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Congratulations, Sharon! We are so very proud of you.
You've done so much for bridge in Minnesota and throughout District 14. Since your election to the ACBL Board of Directors, you've been able to influence for the better nationally. Now - you can focus your talents and energy at an even higher level.
Go, Sharon!
We will post!
Just a reminder. If you have news, tournament schedules, results or any good stories about players from District 14, please send them to either me (Peg Kaplan, mrmollo@aol.com) or Roger Anderson (rogerhanderson@comcast.net) and we will post it at District 14 bridge!
Our thanks to Chris Hatton for alerting us to a Valentine's Day Sectional in Omaha next (guess) February!
Seattle was a great venue for an NABC! With a fine playing area under one roof, affordable hotels, plentiful restaurants and lots of sights to enjoy when not at the bridge table, players will surely wish to return one day. As for the business of our ACBL Board of Directors, our District 14 director, Sharon Anderson, has all the details.
At the end of her report, you will note that Sharon has one very exciting detail: for 2012, Sharon will be the ACBL President! Those of us in Minnesota and District 14 well appreciate what a wise choice the board made with their selection. For decades, Sharon has been volunteering, working and competing in a myriad of wonderful ways. We look forward to all that Sharon will do as Mme. President to improve bridge in North America.
Here is Nancy Wittwer, with a lovely smile from Seattle and her cute red cell phone. Why is Nancy smiling? Because it's better to smile than to cry.
Unfortunately, Nancy might have shed a tear or two. She and Elise Parish finished in the overalls of the Smith Life Master Women's Pairs. But - they could have finished a number of spots higher.
No, this wasn't because Nancy misplayed a hand or did not see a bid. Sadly, she and Elise lost a full board because Nancy's phone went off during one of their sessions. Not only are phones not supposed to be on during play - in national events, phones are not even supposed to be in the playing area. The penalty for this infraction is an entire board deducted from your score.
Nancy is not the first District 14 player to suffer such a sad fate. A top Minnesota pair once lost a number of places in an NABC event due to a zero tolerance penalty. And, yours truly once lost not one but two full boards during a BAM event! Prior to beginning play, players are supposed to check the boards at their first table to make certain that they were made properly. When my partner and I moved, no hand records nor boards were on the table. "Where are the boards we're supposed to check?" I inquired of the top pair at my table. "Already done," was the reply.
Alas. I took this information as the gospel. After playing a few rounds, partner and I were summoned by a director for a short chat. Apparently, not only had the boards not been checked by the team against whom we started. They were never made at all! The two hands were from a previous event! Someone had played them already and recognized them. Both my team and the team we faced the first round were given a two board penalty.
The moral of the story? Do your best to follow the rules! It's tough to learn the hard way - so - don't repeat our experiences!
In any case - Nancy and Elise earned a higher berth in the event.... even if the final tally doesn't reflect it.
