Our second year at the lovely suburban site of Minnetonka has concluded. Everyone enjoyed another great Gopher Regional - and - so many people to thank for their year long efforts at producing such a fine tournament. But first - results and accolades!
721 players earned 6354 masterpoints at the Gopher. Yet, at the very top of the list, only one person surpassed the 100 masterpoint mark: Kerry Holloway. Kerry's almost 114 masterpoints were his personal best - not to mention quite impressive for a tournament that is not huge. Kerry played with 7 different partners and 7 different systems (!!!!) - quite the feat in and of itself. At the end of the day - four wins, two 2nds and another overall. Wow!
Usually we see a big smile on Kerry's face. Yet, his concentration surely paid off at the Gopher to achieve such a fine performance. Lots of applause for someone who is not only one of our top players - but - one of our most popular, too.
Another team of players produced an impressive masterpoint total and showing. Kudos to the team of Sharon and Roger Anderson and Warren and Suzanne Cederborg. The Anderson-Cederborg contingent reached almost 95 masterpoints for the week!. And, Tony Ames was a point behind them, scoring 93.71.
The final list of masterpoints earned is here; overalls for each event can be viewed here
Of course, the production of a fine tournament like the Gopher is the result of loads of diligent efforts throughout the year. A huge "thank you" to tournament Co-Chairs Patti Stuhlman and Sue Jackson; we are so lucky to have them! Mike Cassel produced a week of extensive daily Bulletins (please note all are now posted); Carol Rynders was the matchmaker for partnerships. We are grateful, too, for the many other volunteers and helpers who contributed to the regional.
Another large "thank you" goes to Peter Wilke, DIC, and his capable directing staff.
Finally - our thanks to you, the competitors. Memorial Day week has many regionals available; we are so delighted that the Gopher was your regional of choice!
Please enjoy the photos below of some of our players as they fiercely battled at Gopher 2017!