District 14

Thank You, District 14!

 

This post shall be my last on District 14.  

Please know how grateful and honored I have been to have been able to be the webmaster for our District. Despite some of the challenges we face (large geographical expanse yet modest population in many areas) - District 14 has a superb number of bridge players, ranging from newbies and I/N players of all ages to national champions.  While I do not know all of you, I'm so glad that you play and enjoy our great game.  From our clubs to our tournaments to our special events, District 14 is super!

Big thanks, too, to the many District members who, in addition to being competitors, are also wonderful volunteers. Without your many efforts and hard work, our game could not survive as it does.  You are the best!

Though I have enjoyed maintaining our District 14 website, I am signing off for a few reasons. Life changes through the years, and at present, my "gotta do's" are increasing and my time for other activities has lessened. That, combined with only modest input from others in our District to post on the website, contributed to me making this decision.

Also, I'm not certain that having a District website is of good use to our members. Perhaps we would be better served with state and local websites contributing information and news rather than with a District website overall. But - I shall leave those decisions to others as we move forward.

In the meantime, I wish everyone the best with bridge - however you enjoy it!  I hope to enjoy the greatest mind game ever created for many more years to come - and - my fervent wish is that all of you do, too.

Thank you for your contributions to District 14 bridge and for your friendship.  Both are so important!

Warm regards-

Peg

Grand National Teams - ALL IN!

 

I'm not sure if District 14 ever achieved this feat - but - for certain, now we have.  Each of our GNT teams made it through the first day Swiss competition to the knock out phase of the event. Three of our teams finished the qualification day very close to the top!

Needless to say, we wish all of our teams the very best, hoping that each one remains ALL IN!

For details, please check out this link at ACBL Live.

Siouxland Bridge Championship Results

 

The Siouxland Bridge Championships this year turned into an international affair! Thanks to the efforts of tournament chair GS Jade Barrett, competitors from different nations attended the Siouxland.  Indeed, our top 7 masterpoint winners live thousands of miles away from our District 14.  

The overall masterpoint winner list is here.  Congratulations to all - and especially to our foreign visitors who stopped by Iowa on their way to the NABC in Atlanta!

For who did what in each event - here are the overall results.

In addition to thanking Jade, we also wish to thank our directing staff, ably led by Peter Wilke.  Thanks also go to Dolores Bogenrief and Nancy Wittwer, in charge of partnerships.  

As always, a round of applause for our caddies AND the volunteers who we so appreciate for their efforts in creating a good tournament.

We hope everyone enjoyed themselves - and - we look forward to seeing some of you very soon in Atlanta!

Atlanta Grand National Teams District 14 - 2018

 

A super set of District 14 GNT teams will be heading to Atlanta this week!  The event starts Wednesday - and - needless to say, we wish all our teams the best of luck.

The team rosters this year are:

Open Team

Cindy Balderson - Bob Balderson - Paul Meerschaert - Robert Schacter

 

Flight A

Bruce Boje - Mark Patton - Vern Swing - Mike Roush

 

Flight B

Eric McKee - Elizabeth McKee - Eli Jolley - Scott Spitze - Harry Sapienza - Paul Nesvig

 

Flight C

Alexander Frieden - Sean McNally - Jeffrey Boitnott - Thomas Scruggs

 

Additionally, Bill Kent (who I believe has represented District 14 more in GNT events than any other member of our District) kindly prepared a list of teams in each flight that have competed over the years. 

Please note that we've had more than our fair share of winners and high finishers!  Fingers crossed that this year it happens again!

The list is posted below.

Siouxland Bridge Championships Regional in the News!

 

 

The Siouxland Regional began yesterday - and - continues through Sunday, July 22nd. A great tournament with a fine schedule - and visitors from around the world! Please enjoy this article about the regional that appeared in the Sioux City Journal.

Heading to the NABC in Atlanta?  No better place to "practice up" and have a great time than the Sioux City Regional!

Coralville Regional Results

 

With a lovely venue at the Coralville Radisson, loads of yummy treats and beverages every day and pairs and team events to enjoy - the Coralville Regional deserves a Very Well Done!  No wonder our competitors are smiling!  A round of applause to tournament chair Gary Edwards for the fine efforts put forth by him and his team of volunteers.  (And my apologies to Gary for not grabbing a photo of him!)

 

 

For those looking for tournament results and masterpoint awards, Tony Ames outshines the field by a country mile.  Tony earned a first and second finish in the pairs, grabbed a KO win plus overall places to lead the field with almost 65 masterpoints. Bill Kent and Toby White nabbed the 2nd and 3rd overall spots. 

The full list of masterpoints earned is here.  Placings in all the events can be viewed here.

 

 

 

Big thanks also to Peter Wilke and our directing team, along with our fine caddies.

 

 

Great to see our hardworking District 14 president, Nancy Wittwer, competing in Coralville!

And of course, where would we be without our players?  Nowhere!  Thanks to everyone for attending - looking forward to seeing people at our next regional in Sioux City!

 

Who says bridge players don't know how to have fun!?

More photos below!

Coralville Regional - June 26 - July 1

 

 

Enjoy beautiful Iowa scenery - and - a super regional in Coralville!

Only 12 days away now, District 14's second regional tournament of 2018.

A great schedule for all - along with fine hospitality and an excellent playing site at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center.

See you soon!

 

 

District 14 NAP 2018-2019

 

In addition to a fun town - Memphis is a great spot for a North American Bridge Championship! And next year - Memphis is the spot for our Spring NABC.

It's also the place where North American Pair contestants can compete against their peers from all over ACBL-land - and perhaps end up THE winner in their field.

Diane Henson, our District 14 coordinator for NAP's has given us a wealth of information about the 2018-2019 North American Pairs. A flyer for the coming season, a fact sheet and District 14's Conditions of Contest are all posted below. 

Be sure to read through Diane's overview - and check out all the extra info, too!

 

2018-2019 NAP Qualifying Games Start June 1st at Your Local Clubs

 

Play in a local qualifying game during the months of June, July, and August to qualify to play in the District Finals in October.  All games are extra point games.

District Finals will be at the Edina Senior Center in Edina, MN Oct. 6-7, 2018.

Your chances of winning money to help pay for your trip to the national NAP in March 2018 in Memphis include a higher subsidy, courtesy of District 14!  There will 11 winning pairs representing District 14 at the spring NABC in Memphis.

  1^st Place winners receive $700 each ($1400 for the pair) plus paid entry fees at the NABC

•   2^nd Place winners receive $500 each ($1000 for the pair) plus paid entry fees at the NABC
•   3^rd Place winners receive $350 each ($700 for the pair) plus paid entry fees at the NABC
•   4^th Place winners (Division B & C only) receive $350 each ($700 for the pair) plus paid entry fees at the NABC

You only compete against others in your division:  A, B, or C. 

Gold and red points will be awarded at the District Final tournament.

Division A:  Unlimited master points, 1^st-3^rd place winners

Division B:  Under 2500 master points, 1^st-4^th place winners

Division C:  Under 500 master points & non-life master, 1^st-4^th place winners

More details below!

Goodbye Gopher; Hello Coralville!

The Gopher Regional in Bloomington has concluded; results from that fine tournament are here.

 

 

Now, we look forward to District 14's second regional of 2018 - Coralville, Iowa!

Coralville (right by Iowa City) begins on June 26th, and ends with Swiss Teams on July 1st.  Details are here.

We hope lots of District 14 members will turn out for this excellent tournament - plus lots of other bridge lovers, too!

See you in Coralville in a few weeks!

Gopher 2018 Bulletin - Saturday May 26

 

 

Only two days remaining of Gopher 2018!  Be sure to take advantage of Saturday and Sunday's events.  Bridge at the Gopher will be COOL!  You can avoid mid 90's by being part of the competition!

 

 

Mike Cassel's Saturday Gopher Bulletin features players of whom we are so proud. Above are Carleton College students who have been burning up the turf in competition. University of Minnesota players are pretty darned impressive, too!  Read all about them plus much more in the Bulletin!