) receive a $500 stipend for attending a Youth NABC. The restated motion was seconded. A motion was made to amend the restated motion to up to $500. The motion was seconded. A motion was made to table the motion; the motion was seconded and passed. Much discussion ensued about various discounts for 0-5 masterpoint players. A motion was made that 0-5 masterpoint ACBL members in good standing play free two sessions in one day in D17 Regionals. The motion was seconded and passed. New Electronic Device Policy Darwin stated the ACBL Electronic Policy: The following electronic device policy applies to all events at NABCs. 1. Except for health-related equipment, or by permission of the DIC, cell phones, audible pagers or similar equipment may not be operated, or operable in any manner, in the playing area during a session of play. Any such equipment must not be visible during the session and must remain off at all times. Sponsoring organizations of other ACBL-sanctioned events are encouraged to adopt a similar policy. 2. The above restrictions apply to all pairs, team members, captains, coaches, kibitzers and play recorders, except those designated by the ACBL and are in force throughout any actual playing session or segment of play. 3. A violation of any of the above restrictions will result in an automatic disciplinary penalty of one full board (12 IMPs at that form of scoring) for the first offense. A second offense will result in disqualification from the event for the pair/team. Kibitzers violating this policy will be removed from the playing area for the remainder of the session. Darwin noted that the D17 electronic policy is: D17 will follow ACBL s policy to ban cell phone, audible pagers or any similar communication equipment, except for health related equipment or permission by the DIC in the playing areas during a session of play at D17 Regionals. At D17 Regionals a warning will be issued the first time a cell phone rings and the second time in one day a penalty of 1/4 of a board in a pairs game or 3 imps in a team game will be imposed. After discussion, a motion was made that cell phones, audible pages or any similar communication equipment, except for health related equipment or permission by the DIC, will be allowed in the playing area, but must not ring or be used. A warning will be issued the first time a cell phone rings and the second time in one day a penalty of 1/4 of a board in a pairs game or 3 imps in a team game will be imposed. This is effective January 1, The motion was seconded and passed. Page 5 of 6

6 New Business BridgeResults Bonnie Bagley stated D17 subscribed to BridgeResults for all 2013 D17 Regionals. A motion was made subscribe to BridgeResults for all 2014 D17 Regionals. The motion was seconded and passed. Charity Games John Van Ness stated that the ACBL policy is that regionals can be 6 ½ days, but a game to benefit any ACBL Foundation or Charity made be held the session before the regional starts. John Van Ness made a motion that D17 changes its policy that if a second charity game session is held at a D17 regional, the minimum amount required by ACBL to be donated is allowed at the session of the hosting unit s choice. The motion was seconded and passed. Completed Tournament Reports Darwin reported the 2013 June Las Vegas Regional had 3913 tables and realized a surplus of $2,958. Bonnie reported the 2013 Colorado Springs Regional had 1,632.5 tables and realized $4,000. Art reported the 2013 Taos Regional had 1,253 tables and realized $10,598. A motion was made at 12:15 to adjourn the meeting. The motion was seconded and passed. The next meeting will be Saturday, January 25, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada, at Bally s Hotel and Casino at 8:00 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Bonnie L. Bagley Bonnie L. Bagley Attachment: Western Conference Report D17 Board of Directors Roster Page 6 of 6

7 Western Conference Representative Report At the Tucson District 17 Meeting October 12, 2013 Western Conference (WC) membership as of September 30 was 17,782. District 17 remains the largest with 9,106 members, District 21 has 8,765 members and District 22 has 7,111 members. Postage for the month of October: District 17- $ , District 21 - $ , and District 22 - $ The August Summer Fun STaC had 9,819 players participating, for a total of 7,609 tables, which was slightly down from 7,633 in The top Masterpoint winner (the king of STaCs) was Mark Itabashi with mps. The top District 17 winner was Perry Kay Avery, Cheyenne WY with mps. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as the District member from District 17 for the remainder of the three year term ending in You will need to hold another election for this position at your Fall meeting in 2014 for the Meantime, I will continue to report on the activities of the WC at each of your meetings. Current members of the WC Board are: D17 - Bonnie Bagley, DD & WC president and Carolyn Newcomb D21 - Bruce Blakely, DD and Marion Robertson D22 - Ken Monzingo, DD and Teri Atkinson The WC Board meets once a year, rotating the meetings among the three districts. The 2013 meeting was in January at the Monterey Regional (D21). The 2014 meeting will be at the Albuquerque Regional (D17) and the 2015 meeting will be held at a D22 Regional. I ll be happy to try to answer any questions you may have about the Western Conference. Carolyn Newcomb (H) (C) carolynnewcomb@yahoo.com

8 2013 District 17 Board Members Officers: Darwin Afdahl, President John Grossmann, Vice President Bonnie Bagley, Secretary Jerry Ranney, Treasurer Karin Kelsey, Election Secretary Board Members and the areas they represent: Darwin Afdahl (Tucson) N. Tall Grass Drive, Oro Valley, AZ (H) (C) Bonnie Bagley (Ex-officio, National Board Member) 7285 Ross Drive, Colorado Springs, CO (H/C) Robb Gordon (Arizona at Large) 230 Seco Way, Sedona, AZ (H) (C) John Grossmann (Colorado at Large) nd Avenue, Greeley, CO (C) Jim Horton (Mesa) 9322 E. Cedar Waxwing Drive, Sun Lakes, AZ (H) (C) Karin Kelsey (Albuquerque) Elena Gallegos N.E., Albuquerque, NM (H) Ralph A. Liguori (El Paso) 1513 Capitan Ridge, El Paso, TX JoAnne Lowe (Phoenix) E. Richwood Ave., Fountain Hills, AZ (H) (C) Art McHaffie (New Mexico at Large) 2220 Wilderness Meadow Road, Santa Fe, NM Flo Newlin (Denver) E. Chenango Drive, Aurora, CO (H) (C) Jerry Ranney (Denver) 5743 Willowbrook Drive, Morrison, CO (H) (C) Tom Shulman (Las Vegas) 7146 Palmyra, Las Vegas, NV Rod Southworth (Wyoming), 4404 E. 7 th Street, Cheyenne, WY (C) southworth15@yahoo.com Marianne Spanier (Phoenix) 7645 N. 78 th Street. Scottsdale, AZ mspanier@cox.net John Van Ness (Colorado at Large) 353 Stagecoach Lane, Carbondale, CO (H/W/C) (C) johnvanness@comcast.net October 2013