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District Director's Report
March 2008 ( Rich DeMartino)

Detroit NABC

The Spring NABC was held at the Marriott Hotel at the Renaissance Center in Detroit. Attendance was 8,554 tables, about 1,200 tables lower than pre-tournament estimates. The Renaissance Center is an excellent facility with great playing space and numerous restaurants, all under one roof. For those wishing to leave the facility, there were casinos and numerous other places to dine which were easily accessible via a people mover (monorail) available from the Renaissance Center.

Despite the disappointing attendance, on behalf of all who attended, I wish to commend and personally thank the Committee Chairs and numerous volunteers for the incredible job they did. The dedication and hard work of the many local volunteers was truly outstanding; the committee planned well and did everything possible to insure that all who attended had a great time. The evening hospitality was terrific.

Top Ten Finishers in NABC Events - District 25

SILVER RIBBON PAIRS

Pat McDevitt, Brookline MA
4
Richard Budd, Portland ME

MIXED PAIRS

Kamla Chawla, Longmeadow MA
7

Richard Zeckhauser, Cambridge MA

8

IMP PAIRS

Doug Doub, W. Hartford CT
1

James Gordon, S. Burlington VT

6

WOMEN'S SWISS TEAMS

Karen McCallum, Exeter NH
2

Phyllis Fireman, Chestnut Hill MA

3

Highlights of ACBL Board Meeting

CEO Report

CEO Jay Baum reported that 2007 membership increased by 963 members, bringing the total as of February 1, 2008 to 158,269. The CEO also reported that tables for all 2007 tournaments were just under 465,000, which breaks a record set in 2004. The unofficial total for club games is 2,535,600 so for the first time in history we topped 3,000,000 sanctioned tables in 2007.

Financial Results

For calendar year 2007, the ACBL reported an excess of revenues over expenses of $1,743,000. This result is far more favorable than the budgeted gain of $206,000 and almost $500,000 higher than the gain projected in November in San Francisco. Following are some of the reasons for this favorable result. The three NABCs generated profits $333,000 higher than the 2006 NABCs; the sale of the building generated a profit of $106,000; salaries and benefits for the staff decreased by over $600,000; Marketing expenses were lower by $90,000; investment income increased by $272,000; and, one full year of revenue from Baron Barclay generated another $129,000 compared to 2006.

Although these results are very good, Management has still not demonstrated the ability to forecast results accurately. There were numerous large differences between the numbers Management projected in late November in San Francisco and the actual results. This problem remains a serious concern for the Finance Committee.

Masterpoint Formulas

When the Masterpoint Committee made its recommendations in 2007, the following reduction factors were recommended for KOs. For brackets with 9-11 teams, reduction factor = 0.85; for three session KOs, the reduction factor = 0.70. For 12-15 teams, it was decided there would be no reduction because we often reduce the size of the top bracket to below 16 teams so that weaker teams will not be forced to play in the top bracket.

Based on 2008 results to date, we now realize these reduction factors are too low. Accordingly, the following reduction factors will apply, effective immediately. For 15 teams down to 9 teams, a 4% reduction will apply for each team under 16 teams (e.g., 96% factor for 15 teams, 84% for 12 teams, and 72% for 9 teams). For a three round KO, the reduction factor is 60%, with further reductions for 7, 6, and 5 teams.

Electronic Devices

In order to combat cheating through text messaging or other means, the BOD voted to adopt the following policy recommended by Management for all NABC events, effective July 1, 2008.

Electronic devices capable of sending or receiving communication (excluding health related equipment), including but not limited to, headphones, earphones, cellular phones and minicomputers: (1) shall not be allowed in the playing areas, adjacent hallways, rest rooms or accessible break areas; and (2) shall not be used during a session. These restrictions shall apply to all pairs, team members, captains, coaches, recorders and kibitzers and shall apply throughout any actual playing session or segment. A violation of this policy shall result in a disciplinary penalty of one full board (12 IMPs at that form of scoring) for the first offense. A second offense shall result in disqualification from the event for the pair/team.

For more detail on Board actions, please read the minutes of the Board meeting on the ACBL website (ACBL.org).

Top 25 Masterpoint Winners – Detroit NABC

   
Name
Total Points
Points Won in
NABC+ Events
1.
   Douglas Doub
151.06
151.06
2.
   John Malley
111.33
21.52
   Daniel Colatosti
111.33
21.52
4.
   James Gordon
91.93
63.40
5.
   Phyllis Fireman
71.56
70.36
6.
   Karen McCallum
68.94
61.81
7.
   Pat McDevitt
63.32
44.44
8.
   Rich DeMartino
59.32
46.32
9.
   Richard Budd
51.33
44.44
10.
   Bud Biswas
50.33
16.16
11.
   John Stiefel
46.32
46.32
12.
   Stephen Gladyszak
43.33
17.00
13.
   Richard Zeckhauser
38.25
38.25
14.
   Kamla Chawla
35.79
35.79
15.
   Harold Feldheim
35.05
15.63
16.
   Nathan Glasser
34.99
3.26
17.
   Rena Lieberman
34.20
33.51
   Melvin Marcus
34.20
33.51
19.
   Simon Kantor
31.28
19.69
20.
   Doug Anderson
31.25
21.
   Sandra DeMartino
29.43
0.84
22.
   Courtney Nelson
26.66
23.
   Joyce Stiefel
26.29
0.84
24.
   Andy Avery
26.24
10.93
25.
   Yiji Starr
24.72

The Summer NABC will be held in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Hilton from July 17 through July 27. Traditionally, the largest NABCs have been held in Las Vegas and I've been advised that many reservations have already been made. Expectations are that there will be as many as 20,000 tables, which would make this the largest NABC since Las Vegas in 1991. I urge you to come and enjoy the fun and suggest you make your plans early.

Rich DeMartino
District Director