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The meeting was called to order (GoToMeeting} by Board President Steve Gaynor
Board Members Present: Steve Gaynor, John Schlundt, Vicky Smith, Richard Cottle, Cass Weill, Sue Sanger, Linda Conley, Jane Schmidt and Jackson Wahl
Financial Report Approved: Later, by phone, it was agreed to continue stipends to Jackson Wahl and Tony Ames until years end.
ACBL, Board of Directors Election: The voting was held online. The new Board Director selected was not known at the time of this meeting.
Status of Unit 178: The building at 60th and Nicollet, owned by Teri and Chip Blu, has been sold. On August 26, all properties owned by Unit 178 are to be moved to the St. Paul Bridge Club for safe storage. Teri remains interested in teaching.
Future of TCBC: Items discussed include the following: It was noted that online bridge is popular. Where will future TCBC games be played? Tony Ames is currently managing 3 games and is not interested in expanding. Finding a new site: Last year there was a committee looking for a place to play. Mike Cassel and Ron DeHarpporte were on that committee. They should be contacted. Should the club be converted to non-profit?
Description of a Viable Site: Must accommodate 130 tables per week. Must be accessible (no steps). Must have bathrooms for the handicapped. Must have adequate ventilation system. Must have adequate storage space. Existing Community Centers and some Senior housing buildings may be possible. Rent must be affordable. Location must serve existing and future TCBC members. Games may be held in different locations during each week.
Search Committee: John Schlundt will contact Joel and Lori Kramer to head up a new committee. They should contact Mike Cassel and Ron DeHarpporte as well.
Newsletter: Email: ACBL has information available. Jane Schmidt and Diane Henson will be involved. Help to find partners is important. Steve will contact the Grand Slam Club.
Outreach: Outreach to social bridge players will be addressed by Linda Conley. Barbara Zipoy will start a Facebook page. ACBL should be contacted.
Next Meeting: Wednesday September 30 at 9:30. Zoom will be used.
As we know, the path of Juniors can alter from year to year. Many start out as neophytes, then start learning a great deal - and then sometimes fly away from their original college or university.
We are very proud of all our junior players - and feel confident that one day, some will turn out to be some of our superb competitors.
In the meantime, please note the success of those who played in our most recent CBO event.
We are excited to share their achievements. And we look forward to more and more success and knowledge as the years go by. Very well done, Juniors!
Dear District Presidents, District GNT Coordinators and District 14 competitors,
This year in so many ways, bridge and life are different. Our thanks to the many people who contribute to our special events, and to our many competitors who are excited to compete against their peers at a national level.
We thank you all for your contributions to our game, and we thank Brian Weikle for his detailed information about GNT in these special times. Thank you for reading what Brian has shared with us, and we hope that many of you will be able to compete in GNT.
Dear District Presidents and District GNT Coordinators,
The 2021 Grand National Teams qualifying season began September 1. Given this year's unique circumstances, we are providing this summary of important details.
Club Qualifying
Club qualifying is optional. All players who qualified at the club level during the 2019-20 season are automatically qualified for Unit and District play in 2021. Districts may choose to permit club qualifying games to qualify additional players, although we expect that most Districts will not. Such games must be team games and submitted to ACBL Live for Clubs in an ACBLscore file.
District Finals
Districts which completed their GNT Finals in 2020 may choose to send those winners to the National Final in 2021. Districts whose Finals were not completed in 2020 must hold District Finals in 2021 to qualify teams for the National Finals.
Player Eligibility
Player eligibility status is "frozen" from the 2019-20 cycle. In other words, players are eligible for the same flight they were eligible for in 2019, no matter how many masterpoints they have won in the meantime. Similarly, players are eligible to play in the District in which they lived in August 2019. Players who have moved to a new District will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Action Required (by Oct 1, 2020 please)
Determine whether your District will be permitting club qualifying games. Notify ACBL ([email protected]) and the clubs in your District.
Determine whether your District will hold District Finals in 2021, or whether the 2020 winners will represent your District at the National Finals. Notify ACBL ([email protected]) and any affected players.
If you are holding District Finals in 2021, send the dates and sites to [email protected]. Note that, as in past years, District Finals may be held online. If Finals are played face-to-face, they must be held after March 1, 2021.
Send your District's Conditions of Contest to [email protected].
2021 GNT National Finals
The GNT Finals will be played, in person, at the Summer NABC in Providence, RI.
Sincerely,
Brian Weikle
Manager, Bridge Operations
ACBL Field Operations
CC: ACBL Board of Directors