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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 September 2023.
Provide Cindy Shoemaker, editor, cndyshoemaker@yahoo.com with
feedback and content suggestions.
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By Elizabeth Hamilton
415-994-3527
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The Journey Is The Reward
Taoism
Taoism is an ancient Chinese philosophy and religion that instructs believers on how to exist in harmony with the universe. This idea fits perfectly into the world of duplicate bridge. Not always easy, but sometimes just staying in the present and appreciating the best part of the game, makes it worth trying.
There are challenges in our bridge community as you know, but there are a lot of GREAT things happening too. I wanted to share some of the upbeat things going on in D17. The Denver Regional was extremely well attended and their fantastic volunteers made it a wonderful bridge experience. There was a lot of bridge excitement and the D17 GNT finals that were held there added to that feeling. You could be there next year.
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We had a surprise visitor at the Denver Regional - Bronia Jenkins, the new ACBL Executive Director. What a breath of fresh air! She took time to visit the GNT final competition; wished the players luck and listened to them. She spent time with tournament directors, tournament volunteers and D17 board members. It was fun and greatly appreciated!
Also during the tournament, I was honored to meet with a couple of exceptional D17 teachers. Sally Anne Rhea who teaches in the Boulder, Colorado area and Cara-Lyn Lappin from Durango. Actually, a couple of Sally Anne’s students played in the district GNT finals and they will be going to participate in the national competition at the Chicago NABC. An incredible achievement. Cara-Lyn is currently teaching a large beginner class and she chaired the Four Corners Sectional in Durango, June 9-11. Teachers like this have a passion for bridge. They engage our newer players and help grow our membership. They are a great asset to our district. Read more.
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By JoAnne Lowe
Tournament Chair
pnutlowe@cox.net
It may be hot outside but very cool inside the Talking Stick Resort. This regional provides lots of bridge but also great restaurants, comfortable rooms, fabulous hospitality and loads of fun. Click here to view the flyer.
The schedule is designed to provide you with choices of events. Play at your level or play against world-class players. Bracketed Teams, KO's, Gold Rush, Stratified Pairs, Side Games and if you are new to the game
0-300 pairs are among your choices.
All ACBL members with 0-10 masterpoints play for free in any event.
To find a partner or a team, contact Bill Carstens, partnership.unit354@gmail.com. Please note session, MPs and system in email.
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GREAT ROOM RATE!
Book your rooms before July 28 to receive room rates of only $109/night. No resort fee. Use booking code #17686 or say Desert Empire Regional when calling toll free 866-877-9897. Click here to make reservations.
At the tournament, be sure to register for a convention card holder, Kokopelli patch and a $5 voucher you can use at the concession stand.
The registration desk is a hub for other activities. Ask questions, enjoy a bite of chocolate, check the speaker schedule or just talk with the volunteers. Random draw gifts will be done daily. Guess the number of cards in our barrel and win a prize!
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NO VACCINATION REQUIRED
SMOKE AND FRAGRANCE FREE
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THE TAOS REGIONAL IS BACK! | |
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By Winifred Stebbins
Tournament Co-Chair
taosregional@yahoo.com
Our host hotel, the Sagebrush Inn and Suites, is already almost completely booked, but we have developed several excellent alternatives for lodging with hotels that support our tournament as valuable and beneficial to our community. Click here to view additional accommodations.
Expect lots of good bridge at the Sagebrush’s lovely campus-like convention center and many opportunities to win your gold in five Gold Rush events (in which you won’t have to compete with anyone with more than 750 MPs), five double-session team events and three Soloway KO’s. There is no need to play at night to compete for gold. In fact, this will be an all-daylight tournament with two events daily at 10 am and 3 pm.
We have a proud track record for helping to create Life Masters. To find a partner or a team contact Rolf Houtkooper,
rolfhoutkooper@gmail.com. Partners are guaranteed.
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If you would like to have event registration stickers waiting for you when you arrive, be sure to preregister by emailing your name and ACBL # to taosregional@yahoo.com.
Complimentary refreshments are served during every session. In the mornings our snack table will include both healthy options and indulgent breakfast items for those who didn’t manage breakfast. Previous visitors to Taos know that for a small-town Taos boasts an amazing number of fine restaurants, when you want to celebrate or just treat yourself, many offering early bird specials.
September is a beautiful time in Taos with crisp, sunny weather and an awesome display of color washing down our mountain slopes. If you can find a time for them, our museums, galleries and shops are a treat.
Extend your vacation for a few days, taking advantage of our tournament hotel rates and use them to visit the historic pueblo and town square. If you will have a car, consider a drive out to the spectacular Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, around the enchanted circle or up to the ski valley. Click here to explore Taos.
Address questions to our co-chairs, Winifred Stebbins, at taosregional@yahoo.com, 575-613-7501, (c) 575-613-0144, Jennifer O’Neill at jjo4501@gmail.com, 303-596-8153 or Neil Hunter at neilhunter101@gmail.com
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The Taos Regional is home to the 2023 D17 North American Pairs Finals. The Flight B competition will be held Friday, September 29. The Flight A competition & the Flight C competition will be held Saturday, September 30. Click here to view the Taos Regional flyer.
ELIGIBILITY
Flight A is open to any player. Flight B is open to players with less than 2,500 masterpoints and Flight C is open to non-life masters with less than 500 masterpoints. All stratifications are determined by recorded masterpoints as of June 1, 2023.
QUALIFY TO PARTICIPATE
Club qualifying games -- both online and face-to-face -- are now underway through August 31. Check your local club’s schedule to find a game near you. All ACBL members in good standing in D17 are encouraged to qualify.
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ADVANCE TO THE NATIONAL FINALS
The top three eligible pairs in Flight A of the district finals, and the top four eligible pairs in Flights B and C of the district finals qualify to the national finals held during the 2024 Spring NABC, Louisville, KY.
Click here for details.
ACBL provides free entries for those who compete in the NAP National Finals. First place qualifiers in every flight will receive a stipend of $700 each to compete in the NAP National Finals. Second place qualifiers will receive $300 each.
D17 provides the third place finishers $200 each and the fourth place finishers $100 each upon participation in the NAP National Finals.
For information contact Lakin Hines, D17 NAP Coordinator - lakinh57@yahoo.com.
Click here for the D17 Conditions of Contest.
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GRAND NATIONAL TEAMS UPDATE | |
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By Bonnie Bagley
D17 GNT Coordinator
bon1bon@comcast.net
The D17 GNT Flights A, B & C Finals held at the May Denver Regional were successful.
As reported in the May Buzz, the Championship Flight Final was held online April 6 and 7 – the winners being Doug Fjare, Val Kovachev, Anne Brenner and David Caprera.
Flight A had three teams competing with Ed Yosses, Paul Perkowski, Kyle Rockoff and Ron Vickery being the victorious team. Ed and Paul are from the Denver Unit 361, Kyle is from Gilbert, AZ and Ron is from Tucson Unit 356.
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Ed was on the 2017 winning Flight B team, while Kyle and Ron were on the winning teams for 2022 Flight A and 2021 Flight B.
The Flight B winners Bill Kinney, Jackie Haugen, Gary Millam and Irwin Sheer are all from the Northern Arizona Unit 355.
Since there were at least eight teams, 11 to be exact, competing in the Flight B District Final, the second-place team is eligible to go to the National Final, which was: Wilt Cooper, Kevin Stansbury, Denise Klein all from the Denver Unit 361, and Mike Hellman, from Colorado Springs. Unfortunately, Mike Hellman is unable to attend to go to Chicago; Jennifer O’Neill, also from the Denver Unit, will be his replacement.
The Flight C winners, all from Colorado Springs are David Loring, Sally Donaldson, Mark Bishop and Bob Wagstaff. Sally, Mark and Bob, along with Howard Donaldson won the D17 2022 Flight C Final, also David and Sally were on the 2021 Flight C second place team, playing with other teammates.
Click here to read more.
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CONGRATULATIONS TO FLIGHT WINNERS | |
Flight A: First place - Paul Perkowski, Edward Yosses, Ronald Vickery and Kyle Rockoff. | |
Flight A: Second place - Rob Vetter, Sheryl Siegel, Kathleen Kelley and Robert Murphy. | |
Flight B: First place - Gary Millam, Irwin Sheer, Jackie Haugen and William Kinney. | |
Flight B: Second place - Michael Hellman, Denise Klein, Wilt Cooper and Kevin Stansbury. | |
Flight C: First place - Bob Wagstaff, Mark Bishop, Sally Donaldson and David Loring. | |
Flight C: Second place - Junlin Zeng, Arlene Connell, Boris Shapoval and Tom Schwartzkopf. | |
THE D17 SUMMER FUN
ROYAL STAC WAS A SUCCESS
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The D17 Summer Fun Royal STaC was a rousing success with 1,127 tables, up over 60 percent from the June 2022 STaC which had a table count of 697. | |
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Many thanks go to our D17 club owners who held the STaC games and to our D17 players who participated in the STaC.
Please add the upcoming D17 2023 STaCs to your calendar: The Fallings Leaves STaC, September 11-17, and the WishBone Royal STaC, November 6-12.
Congratulations to Robert Johnson, Las Vegas, NV, the top masterpoint winner, with 27.43 masterpoints!
Click here to see the top 50 masterpoint winners.
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SPONSOR EVENTS AT
THE 2024 NABC LAS VEGAS
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Create a memory by sponsoring an event at the 2024 NABC Las Vegas held at the Westgate Hotel and Casino.
- Single-session event: $100.
- Two-session event: $200.
- Four-session event: $400.
- Whole day sponsor: $1,000.
Sponsoring a single-session, two-session or four-session event entitles you to name the game/games and receive a small mention in the daily bulletin on the game/games day. This is a great way to honor a favorite partner, teacher, mentor, club or loved one.
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For more information, email or phone Liz Hamilton, grtscot@gmail.com - 415-994-3527. | |
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By Sharon Smith
D17 Education Chair
sharondrsmith@me.com
Clubs across D17 have been teaching new and intermediate players and nurturing their bridge careers with welcoming games. Click here to read more.
Looking for a teacher? Check out the ‘Find a Teacher’ page. Looking for a class? Check out the ‘Find a Class’ page.
Attention teachers and clubs. Do you have a teaching success or new player program that has worked in your area? Do you have classes that can be listed on the ‘Find a Class’ calendar? If so, please let me know.
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BRIDGE CURRICULUM TO GROW MEMBERSHIP
D17 continues to license the Patty Tucker Bridge in a Day curriculum and the follow-up series. There are active annual and biannual BIAD offerings in the District. Consider a Bridge In a Day program to bring new players to your clubs.
GAMES FOR PLAYERS WITH LESS THAN 200 MASTERPOINTS
The All-Western NiteClub now includes D17, D19, D20, D21, D22 and D23. Players with under 200 points can play 12 boards on BridgeBase.org, then join the zoom review nightly on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. This is a wonderful opportunity for newer players. Click here for the NiteClub flyer.
YOU ARE APPRECIATED!
Thank you to all the clubs, teachers and advocates that continue to grow the best mind sport available!
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Three D17 Board members are up for re-election with terms expiring in 2023: Lakin Hines representing Mesa, AZ Unit 351, Sharon Smith representing Colorado at large and Wyoming Units 359, 364, 421 and 422 and Steve Nordberg representing El Paso and Southern New Mexico at large Units 159, 376, 380 and 388. | |
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Both Steve Nordberg and Sharon Smith have declared their candidacy while Lakin Hines will not stand for re-election.
If you are interested in running for one of these D17 Board positions, you must be an ACBL member in good standing and a member of the respective Unit(s) you are seeking to represent on the D17 Board.
Candidates must submit a statement of declaration to the District 17 Election Secretary, Lakin Hines, and to the President of the respective Unit(s) before August 31, 2023.
Unit Board members elect their representative and must conduct a vote before November 1, 2023.
The term of office is three years to commence at the first D17 Board meeting following the election.
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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). Learn rank qualifications. | |
NEWLY MINTED LIFE MASTERS | |
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JUNE
Ed Halteman, Unit 359, Boulder, CO.
Sandra-Leigh Serio, Unit 359, Boulder, CO.
Mary Sharp, Unit 361, Aurora, CO, and also a Bronze Life Master.
Alan Mannheimer, Unit 374, Albuquerque.
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JULY
Pranav Barve, Unit 359, Broomfield, CO, and also a Bronze Life Master.
Jason Thede, Unit 360, CO Springs, CO.
Jennifer Burton, Unit 361, Aurora, CO.
Mark Burton, Unit 361, Aurora, CO.
Arlene Connell, Unit 363, Fort Collins, CO.
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CHECK OUT THE DISTRICT 17 WEBSITE
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