SharonRoeAnderson

By The Numbers

Always interesting to see the statistics about our District 14.  Here is the most current list of each Unit in our District, along with the nunber of members in each.

We value every one of you - and look forward to our membership growing!

Down South

Craig Robinson began his tour of District 14 clubs in Fargo, then headed to the Twin Cities.  There, Craig played at the Plymouth Club in Minnetonka, the Bridge Center of St. Paul and the Twin City Bridge Center in Minneapolis.

But District 14 received one more visit from the ACBL president as Craig headed south to Clive, Iowa.  There at the Mutual Duplicate Bridge Center, Craig enjoyed a bountiful buffet, chatted with players and competed with Grand Life Master John Gustafson.

We are delighted that Craig could visit as many District 14 clubs as he did - and we wish him well on the rest of his 100 Clubs in 100 Days tour!

And - more Clive photos below.

Goodwill and Charity

We are fortunate to have truly fine people in District 14.  Not only do we have players who excel at every level of the game.  We also have people who give back to the ACBL.

I am pleased to announce that the following individuals have been appointed to the Goodwill Committee and the Charity Committee for 2012.  We thank you for all that you do!

ACBL Goodwill Committee for 2012

 

Bill Kent

 
Anne Schaeffer

 
 Kathi Kellen

ACBL Charity Committee for 2012

Barb Zipoy

Mary Johnson 

 

 

Nebraska Regional 2011

Knockouts every day, free lunch, late night ice cream, Omaha Steaks raffle, world champion competitors, Nebraska Youth Day, expert speakers, energetic caddies, top-notch directors, tireless volunteers, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, thousands of masterpoints, casino next door (for those who never sleep) and two incredible co-chairwomen!  And - loads of bridge players from everywhere!

You name it; the Nebraska Regional has it!

Take a minute or two to view the fun that everyone had.  If you didn't make it this year - be sure to attend in 2012!

 

Emerald Life Master

 

 
You might think that with raising a family, working at the University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute, running her own business, volunteering for decades organizing tournaments, serving on boards at the unit, district and now ACBL Board of Directors, teaching, volunteering in the community, being the Hostess with the Mostess and taking care of Roger, that Sharon Anderson would have little time to work on her bridge game and be an accomplished player.

You would be wrong.

In spite of a schedule that most couldn't fathom handling, Sharon does play bridge and does it well.  Thus, she just earned over 7500 masterpoints, and with that became an Emerald Life Master.

We applaud what Sharon has done for our bridge community, and for the greater community at large.  Now, we congratulate Sharon on a bridge achievement reached by very few.  Well done!

Platinum Life Master

What would put a smile like this on Pierre Flatowicz's face?  Did he just defeat a grand slam?  Make a redoubled contract?

Nope - something even better.  Pierre earned his 10,000 masterpoint at the Nebraska Regional!  With that, he entered the rare ranking of Platinum Life Master.  Hearty congratulations, Pierre!

Lifetime Points Earned for District 14

Which District 14 members have earned the most masterpoints?  Here are the top 20:

1	Alan Sout	32,624
2	GS Jade Barrett	22,058
3	Jim Nash	20,453
4	Linda Lewis	18,807
5	John Gustafson	17,131
6	Mike Albert	16,081
7	Bill Kent	13,421
8	Marilyn Hemenway	12,947
9	Peggy Kaplan	12,866
10	Paul Lewis	12,277
11	Mike Edwards	10,592
12	Karen Lee Barrett	10,053
13	Pierre Flatowicz	9,910
14	Larry Oakey	9,644
15	Peder Langsetmo	9,346
16	Valerie Laing	9,319
17	Jack Rhatigan	9,165
18	Tom Fox	8,726
19	Vern Evans	8,119
20	Bob Balderson	8,066

You might note that the guy at the top of the list, Alan Stout, has not been playing bridge lately.  Alan has been facing some health issues and is unable to compete right now.  Please join me in wishing him a full recovery; we hope you are able to return soon, Alan!

To see those with the top 100 masterpoints holdings in our district, please check below for the full list.

District 14 Top Contenders

Some of our players are earning big masterpoint totals!  To see where District 14 members stack up against the rest of the ACBL, please see the list below.  Kudos to Jade and Karen Barrett for leading the way!

(Please note; many of you attended our most recent District 14 Nebraska Regional.  This list does not include points earned there.)

District 14 in the Winner's Circle!

Toronto 2011 NABC has turned out to be an exceptional tournament for District 14 players.  First, as reported, our Flight A GNT team of Kurt Schaeffer, Kerry Holloway, Keith Connolly and Bjorgvin Kristinsson captured the national championship.

Then, near the end of the tournament, Peg Kaplan got added to a last minute team of Petra Hamman, Hemant Lall, Judith Bianca and Winthrop Allegaert.  Half an hour prior to game time, Peg filled out a card with new partner Hemant one evening, then new pard Win the next.  The old saying is "First time's a charm" - and so it was with both new partners.  Their team won!

 
Finally, at our Toronto Youth NABC, Ben Kristensen of Duluth had an incredible showing, along with partner Burke Snowden of Colorado.  Ben and Burke captured the two national events:  the Baron Barclay Youth Open Pairs and the Aileen Osofsky National Swiss Team the next day.

 
Even one NABC winner from our district is exciting.  Winners in three events?  A homerun for District 14!  Congratulations to all.