2009 Unit Reports in the Contract Bridge Forum
Each month the La Jolla unit contributes to the What's New in District 22 section of the D22 edition of The Contract Bridge Forum, the newspaper members receive. Gathered below are the reports for 2009. The month refers to the publication month but the newspaper is delivered slightly before the publication month, reports are submitted a couple of weeks in advance, and the reports cover the preceding weeks.
December 2009
By the time the Contract Bridge Forum rolls through the printing presses and arrives at our homes, it will be within two weeks of the San Diego Fall Nationals. Think about it: World Champion players everywhere, events to suit everyone’s taste, Platinum Points, everything a Bridge player could ask for in a tournament. Volunteers are still needed for Registration, Intermediate/Novice assistance, Partnerships, and Hospitality — a myriad of “jobs” to be done to ensure a successful National Tournament. See or contact Alice Leicht if you have the inclination to donate some of your time to help out the hard-working tournament staff and volunteers!
For those that did not “get the word”, we apologize after the fact for no Unit Game on the 8th of November. The Coronado Unit holds their Sectional the second week of November (the Second Sunday is normally a La Jolla Unit Game) and the Unit Game for that week is normally canceled in order for members to support and enjoy the Sectional put on by Coronado. Here is hoping that all get a chance to play in this wonderful Sectional.
The Unit congratulates the three new Bronze life masters from last month. Elaine Chan, Paul Finger, & Marge Hughes all achieved this significant milestone for Bridge achievement. Sincere Congratulations to the three of you for this achievement. Shirley Sandford is our newest Life Master from last month. This is the rank we all strive for when we first start out playing Bridge and is yet another significant accomplishment and Shirley should be very proud. Way to Go Shirley!! Mary Ann Scher is our newest Regional Master. Getting closer to the stratosphere of upper rankings Shirley — keep up the great work!
The 11th of October game, an NAP Unit Qualifier (although not necessary for this year, it was exciting anyway!), saw David Walters and David Oakley finish 1st overall, with Sam Jordan and Lena Jelusich 2nd overall in the A Flight Strat. In Flight B, Laura Chafee and Richard Stein partnered for 1st overall, with Marty and Leila Bloomberg coming in 2nd overall. For Flight C, Hal Simon and Mafid Aalam were 1st overall with Jules and Dave Borak coming in 2nd place. Congratulations to the winners and all the qualifiers.
The 25th of October was our annual Halloween Party and Potluck. The Unit provided the main courses and the members provided deserts and side dishes. Special Events Coordinator Janet Ansfield (and a VERY long list of other contributors — too much for this article, but you know who you are and thank you so much from the Unit!) outdid themselves with the food and hospitality. For those that were brave enough to wear a Halloween costume, prizes were awarded. Diana Marquardt (The Queen of Hearts) took 1st place in the contest, with George Soules and June and Otto Newman tied for 2nd place (The Celebrity Chef and Bridge and Disciplined Partner respectively). In the bridge game, Jean Louis Astier and Pat Astier were 1st overall in Flights A, B, & C. Congratulations! 2nd overall in A were Billie Green and Mary Balin. 2nd overall in B (since the Astier’s won everything else!) were Sally Ishihara and Manoochehr Bahmanian, and 2nd overall in C saw Peggy and Douglas Magde take home the honors. Congratulations to all of the winners.
Okay, this is getting a little long, so here is hoping that everyone attends the Fall North American Bridge Championships, has fun doing it, and maybe with a little luck takes home a first place or two. Until next month!
November 2009
September was a month of Sadness and Joy for members of the La Jolla Unit. As reported as a footnote in the October Forum, one of our long-time members, Ed Layton, lost his battle with cancer on the 17th of September. This was the sadness of the day. The 27th of September’s Unit Game saw the membership (and non-bridge playing friends of Ed) celebrate Ed’s life. This was the joy of Ed’s memorial. Ed was a long-time member of the Soledad Club where he taught Bridge (he had been a teacher for over 25 years). Ed’s life’s passion was bridge and during his years served as a member of the District 22 Board, the La Jolla Unit Board, he was chairman of San Diego Regionals, and his passion was providing the best hospitality for the Unit Games. At the memorial, both non-bridge players and bridge player friends of Ed’s provided anecdotes and personal memories of Ed. Ed was certified as a Master Teacher (the highest attainable teaching rank) and had achieved the rank of Silver Life Master as a player. In total, Ed had played Bridge for over 45 years. The Soledad Club will make a donation in Ed’s name to the American Cancer Society.
Another “Joy” for the La Jolla Unit last month was seeing Anne Terry back at the bridge table after a serious stoke. Anne is one of the top two nicest people in the world (and I am not sure about the other one) and having her back playing is something we should all be thankful for. She is 90+ years young and must have quite a strong constitution suffering a stroke and then return to the tables so quickly. Her level of play has not seemed to diminish either. We should all take a lesson from her positive outlook and attitude as we play this game we love so much.
ACBL achievers for this month are Mary Russell who is now a new Junior Master, and Carl Cull and Rich Custard who are now new Sectional Masters. Congratulations to the three of you and we hope you enjoy your journey upward through the ACBL rankings. Remember to have fun doing it as well!
Here are the results from the Unit games held in September. September 13th’s Unit game saw Lynne O’Neill/Bill Grant achieve 1st overall in Flight A with Phyllis Yates/John Coufal coming in 2nd overall in A. Sally Ishihara/Manoochehr Bahmanian were 1st overall in Flight B, and Jan and Lynne Erikson were 2nd overall in B and 1st overall in C. The Flight C runners up were Saul Morantz and Anne Lehrer. The September 27th Unit Game winners were Bernard Figueiredo and Hannan Deeby in 1st place in A, with David Oakley and David Walters comfortably in 2nd place. First overall in Flight B were Freda Anderson and Gail Dunham. Richard Stein and Gary Mollenkopf were 2nd overall in B and 1st overall in C. Flight C 2nd overall winners were Anwar Hafeez and Donna Friedman. Congratulations to all the winners and keep up the great achievements!
November is the month for the San Diego Nationals. I am sure that everyone is getting ready to play and win events. The La Jolla Unit will have a day where we help the tournament chairpersons with Registration, the Prize Desk, the Partnership Desk, and perhaps the Intermediate/Novice desk as well. Sign up sheets for volunteering will be available at October 11’s and 25’s Unit Games or you can send an email to any Unit Board member if you are willing to help out for a few hours (every little bit helps!). Our day for helping out is still to be determined (we are coordinating this with the Tournament Chairpersons). See you next month.
October 2009
Since the last Forum, the La Jolla/Beach Unit held elections for new officers for a two-year term. Congratulations to new officers Bob Walters (Treasurer), Janet Ansfield (Special Events), B.J. Peterson (Hospitality), Randy Fadem (Membership/Education) with Cass Donovan returning to the board (Partnerships/Caddies/Awards). Rounding out the Board, Ron Ignelzi is our new Unit President, Bill Grant continues as Vice-President/Club Manager, Matthew Kidd has moved into the Secretary/Webmaster position, Steve Johnson is the new Forum Reporter, and Manoochehr Bahmanian is our Chair-Person-at-Large. Visit the Unit Web Site for all the information pertaining to our Unit. Our webmaster, Matthew Kidd, posts pretty much everything pertaining to our Unit on the site.
The La Jolla Unit, in partnership with the Advanced Placement Statistics Department (Mr. Greg Kinzle - Chairman) recently completed a month-long course of bridge instruction of La Jolla High School to teach High School Students the game of Bridge. The course ran for 4 weeks after final exams were complete, and each of the 78 high school students who completed the course was sponsored for an ACBL Membership by the La Jolla Unit. The ACBL provided texts, tee-shirts, and trophies. Unit members who participated were: David Oakley, Bob Walters, Matthew Kidd, and Ron Ignelzi, Alex Prairie, with Maritha Pottenger of the San Diego Unit. This is not the first time the Unit has sponsored a high school to promote Bridge to younger players. For the past 6 years Bill Grant has coordinated similar events sponsored by the Math Department at Chula Vista High School. Matthew Kidd has posted the complete article to the unit web site. According to Bill, the students were very competitive and learned the penalty double especially fast.
Many of our members achieved new ACBL ranking milestones this month. Congratulations go out to Maureen Wallace as a new Junior Master, Sheila Furst and Patricia Lester as a new Club Masters, Marti Echolz as a new Sectional Master, Ramin Radsan and Alex Prarie as a new Regional Masters, Theresa Hayes as a new NABC Master, and Dr. Barbara Blake as our newest Life Master. The Unit wishes you all the best as you progress through the ACBL rankings and move onward and upward.
Here are the results from the Unit games held in August. August 9th’s game winners were Freda Anderson/Janet Ansfield, 1st overall in Flights A & B and Andrew Loh and Patricia Loh 1st overall in Flight C. Second overall in Flights A & B were George and Kathy Bessinger with June and Otto Newman 2nd overall in Flight C. August 23rd’s game winners were Greg Stander and Fani Hanson, 1st overall in Flights A, B, & C, Alan and Debbie Gailfus, 2nd overall Flight A, Rich and Connie Unger, 2nd overall Flights B & C. Congratulations to all the winners!
Sadly, Patricia Miller and Bernie Lafer recently passed away. Bernie who played in games of all local San Diego Units was well known for his courtesy. There was no dates given for their passing, but Bernie was always saying “Welcome to our Table” at every game he played. That is a thought that is well worth remembering for everyone who plays our game. Welcome to our Table!
September 2009
Some people believe that when the sun sits high and hot above us it’s time to sit ourselves on the beach and occasionally put a toe or two in the water, thinking of nothing. There are other people who sit themselves out of the sun’s glare finding their satisfaction in developing winning lines of play at bridge. And as the hot afternoon wends it way to cool evening, which person do you identify with?
Janice Hawley and Heidi Mosher are new unit members. Hearty welcome calls to you. We also have a group of transferees into 526: Mimi Anderson, Maureen Bear, and Dr. Alan Mannheimer. On behalf of the unit I am shouting “Hurrah” and “Welcome” to all.
Our up-and-coming players include new Junior Master Maureen Wallace, new Club Master Patricia Lester, and new NABC Master Theresa Hayes. Join me in applause for these great players.
New requirements for Life Master status go into place in January 2010. If you know anyone who is only thinking about it, be a friend and advise him/her to start down that road now.
Our July 12 game was an NAOP (North American Open Pairs) qualifier. It was necessary to be in the group above average to “Q”. Here are the top of the qualifiers for both A and B rank: Freda Anderson and Gail Dunham, David Oakley and David Walters, Laura Chaffee and Mark Matz, Joyce Bailey and Barbara Blake, Robert Walters and Gary Mollenkopf, Janet Ansfield and Joe Pennario. See the FORUM for further information on advancing to a higher level in this event.
Winners of the July 26 tournament were Steve Johnson with Diana Marquardt for the A flight. David Oakley with David Walters were 2nd. In the B flight Barry and Emily Berkov were 1st and Freda Anderson with Gail Dunham were 2nd. The C flight ended with Cyndi Baze and Steve Boehm in 1st followed by Pat and Jean Louis Astier 2nd.
The BULLETIN (our magazine) and the FORUM (this paper) have loads of information about the National tournament coming in November. Keep current, keep reading.
August 2009
Part of the enjoyment of going to our unit games is seeing our friends and fellow players. During the last few months many new faces have entered the scene on Sundays. With each new person (the unknown quantity) the pleasure and excitement of the day are heightened. How many of the following “new to our unit” people have you met: Thomas Bowman, Ben Castle, Christian Gerstoft, Gregory Horvath, Brian John, Rose Kelly, Frank Laird, Timmy Pickett, Kaitlin Sharpe, Lee Vida, and Maggie Walsh?
In addition to these interesting newbies there is a group of transferees into our unit. They are Randall Fadem, Lynne Feldman, Gary Mollenkopf, Mary Russell, and Ellen Wilson. We are very pleased that you have chosen to be one of us. To all of you a loud, long welcome from all of us.
It so happens that two of our relatively new members who enjoy our games had volunteered to serve on our board of directors. Thus Bob Walters and Randy Fadem were on the slate of board nominees along with B.J. Peterson, Janet Ansfield, and Ron Ignelzi. The election was held June 28, and all nominees were approved by oral vote. Now they join standing officers Bill Grant, Steve Johnson, Diana Marquardt, Menooch Bahmanian, and Matthew Kidd to start the 2009-2010 term.
Retiring board directors are David Oakley, Alice Leicht, Cass Donovan, and Nate McCay. Many is sues have had to be resolved during their tenure, along with assuring that our unit tournaments are well-run and that bills are paid, and vacancies are filled, and conflicts resolved, and that members are kept in formed of what is going on, and that ACBL regulations are upheld, and that all our bridge players want to keep coming to our games. As one of this group, I can vouch for the care that has been taken to keep our unit special and efficient. We feel that the new board will do the same (and maybe even more!)
Four members have played on to a new status. Sheila Fuerst is a Club Master. Marti Eicholz is a Sectional Master. Ramin Radsan is a Regional Master. Barbara Blake is a new Life Master. Good job! We salute you for staying the course.
The June games produced more winners. On June 14 Flight A first place went to the two Davids, Oakley and Walters. Second place was won by Peggy and Douglas Magde. The Magdes were in first place for the B and C flights also. Second place in B was left for Bert Waxler with Brenda Carter, and second in C flight Belle Borack with Judith Newman.
The June 28 game showed Ron and Mary Huffaker first in Flight A with Alan and Debbie Gailfus in second. Sue Kane with George Soules were first for Flight B, followed by Manoocher and Alberdina Bahmanian in sec ond. Flight C winners were Connie and Rich Unger. Second place went to Cass Donovan with Marge Hughes.
The NABC summer championship begins on July 23. These events are exciting and instructive. I hope that some of you readers are able to get to Washington for this grand tournament. Besides, it will warm you up for the Fall Nationals here in San Diego!
July 2009
To all who are fathers, we salute you! May the celebrations of fatherhood this month bring you joy and satisfaction.
On a continuing happy note we welcome Mel Wasserman into our unit. Also joining us are transferees Fumie Graves, Ann Labe, and Robert Walters. It’s a great pleasure to say “Come on in… We‘re happy to have you with us” to such a wonderful group.
Notable in our unit now are new Club Masters, Chris Chang and Ron Evanko. Our new Sectional Master is Doris Philamalee. And there are three new Life Masters, Joyce Bailey, Elaine Chan, and Mike Munson. Congratulations to all.
On May 10 the regular unit pairs event ended with Hanan Deeby with Bernard Figueiredo in first place for flight A followed by Juana and Kenneth Andrecht in second. Flight B showed Juana and Kenneth in first with Alex Prairie and Elaine Chan in second. But Alex and Elaine were first for the C flight with Pamela Lawrence and Malcolm Jarvis taking second. Cheers for all of these fine players.
Our Spring 2009 Sectional is history. Extending over 4 days (as was customary some years back) over 300 people attended. Special thanks to Nate McCay and all of his crew of helpers for making this possible. Thanks also to Scott Campbell, Jean Molnar, and Mike Weber for keeping the whole business rolling.
296 players went home pocketing some points. Of this number we have to acknowledge those who led in the point race. The top ten winners were: Lynn O‘Neill 19.49, John Coufal 19.33, Debbie Gailfus 18.83, Pat Chapman 16.98, Dayou Zhou 16.00, Ron Fetig 16.00, Alan Gailfus 15.53, Laura Chaffee 15.50, Steven Johnson 15.01, and Maritha Pottinger 14.67.
Bill Grant is not only an active member who plays most unit games and serves on the unit board, but also has been giving lessons in bridge to high school students. ACBL and unit 526 are backing up his efforts with materials and assistance. At La Jolla High he has given 38 students a push into the joys (and sorrows) of our favorite game. He has enlisted the cooperation of several other people in giving his classes. David Oakley, Bob Walters, Matthew Kidd, Maritha Pottinger and Ron Ignelzi have been helping. Kathy Angione has been cooperating by publishing information, results, and “play of the hands” on her Eastlake Bridge Club site. She also does this for Bill’s Chula Vista class. Anyone else who would like to get involved in these classes (and get the ACBL materials) can talk to Bill about it. Read more online.
With a happy sigh of relief we conclude our May doings, and we invite all readers to return to Soledad on the 2nd and 4th Sundays for our regular unit tournaments. Coming up are the unit elections.
June 2009
May is not just another month for this unit. May is our traditional Sectional month. We hope that those four days in May are a “good” memory, not just in points achieved, but in the spirit of a shared effort playing the game we can’t resist.
There are two new members to welcome this month, Irene Cooper and Kathy Foley. It’s nice to have you with us.
Marching upwards in masterpoint achievement are: Dale Phillips, Junior Master, Sharon Gabriel, Club Master, Tony Basson and Toby Burke, Sectional Masters, and Dee Swartz, Silver Life Master. Congratulations to all of you!
By the end of the San Diego Regional in April our unit had 8 members listed in the top 100 winners. Diana Marquardt walked away with 67.31 MPs. In descending order are Debbie Gailfus 50.78, Dayou Zhou 42.33, Mike Munson 38.31, Steve Johnson 35.02, Lynne O’Neill 28.83, Pat Chapman 27.88, and Richard Unger 25.39. Cordial handshakes along with congratulations are in order for all of you.
Because of the Regional Swiss teams event on the second Sunday in April we held just one unit game during that month. The overall winners in each flight were as follows. David Oakley with David Walter were first in the A flight. Bill Grant with Ed Layton were second. First place in flight B were Robert Walters with Gary Mollenkopf while Alan Rowan with David Hunt took the second spot. Robert and Gary were first in C followed by Rich Custard with Carl Cull second. Applause and smiles to all of you.
June is the month that ushers in the time for our annual reports and elections. There are many talented and capable people in our unit whom we hope will be willing to “run” for the board. It is an opportunity to have a say-so in the governance of our activities and to gain a broader understanding of the operations of our tournaments. Just tell any current board member you are interested. It will be a rewarding experience.
May 2009
March activities were plentiful and were sources of some great competitions. The NABC spring championships in Houston attracted several local players. Many packed in a load of masterpoints and came home with huge smiles. Steve Johnson, unit board member, flew home on the wings of interesting successes. He “made it” to three finals in national events. Considering the hundreds of pairs that he contended against this was a huge performance. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Congratulations.
Back home results were exciting as well. On March 8 Elaine Chan with Michael Mezin placed first in our pair game. That is to say 1st in flights A, B, C. In flight A second place went to Joel Hoersch with Fumie Graves. In flight B Gillian Cook with Manzoor Khan were second and flight C second went to Barry and Emily Berkov.
Winners of flight A on March 22 were Fumie Graves with Joel Hoersch. David Oakley and David Walters were second. Buster and Tinker Mico took 1st in Flight B followed by Marian Zeldin with Anita Reith. Flight C winners were Ursula Kantor with Georgie Goyette. Jean Louis and Pat Astier were 2nd.
The fifth Sunday rolled in with an “Eight is Enough” Swiss teams event. Eighteen teams were in contention. The winners were the team of Kathie Angione, Bob Shapley, Michael Mezin, and Elaine Chan.
In the masterpoint runs we have several members who have played themselves up to higher levels. Nicholas Miller is a new Junior Master. Rich Custard and Victoria Nardone are now Club Masters. Sectional Master category includes Debbie and Norman Hedenberg along with Patricia Wilkey. Carol Abramowitz is a Regional Master and Eve Lonack became an NABC Master. Geraldine Weiss has graduated to Bronze Life Master.
Former board member Jackie Washington has achieved Silver Life Master status. A fairly new member of our unit, Suzanne Lebendig has gained Diamond Life Master ranking. This group deserves one REALLY LOUD cheer followed by several regular “Hurrahs”.
A great job done by all of you!
Unit 526 happily welcomes Patrick Mahoney into our midst. (What it just an accident that he came on our scene in MARCH (as in St. Patrick’s) We also welcome back a star performer, Dayou Zhou. We‘ve missed you.
And so our saga continues. Tune in next month for further news about our terrific unit.
April 2009
The cloudbursts are bringing their act to a close. Flowers are bursting out as they begin their display. And bridge, ah bridge, is bursting through attendance records up and down the confines of southern California. I suppose that more people are realizing the benefits of playing this game; fun, challenge, mental exercise, and masterpoints followed by bragging rights.
Which brings us to congratulations to Robert Garin, a new Bronze Life Master, and to Kathleen Brainard, a new Junior Life Master.
On February 8 our unit championship game finished with Marvin French and Jon Wright in 1st place Flight A, followed by Donna Wood and Paul Foster in 2nd. Flight B 1st place was won by Ralph Baty and Greg Stander while Ed Layton and Pat Chapman were 2nd.
Flight C 1st place winners were Lyle Kalish with Wilfred Westlake and 2nd place went to Jean Louis and Pat Astier.
Our second February game ended with results that were quite unusual. Menoocher Bahmanian with Sally Ishihara were 1st in Flight A. Second place went to Billie Green with Mary Ballin. Menoocher and Sally were also 1st in Flight B. Billie Greene and Mary Ballin were again in the 2nd spot! Flight C winners were Peggy and Douglas Magde. The second place went to Michael Kohn and David Slagel.
The top masterpoint winners in our District for 2008 were named in the recent FORUM. Our unit has 6 members noted: Jason Feldman 487, Debbie Gailfus 470, Alan Gailfus 398, Steven Johnson 354, David Oakley 347, and Freda Anderson 325. Should we now refer to them as the ‘Sensational Six’
Our new members are special to us. We always hope to see them at our unit games and to get to know each one. This month we have three transfers into 526. A springtime welcome to Nicholas Miller, Dale Phillips, and Robert Sobel.
March has a fifth Sunday. This is a time for 526 to host a Swiss team event. We will have another ‘eight is enough’ game, a time to put together a team of mixed level players and go for it. Eight points is maximum for a team. An A player is 3, B player is 2, C player is 1. Combine the numbers and create a team.
The Pacific SW Regional happens on April 6 through 12. Our regular 2nd Sunday game will not be held inasmuch as it is on the last day of the regional. I hope that you will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to win red and gold points during the week of the regional. The Town and Country Resort Hotel is the place to be. Meanwhile enjoy Spring!
March 2009
The January 11 unit game Flight A winners were Bette Cornelius with Joe Pennario. Second place was won by Elaine Chan with Alex Prairie, who took the #1 spot for both Flights B and C. Second place for Flight B was won by Charlotte Blum with Patricia Wilkey. The Flight C 2nd spot was taken by Wilfred Westlake with Lyle Kalish.
On January 25 several 2008 newcomers were formally welcomed into our unit. They joined in the game and we enjoyed having them there.
The first place winners in Flight A were Mac Busby with Suzanne LeBendig. Alan and Debbie Gailfus were 2nd. In Flight B Kathee and George Bessinger were the winners. Rex and Sheila Latus were in the 2nd spot. Elaine Laurvick with Charlotte Blum were 1st in Flight C and Belle Borack with Judith Newman were 2nd. Cheers for these fine performances.
And now welcoming applause, if you please, for a great group of new members who have transferred to 526: Jason Feldman, Marie and Robert Garin, Beverly and Irv Isaacman, Jay-Calvin Reyes, Russell Shepherd, and Greg Stander.
The final tallies are coming in for the Mini-McKenney and Ace of Clubs winners. They show that our own Elaine Chan is going to be our National winner in her 5-20 group. A wonderful accomplishment, Elaine! Oh yes, her point total for 2008 was 263.
Now for our unit advancers. New Junior Masters are Abdol Aalam, Ralph Dilley, and Sandy Dinnsen. Carl Cull is a new Club Master. Isabelle Wasserman has stepped up to NABC Master. Our unit website reporter, Matthew Kidd, has become a Life Master. It is a pleasure to congratulate all of you.
February 2009
2008 has been entered into the history file. While bridge players are busy making history for 2009 let’s look at a bit of this past year’s action.
The winter STAC held after our Holiday party served up a platter of winners. Section A, north/south top scorers for flight A were Anne Terry with Brenda Carter. Menooch Bahmanian with Sally Ishihara were second. Flight B winners were Dave and Jules Borack (father and son), and newcomers Bill Gore with Susan Cavalo were 2nd.
Still in section A but sitting east/west Matthew Kidd with Ursula Kantor were 1st, and a tie for 2nd place went to Gail Whitly with Ed Malmuth and to Mac Busby with Suzanne LeBendig.
Moving on to Section B, north/south, Debbie and Alan Gailfus garnered 1st place followed by Mac Busby with Suzanne LeBendig in the 2nd spot. Flight B winners were Beverly and Mort Wilk. Elaine Chan with Paul Alesu were 2nd.
In section B, east/west we had Paul Foster with Donna Wood 1st in Flight A. Our two Davids, Oakley and Walters, were 2nd. Flight B winners were long time unit members Charles Wilson with Paul Barton. The 2nd spot here went to Paul and Barbara Lasky.
The last unit game of the year on the fourth Sunday ended with the following overall results. Flight A 1st place went to Diana Marquardt with Steven Johnson. Second place players were Ed Layton with Bill Grant. Flight B 1st and 2nd respectively were Menooch Bahmanian with Sally Ishihara and Mary Ingle with Jackie Ives. Flight C 1st place had Mary Ingle with Jackie Ives followed by Dave and Jules Borack.
A grand welcome is due to 4 people who have just joined our unit. Barbara Blake, Ewa Pauker, Chynne and Steve Stroman. And we’ll be extra happy to have you at our unit games.
Stanley Anderson has stepped up to Sectional Master status. Congratulations and may you enjoy your future games as you advance even higher.
We hope that you all know how to access the Unit website. Just think lajollabridge.com, press return, choose your area of interest, and enjoy!
We have a terrific schedule of events for the new year. If you have a favorite type of tournament contact a board member and let’s see what we can make happen.
See you at the table.
January 2009
As I write this report I am anticipating the unit Holiday Party on December 14. As you read this report the Holiday Party is a thing of the past. Yes, time does have a way of racing through the events of our lives. But bridge players have the good fortune of having our games become part of our special times. Bridge brings us into contact with people who often become friends, rivals who become partners, team mates who may be a generation older or younger than you. Bridge is a special world that keeps new directions an open possibility for inhabitants. In short, this is where we are.
There are a few new members in our unit who may be familiar to you. They are also very welcome to 526. Smiles and handshakes go to Suzanne Lebendig and John Strauch.
We have five members who have new status in Bridge. Vicki Johnson is a new Junior Master. Susan Cavolo and Bill Gore are new Club Masters. Carol Abramowitz is a new Sectional Master and Elaine Chan is now an NABC Master. Congratulations to all of you.
The November 23 Unit game produced the following winners. In flight A first place was filled by Tom Tatham with Lena Jelusich, Jeffry Holmes with Alaine Schreiber were 2nd. Jeff and Alaine claimed the 1st spot in flight B followed by Ray and Alan Rowan. Flight C first place was taken by Robert Walters with Gary Mollenkoff. Barry and Emily Berkov were 2nd. Nice going, all!
For those who may have missed reading the news flash on our website, we may have a national winner in the Ace Of Clubs masterpoint race. We have to wait until the end of the year for the absolute final tally but at this point Elaine Chan looks like the frontrunner.
The NABC National tournament in Boston featured the Mini-Blue Ribbon event. There were hundreds of entries and took four sessions to complete. The final results revealed our unit member Marvin French in the 33rd spot. Roger Zelmer was his partner.
Alert notice to unit newcomers: look for a special event featuring (TA DA!) YOU!
Planning for a newcomer special is underway and the fourth Sunday in January will be the time. Save the date. You are our stars.
As we say farewell to 2008 any wistfulness must eventually give way to the expectations that 2009 will be a year of a few favorite dreams becoming reality. I sincerely wish for all my readers that health and happiness come with your package of hopes.