2010 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 2010. 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.
September 2010
Greetings to all from Chilly San Diego! According to the weatherman, it has not been this cold in July here in the San Diego area since 1933, with an average temperature of just above 65 degrees! The cool weather makes for some great days to play bridge though.
First, we would like to congratulate La Jolla Unit Achievers for July who advanced in their respective ACBL Rankings. Congratulations first go out to Freda Anderson who advanced to Gold Life Master (2,500 Masterpoints!). For those that don’t know, Gold Life Masters make up the top 4½ % of all bridge players. Advancing to the Gold Ranking is quite an achievement - Congratulations Freda! Our newest Bronze Life Master (the 500 Masterpoint plateau) is Judith Newman. Joan Fisher advanced to Club Master, and Sally Hall along with Roselynn Pappelbaum advanced to Junior Master. Congratulations again to one and all for your achievements!
Our results from the Unit Board election are as follows: President: Ron Ignelzi, Vice-President: Randy Fadem, Treasurer: Dorinda Lindvall, Secretary: Gary Mollenkopf. Other board positions were filled by unit board vote were: Club Manager: Bill Grant, Tournament Chair; Bill Grant, Hospitality; Janet Ansfield, Awards: BJ Petersen, Membership; Gary Mollenkopf, Education; Randy Fadem, Website/Internet; Randy Fadem, Webmaster; Matthew Kidd.
The La Jolla Club July 11th North American Pairs qualifying Game was won by Sam Jordan and Lena Jelusich in Flight A with a very nice 66% game. 2nd overall in Flight A belonged to Freda Anderson and Gail Dunham. 1st overall in Flight B went to Fumie Graves and Murray Goldman, with Betty-Jo Peterson and Phyllis Pankow 2nd overall. There were only 3 Flight C pairs who participated, so no awards (or sadly, no NAP qualifications) were given for that flight.
The July 25th Flight A Unit Game was won by David Oakley and David Walters. 2nd overall in Flight A was captured by Fumie Graves and Murray Goldman, who were also 1st overall in Flight B. 2nd overall in Flight B was won by Sally Ishihara and Manoochehr Bahmanian. First overall in Flight C went to Dave and Jules Borak, with Michael Mezin and Elaine Chan 2nd overall in Flight C.
The games in August are on the 8th and the 22nd, so get a partner, mark your calendars and plan on coming out to play!
A short plug for our “sister” Unit (San Diego) - there is a Sectional from 13 to 15 August at Adventures in Bridge. Show support for the Sectionals and come on out and play.
A short article this month, but for all: enjoy your games, treat your partner with respect and kindness (remember, she/he is the only one else in the room who cares if you win or not!), and remember while this can be a serious and very competitive game, it IS supposed to be fun as well. So have fun!
August 2010
The Unit board elections were held in June on the 13th and we have two new Unit Board members to welcome: Dorinda Linvall has returned to the board after a year or so hiatus and Gary Mollenkopf is a new member to the board. They are both hard-working and anxious to make a difference for the La Jolla Unit so please accept our warmest welcome to the Unit Board. The Unit would like to thank retiring board members, Manoochehr Bahmanian and Steve Johnson who both completed their terms on the board and decided not to run for re-election. We would like to thank them both for their hard work and dedication (Although Steve, yours truly, has decided to keep writing the Western Conference Contract Bridge Forum articles). At the July Unit Board meeting voting will decide who will be our next Unit President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and other important Unit Board Positions. Stand by in next month’s Forum article for the full results of “Who’s Who” on the La Jolla Unit Board, although Matthew Kidd, our Webmaster, will for sure have the results posted on our website long before the next Forum issue for those that just can’t wait.
We would like to congratulate Unit Achievers for June who advanced in Ranking. Dr. Sara Fassihi, Joan Fisher, Richard Gabrial, Sharon Province, and Kianoosh Radsan all advanced to Junior Master, Abdol Aalam and Michael Wallace advanced to Club Master, Mickey Esser advanced to Sectional Master, Nahid Mahdavi advanced to Regional Master, Barbara Yates achieved Life Master Status, and Patrick Mahoney is our newest Silver Life Master. Congratulations from all at the Unit to all of you for your achievements and we wish you continued success!
The June 13th Unit Game was won by Alan and Debbie Gailfus for Flight A, with Elaine Chan and Michael Mezin 2nd in Flight A and 1st in Flight B. 2nd overall in Flight B honors went to John Forrest and Stephen Seagren who were also 1st overall in Flight C. 2nd overall in Flight C for the Unit game was won by Lyle Kalish and Wilfred Westlake.
The June 27th Unit Game Flight A was won by Paul Darin Jr. and Pamela Lawrence, and they were also 1st overall in Flight B. 2nd overall in Flight A went to Maritha Pottenger and Greg House. Scooping up 2nd overall in Flight B were Lynn Wells and Janice Wells who also won 1st overall in Flight C. 2nd overall in Flight C were Cass Donovan and Marge Hughes.
The Unit Game on July 11th is an NAP qualifying game and the Unit game on July 27th is a Unit Championship game so mark your calendars and get your favorite partner(s) lined up to play!
Well, that is all for this month, enjoy your bridge games, practice active ethics, and treat your opponents and your partner like you would like to be treated. Talk to you next month!
July 2010
We just completed out annual Memorial Day Sectional at the Soledad Club during the last weekend in May. Unit members who had huge success at the Sectional were: Katherine Moyer, San Diego CA; Patricia Wilkey, La Jolla CA, 1st overall Friday AM 499 Pairs, Friday PM 499-er Pairs, and Saturday AM 499’er Pairs and 1st Overall (with Nancy Lowrey - Yel Chiang Wu, San Diego CA) for the Flight B/C/D Swiss on Sunday for a very nice showing at the tournament and winning over 13 Masterpoints! Gregory Chaffee, La Jolla CA; Mac Busby, San Diego CA were 2nd Overall in the Friday PM Open Pairs, Jon Wright, La Mesa CA; Nathan McCay, Del Mar CA, were 1st Overall, Friday AM Open Pairs, and David Oakley (with “Ringers” from the San Diego Unit - David Walters, San Diego CA; Ronald Huffaker - Mary Huffaker, Alpine CA) were 1st Overall in the Flight A/X Swiss.
The LJ Jolla Unit was honored by an article on 29 May in the San Diego Union Tribune regarding the Bridge Teaching in San Diego Area Schools through the tireless efforts of Bill Grant (and other Unit members whose names I have forgotten - I am getting old, I will put them all in next month). This was not just an article buried in the newspaper but a cover article for one of the sections. Kudos and congratulations to all who participated.
“Movers And Shakers” within the Unit saw Janice Hawley advance to Junior Master and Sharon Pratt advance to Club Master. Congratulations to you both and keep up the good work!
The Unit Game on May 9th was won by David Oakley and David Walters, 1st in Flight A, with Barbara Norman and Charles Wilson Jr. 2nd overall in A. 1st in Flight B and Flight C were Joyce Bailey and Barbara Blake. 2nd Overall in Flight B was won by Sumiko Inagaki and Yoko Davis, and 2nd in Flight C honors were taken by Peggy Magde and M Douglas Magde.
Congratulations to all the winners for our Unit games and the Sectional.
This is our annual election month and there are places for 5 new members. If you want to “give something back” to the Unit, now is you chance to put your hat in the ring and make a difference on the Unit board.
June 2010
We have quite a few people to congratulate this month. First, even though she does not belong to our unit, we at the La Jolla Unit would like to congratulate Lena Jelusich for reaching the 10,000 Masterpoint plateau and becoming a Platinum Life Master. She has been a mainstay of San Diego Bridge for, uh, decades and is, in addition, one of the nicest people on the planet. Congratulations from all of us to you Lena!
The La Jolla Unit’s very own David Oakley has passed the 5,000 Masterpoint mark and is now a Diamond Life Master. Very nicely done David and congratulations on your achievement from all of us.
Other achievers this month include Ursula Kantor who reached Bronze Life Master, Ron Evanko and Arlene Special for advancing to Sectional Master, and Ann Manaster and Lewis Linson who achieved Junior Master Status. Congratulations to all!
Some of our Unit members (and members of other San Diego Units) spent April 21-24 promoting bridge among junior players (and the Mathematics Teachers who guide them along!). The National Conference of Teachers of Mathematics was held in San Diego this year affording the San Diego Area Units the chance to promote bridge. What made this year’s conference different was that the ACBL had an exhibitor’s booth promoting the teaching of bridge in the math classroom. There have been recent studies showing that playing bridge increases student test scores in pretty much all subject areas, over a 32 month interval. A session explaining those results was held at the Marriott Hotel. The booth was run by Dana Norton and Vicki Thomas of the ACBL Education and Marketing departments. Bridge players from the La Jolla and San Diego units manned the booth, fielding questions from interested math teachers from Washington to Puerto Rico. Volunteers were Randy Fadem, Bill Grant, Ron Ignelzi and Matthew Kidd from Unit 526, and Ralph Baty, Paul Darin, and Larry Rossman from Unit 539. Students from Bill Grant’s bridge classes at Chula Vista High School also were present. Here in San Diego, Advanced Placement math classes have been where the greatest inroads have been made in reaching the student population. Bridge classes at Chula Vista High School, presently sponsored by the Coronado Unit, are in their 7th year, and classes at La Jolla High School, sponsored by the La Jolla Unit, are now in their 2nd year.
Flight A Unit Game winners for the April 11th Unit Game were Joel Hoersch and Fumie Graves, with Maritha Pottinger and Greg House finishing 2nd. In Flight B, George and Kathee Bessinger were 1st and Jean Louis and Pat Astier 2nd, who also took the honors of being 1st in Flight C. Finally, 2nd in Flight C were Michael Mezin and Elaine Chan.
The Unit Game on April 25th was won by Alan and Debbie Gailfus in Flight A, with a monster 72% Game. 2nd in Flight A belonged to Nathan McCay and David Walters. In Flight B, Cass Donovan and Marge Hughes took first place honors (as well as 1st in Flight C). 2nd overall in Flight B had George and Kathee Bessinger taking the prize. 2nd overall in Flight C belonged to Katherine and Pete Moyer.
Congratulations to all the winners of the Unit Games.
Just a quick reminder to mark your calendars and don’t forget our La Jolla & Beach Sectional over the Memorial Day weekend (May 28 - 30) to be held at the Soledad Club. A map to the playing site is available on the La Jolla Unit Web Site: Select Local Clubs, and then the Map of all Major Clubs. Click on a club and a larger map will appear. A schedule of events is on the ACBL Tournament Website, it is also posted to the La Jolla Bridge Web Site and there are copies of the flyer at most of the local Bridge Clubs in the area. There should be a little something for everyone at the Sectional. Janet Ansfield, the Tournament Manager, has done a ton of work to ensure this Sectional will be a success. See you there!
Well, that is all for this month, enjoy your bridge games, practice active ethics, and treat your opponents and your partner like you would like to be treated. Talk to you next month!
May 2010
Happy Spring and congratulations to all of the winners at the San Diego Regional held from March 29 through April 4 2010 at the great facilities of the Town and Country Hotel. Co-Chairpersons, Bill Grant and Alice Leicht did a superb job running the tournament and all of their hard work did not go unnoticed. A Great playing site, excellent hospitality, nice Section Top prizes and a good partnership desk made for a great tournament (even with the three or so “shakes” from the Earthquake on Sunday Afternoon!). The top La Jolla Unit Masterpoint winners at the tournament were Lynne Feldman with 53.59, David Oakley with 51.61 and Alan Gailfus with 46.13. Way to go and way to play!
We had only one member advance to a higher ACBL player level this month. Congratulations to Alberdina Bahmanian for achieving Sectional Master. Just a few more “rungs” to go to reach Life Master, Alberdina!
Our March 14th Unit Game saw Greg Chafee and Mac Busby winning of Flight A, with Alan Gailfus and Jim Martin 2nd. First in Flight B were Alan and Ray Rowen. 2nd in B and 1st in flight C were Michael Kohn and Gerald Bishoff. 2nd in Flight C went to Lyle Kalish and Wilfred Westlake.
On March 28th, our Unit Game was won by Michael Mezin and Elaine Chan who were also 1st in Flight B. N. Marovac and Deanna Veitia were 2nd in Flight B and 1st in Flight C. Hal Simon and Abdol Aalam were 2nd in Flight C.
April 11th and 25th are the dates for the La Jolla Unit Games for this month. Mark your calendars, get a partner and come and play!
Mark your calendars and don’t forget our La Jolla & Beach Sectional (flyer) over the Memorial Day weekend (May 28–30) to be held at the Soledad Club. A map to the playing site is available on the La Jolla Unit Web Site: Select Local Clubs, and then the Map of all Major Clubs. Click on a Club and a larger map will appear. A Schedule of events is on the ACBL Tournament Website, it is also posted to the La Jolla Bridge website and there are copies of the flyer at most of the local Bridge Clubs in the area. There should be a little something for everyone at the sectional. Janet Ansfield, the Tournament Manager, has done a ton of work to ensure this sectional will be a success. See you there!
Well, that is all for this month, enjoy your bridge games, practice active ethics, and treat your opponents and your partner like you would like to be treated.
April 2010
Greetings again from the La Jolla Unit to the readers of the Western Conference Contract Bridge Forum! February was a busy month for the La Jolla Unit. February 14 was our annual course food provided by the unit. Many thanks to Janet Ansfield, B.J. Peterson, and the rest who participated: (sorry, I am getting old and cannot remember the names of all who helped!). Desserts and side dishes were provided by the membership.
On February 14 the winners of the unit game were Joel Hoersch and Fumie Graves first overall in Flight A, with David Oakley and David Walters 2nd overall.
In Flight B, the winners were Marian Zeldin and Charlotte Blum, with Michael Kohn and Gerald Bischoff 2nd overall in B and first in Flight C. Placing 2nd in Flight C were Dave and Jules Borack.
Congratulations to all the victors.
The winners of the February 28 unit pairs championship were Evie Coufal and Francy Starr. Second in this event were Ray and Alan Rowen, who also captured first in B. Second in B were Sumiko Inagaki and Yoko Davis. The winners in C were Michael Mezin and Elaine Chan, with Douglas and Peggy Magde 2nd in the event.
Our Unit Achievers this month who advanced their ACBL levels were Barbara Brady as our newest Junior Master. Moving up to the Club Master ranking were Vicki Johnson, Dale Phillips, Carolyn Sher, and Mina Talor (Mina won so many masterpoints she went from rookie to club level, just skipping over the Junior Master level). Our newest Sectional Master is Sharon Gabriel. Congratulations to Patricia Wilkey, who achieved Regional Master status. Achieving Bronze Life Master was Marie Garin. That’s quite a few unit membership advancements, and we wish you continued success as you move up the “ladder” of ACBL categories.Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the La Jolla Unit Memorial Day Sectional (May 28-30) at the Soledad Club. Janet Ansfield (doesn’t she ever get tired?) is the tournament manager, and we are very grateful for her volunteerism. If you have never run a tournament, you ought to try it. It is more work than you ever thought possible, and often with very little thanks.
All for now, talk to you next month.
March 2010
Please accept February greetings to all members and non-members who play at the La Jolla Unit after a very wet and rainy January. There was not anything major to report for January, but I will put the results from the games and announce the advancements of our members and perhaps call it enough for this month.
On January 8-10, the Unit brought back the Winter Sectional after a 2-year hiatus. Matthew Kidd did a superb job as tournament manager (his first shot at running a tournament). Winners at the tournament were: The Open Board-A-Match on Friday morning was won by Nicholas Krall, M Ali Mahdavi, Daniel Dennison and Jeremy Fields. Congratulations go to the entire team on winning what many believe is the toughest form of bridge. 2nd place went to Mark Itabashi, Rick Roeder, Steven Love and Lynne Feldman. The Friday Compact KO was won by Isabelle Wasserman, Nacy Goldberg, Barbara Rozansky, and Berdele Katz. 2nd Place was captured by Susan Anson, Kay Childs, Patricia Loh, and Patricia Bishoff. The Friday Afternoon Open Pairs was won by David Anding and Ronald Kay, with Steven Love and Mark Itabashi 2nd. On Saturday, five Pair Games were held. The Morning 299-ers was won by James DeMaine and Lourdes DeMaine, with Virginia Luscomb and Kay Sellars in 2nd place. The Saturday Morning Open Pairs was won by Ann Nixon and Mark Itabashi, with Maritha Pottenger and Kent Hartman placing 2nd. The Saturday Morning Championship Pairs was won by Nicholas Krall and M Ali Mahdavi, with Elaine Chan and Michael Mezin in 2nd. The Saturday Afternoon Open Pairs was won by Ronald Kay and Suzanne Lebendig, with Rick Roeder and Lynne Feldman taking 2nd place. Finally, the Saturday Afternoon Championship Pairs was won by Nathan McCay and David Walters, with Debbie and Alan Gailfus coming in 2nd. Sunday’s A/X team game was won by Nathan McCay, Ivar Stakgold, Jon Wright, and Ron Fertig. First in X were Belton Allen, John Forrest, Peter Zari, and Nancy Buechner. Whew! Lots of winners!
The January 24th Unit Championship game started off at 11:30 am with a wonderful memorial service for Robleigh Lindvall with tons of food provided by Dorinda. The game was won by Andrew and Patricia Loh, 1st in A and B, 2nd in A was Roger Dougman and Beverly Forman, 2nd in B was won by Belle Borack and Susan Ealy-Pililaau and the ladies were also 1st in C. 2nd in C was won by M Douglas Magde and Peggy Magde.
January 31st was a La Jolla Unit 5th Sunday game with the Pair game won by Lynne O’Neil and Bill Grant, with Jamie Rubenstein and David Certa 2nd in A. In Flight B, the event was won by Linda Kaiser and Yoko Davis, with Alan and Rae Rowen in 2nd. Flight C was won by Roberta Klein and Melvin Klein and Lyle Kalish and Wilfred Westlake in 2nd. There was also a Unit 549 Sectional in Oceanside that weekend and a Regional in Riverside that week as well. There was enough bridge over that weekend for everyone.
Recent Unit members who advanced in ranking last month were: Ralph Dilley advanced to Club Master, Ron Malashock advanced to Regional Master, and Gary Mollenkopf, Shirley Sandford, and Robert Walters all advanced to Bronze Life Master. Congratulations to all.
The Special Event next month is the Valentine’s Day Potluck on the 14th of February. The Unit will provide the main dish, bread etc. and if members (or non-members) bring a side dish or dessert the cost of bridge will be $7.00. If you just come to eat, the cost will be $10.00 for unit and non-unit member alike.
Have a great February, and look for us next month!
February 2010
There is yet again additional sad new for our Unit. One of the Unit’s most popular Gentlemen (capitalization intended) Robleigh (Rob) Lindvall passed away on December 14 after a long illness.
Here is a quote from Alice Leicht that pretty much sums up the feelings for many of us regarding Rob:
Above the bright, happy colors of a bouquet of spring flowers was most likely the bright smile on Robleigh’s face. He loved sharing his garden production with our unit game players. He loved to cook and so a unit potluck would turn into a feast with the addition of a delicious plate (or two or three) from his kitchen. He loved to play bridge and so his congenial smile was there at our games often as he sat at the table with his lovely wife Dorinda, with good partner, Jane Wayne, or with any of his other partners. He loved to win as well as anyone there. He could do so with a gentleman’s grace. He loved to tell and to listen to a good story or joke and so his presence meant laughter and warmth. Our unit was very fortunate to have him with us because he loved to help. And help he did in answering any cry for assistance within his time and ability even when he was failing in strength and health. Above all there was his great love for his wife and daughters. Dorinda, who values his love, and his daughters, who altogether were “family”. All of these things Robleigh loved and he was loved in turn by his wife, children. friends, just about anyone who knew him. He walked this earth as a “good man”. Good-bye, dear Robleigh. Thank you for opening the joy in your heart to us.
The Unit also lost Joanie Vanderslice in the middle of December after a long illness. She was an active player and teacher of the game we love so much.
The December Christmas party was held at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club on December 13th. Kudos to Janet Ansfield and the names of everyone too numerous to mention that helped provide hospitality (and I just can’t get everyone's name in here due to space limitations), helped set up the room and otherwise made the party a success. Steve Johnson and Diana Marquardt were 1st overall with John and Susuan Kissenger 2nd in Flight A, Larry Roberts and Macia Schulman were 1st overall in B with Joyce Bailey and Barbara Blake 2nd in B and 1st in Flight C. Abdol Aalam and Hal Simon took 2nd place in C.
The Unit game on the 27th of December had only 30 Pairs (well, it WAS just after Christmas) with Alan and Debbie Gailfus 1st overall in A and Joel Hoersch and Fumie Graves 2nd. In Flight B and C, Pat and Jean Louis Astier were 1st overall for both strats and David and Jules Borak were 2nd overall for both Flights B & C. Congratulations to all the winners!
The Unit had quite a few “Achievers” this month with the following members moving up in rank: Betty Black is our newest Junior Master, Dennis Starcher is our newest Club Master, Carol Abramowitz is the newest NABC Master and George Soules attained the rank of Silver Life Master. Congratulations to one and all for your achievements!
Happy New Year to everyone and we at the Unit hope that all your Bridge efforts are what you want them to be in the upcoming year.
January 2010
The Nationals have concluded here in San Diego! It was a GREAT tournament, and kudos to Ken Monzingo for putting on a World Class Event. The final results for all events are not as yet complete, so watch for next month’s Contract Bridge Forum article for a full report regarding the La Jolla Unit players who had success at the Nationals. One that deserves mention now is Ron Huffaker and his brother Harold were victorious in the 4-session Mini-Blue Ribbon Championship for players with 0 to 5000 Masterpoints. Ron and Mary Huffaker are tremendous supporters for all games in the local area and this achievement deserves special recognition. So next time you see Ron give him a big “Congratulations”.
November was a quiet month for the La Jolla Unit. There was no game on Sunday the 8th of November as the Unit membership went out and supported the Coronado Unit’s Sectional held at Adventures in Bridge. La Jolla Unit's Gail Dunham (playing “other unit’s” teammates) won the Flight BCD Swiss, Steve Johnson (playing with Ron Kay) was second in an Open Pairs event, and Karen Perling and Judy Dveris were First overall in a Non-Life Master's pair event.
The Unit game on the 22nd of November was well attended, with Ron and Mary Huffaker 1st overall in A, and Lynette and Jim Martin 2nd overall in A. 1st overall in B & C were Elaine Chan and Michael Mezin, and second overall in B & C were Jean Louis Astier and Pat Astier. Congratulations to all.
The Unit congratulates Mike Wallace as out newest Junior Master. Keep moving up through those ACBL rankings Mike, and Congratulations!!
The La Jolla Unit Christmas party will be held on December 13th at the wonderful La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club. There is only seating for 25 tables, but there may (and I emphasize may) be a few spaces left for this event. See, phone, or email Janet Ansfield for details regarding space available. The cost is $15.00 for Unit members and $20.00 for non-Unit members.
The La Jolla Unit bringing back a Sectional on the 8th through 10th of January 2010 after a two year hiatus. It is great we are bringing this event back after such a long time out and Matthew Kidd has done a great job as the Tournament Manager. It will be held at the Soledad Clubhouse and the flyer with the events schedule can be found at the Soledad Club, Adventures in Bridge, or on the La Jolla Unit or ACBL websites and other clubs in the local San Diego area.
Since November was a quiet month for the La Jolla Unit, this article is correspondingly short as well! Happy Holidays to everyone!