DISTRICT 17 BRIDGE BUZZ
SEPTEMBER 2021
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The District 17 Bridge Buzz focuses on district and national news and provides you with the links to access the details. Catch the next Buzz in November.
Contact Cindy Shoemaker, editor, [email protected] with feedback and content suggestions.
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By Elizabeth Hamilton
415-994-3527
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Life Goes On and Bridge Will Go On
On his 80th birthday, Robert Frost, who won the Pulitzer Prize four times was asked, “In all your years and all your travels, what do you think is the most important thing you’ve learned about life?” His answer was simple. He said, “It goes on.”
Many of us have experienced wonderful and sad events in our lives but the simplicity of this answer struck me as very appropriate for our bridge community today. We have a lot of challenges at the moment and probably for some months to come but the volunteers in the bridge world inspire me to be optimistic.
Visit our District 17 website at www.d17acbl.org and look at the list of our board of directors and committee members. Many of you will know some of them personally. Make sure you say hello the next time you see them. It would take a lot of pages of text to tell you what each contributes. However, I can tell you briefly, that when I interact with them, I get inspired.
The board and a long list of great volunteers in our district are working very hard to support our clubs and to help future tournaments return safely like the Las Vegas Glitter Gulch Regional in November 2021, the Land of Enchantment Regional, Albuquerque, in January 2022 and the Tucson Winter Regional in March 2022.
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These will be followed later next year by Denver’s Rocky Mountain Regional and the Phoenix Desert Empire Regional. These efforts take a lot of planning and many volunteer hours. If you would like to join our volunteer force, please do not hesitate to contact the tournament chairs or me and I will pass your information along. If you just want to come and play that works too. You will be warmly welcomed.
By the time you read this article, the NAP (North American Pairs) qualifying games will be over. I hope all of you who tried succeeded and many of the D17 board will be there to cheer you on in the district finals in Las Vegas this November.
The ACBL has decided to announce monthly what tournaments will be staffed. The decision makes a lot of sense. It is not a one-size fits all solution but rather a solution that evaluates local conditions. I think that is all we can ask at the moment as we work our way through the ever-changing pandemic conditions. I know we all agree that safety is the priority for our players, volunteers and ACBL staff. We will get there.
Bridge will go on!
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THE LAS VEGAS GLITTER GULCH REGIONAL
NOVEMBER 8-14
DOWNTOWN LAS VEGAS
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By Angie Clark, Tournament Chair
Bob Lafleur, Tournament Manager
The Las Vegas team of volunteers is getting very excited about our upcoming tournament. Please book your room as soon as possible to get the best bridge rate. The number of rooms are limited and are going fast. We are vaccinated and ready to give you a big Las Vegas welcome!
Our schedule of events has something for every level of player. Go to www.LVRegional.com to see our schedule and hotel booking information.
For those players with less experience we have a special gift waiting for you at our dedicated I/N help desk and partnership area. We are here to make sure the tournament is fun for you. Ask us anything!
Another special attraction is our outstanding list of speakers. It includes Marjorie Michelin, Robert Todd and Mike Cochran. Their bridge resumes are impressive and we are thrilled that they are sharing their time with us. Come learn from some of the best.
The D17 NAP (North American Pairs) finals will be held in LV on Friday, November 12 and Saturday, November 13.
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If you have qualified for the finals, we look forward to seeing you! Regardless, come support friends and fellow D17 players.
See you in Las Vegas!
The Glitter Gulch Team
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By Frank Bost, Tournament Chair
619-701-1419
Unit 351 is pleased to bring back our Kachina Sectional Tournament held at the In Tempo Bridge Club in Scottsdale, AZ. As the bridge world transitions to a return to face-to-face games, this year’s event will be both challenging and rewarding.
We are excited to announce that along with our regular stratified sectional games (SILVER), we will concurrently run a Non-Life Master (0-750) I/N regional (GOLD)! Convenient start times are 10 am and 2:30 pm Thursday through Saturday. Sunday Swiss start times are 10 am and TBD.
If you need a partner, please contact Mary Porter, partnership chair, 480-854-1620.
We will hold free 30 minute lectures during the lunch break. Our speakers are: David Zapatka (Thursday), Vic Quiros (Friday) and Michael Berkowitz (Saturday via Zoom). Consider brown bagging your lunch or ordering take out from a local restaurant!
Having a flexible attitude and thinking outside the (bidding) box will make this a very enjoyable weekend! Attendance will determine our success, so please add these dates to your bridge calendar!
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Note: We will follow the COVID-19 protocols as required by ACBL. We expect that these protocols will evolve as we approach the tournament dates. Updates will be posted to www.unit351.com
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THE WILL TO CURE ALZHEIMER'S
BURNS BRIGHT IN 2021
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For the last nine years, ACBL has partnered with the Alzheimer’s Association, participating in The Longest Day. Through this partnership, ACBL has contributed more than $7.8 million to support the association in its quest to end this devastating disease. |
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Despite the challenges faced by our bridge community as a result of the pandemic, ACBL clubs raised over $900,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association during The Longest Day 2021 surpassing the $828,000 raised the previous year.
This year clubs that have returned to face-to-face play chose one day the week of June 20-27 to hold games. For virtual clubs, all games held the weekend of June 19-20 counted toward the event, with all sanction fees ($4 per table) donated.
In District 17, 30 clubs from Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico participated in the event.
Thank you to all District 17 clubs and to the players, teachers and volunteers who supported The Longest Day 2021.
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DISTRICT 17 ELECTION UPDATE |
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The D17 election cycle is in full swing. The nomination period -- July 1 through August 31 -- for candidates interested in running for the District 17 board ended midnight August 31. Unit boards have until November 1 to conduct a vote.
Currently, there are two candidates running for the Unit 361 (Denver) position -- Jennifer O’Neill (incumbent) and Sheryl Siegel.
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JoAnne Lowe, Unit 354 (Phoenix) is standing for re-election and is running unopposed.
Units 374, 381 and 383 are currently represented by Richard Rosenthal. Richard will not stand for re-election. There were no candidates for this position.
Units 360 and 363 are currently represented by John Grossmann. John Grossmann will not stand for re-election. Bill Curtis will run to represent Units 360 and 363.
If there is only one candidate for a particular seat, then no vote is held and that candidate is elected by acclamation.
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ACBL members receive masterpoints® for winning and placing in club games and tournaments as they strive to advance through the ranks. There are 16 ranks, from Junior Master (5 masterpoints) to Grand Life Master (10,000 masterpoints plus a victory in an eligible North American Bridge Championship). |
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NEWLY MINTED LIFE MASTERS |
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Linda Langer, Unit 356
Estes Park, CO/AZ
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Not pictured: Julieen Crane, Unit 354
Scottsdale, AZ
Also a new bronze life master!
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POPULAR FORMER DIRECTOR
ENTERS ELITE LAW SCHOOL
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By Ann Sutherland
D17 Member
ACBL Silver Life Master
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Few 23-year-olds would shut down an entire room of bridge players, but when Burke Snowden walked into the Fort Collins club in mid-July, the game stopped for a few minutes as players throughout the room went to greet him.
He is well remembered: Burke’s bridge career began early with party bridge at 6, duplicate at 11, then becoming the country’s youngest director at 11. At 14, Burke bought Unit 363’s Thursday night club, renaming it the Ace of Clubs. Venturing out to tournaments, he quickly earned a national reputation: he competed in the World Under 21 Championship in Atlanta, leading to a World Bridge Federation tournament in China at 13.
He credits the Fort Collins bridge community for a successful adolescence: He says, “This was more my group of friends than anyone in high school.”
Quitting bridge at 18 to attend college, then graduating this spring from Yale (Summa cum Laude), Burke will enter the University of Chicago Law School, preparing to become a litigator.
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Despite quitting bridge to attend college, he doesn’t seem to have lost his skill: sitting down for a casual game with Marty Gutschenritter, scoring a cool 69% and taking top honors.
Burke has brought a lot of joy to this club. Let’s hope he comes back to let us know how he is doing.
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CHECK OUT THE DISTRICT 17 WEBSITE
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