District Director's Report
December 2009 (Rich DeMartino)

San Diego NABC

San Diego

The Fall NABC was held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in beautiful San Diego. Attendance was 12,927 tables, about 5% above pre-tournament estimates. Both the city and the hotel were outstanding and although fewer District 25 players than usual attended, those who did were quite impressed with the city, the excellent playing quarters and also the wonderful hospitality and entertainment provided by the locals.

There were numerous good places to eat or shop, either within walking distance or via a short cab ride. Other than one day, the weather was near perfect, as is the norm in this great city. There are many attractions including the famous San Diego Zoo, Sea World, Old Town, the battleship Midway, and Seaport Village, which is located right outside the hotel.

Top 10 Finishers in NABC Events - District 25

LM WOMEN'S PAIRS

Karen McCallum, Exeter NH

OPEN BAM TEAMS

Douglas Doub, West Hartford CT

SENIOR KO TEAMS

Allan Graves, Barnett VT

BLUE RIBBON PAIRS

Jay Borker, Greenwich CT

Highlights of ACBL Board Meeting

CEO Report

CEO Jay Baum reported that membership has increased by a net of 3,039 members for the first 10 months of 2009. Although part of the reason for the increase is the fact that some players are joining prior to January 1, 2010 before the new requirements for Life Master go into effect, this is a fantastic result. We now have more than 162,000 members. New members for the first ten months total 10,954, also a very good result.

The CEO reported that tournament tables are doing well. Regionals are averaging 1,454 per tournament compared with 1,416 in 2008; Sectionals are running about the same as in 2008; and the STAC average has increased from 1,343 tables to 1,558 tables, an increase of 16%.

Finally, the planned target date for the move to the new headquarters in Horn Lake, Mississippi is early March. Management is very pleased both with the new building and our progress in completing the inside of the building.

Financial Results

For calendar year 2009, Management and the Finance Committee are currently projecting a loss of $81,000; this result compares favorably with the budgeted loss of $195,000. For 2010, the board approved the following increases in fees:

Membership dues will be increased from $35 to $37, the first increase in five years. Life Master service charges are increased from $32 to $34 and new membership dues are increased from $26 to $28. All changes except the new member increase are effective April 1, 2010; the new member increase will take effect on January 1, 2011.

Tournament Director fees will be increased by 8% effective April 1, 2010. This is the first change in either sanction fees or TD fees in four years. Since TD salaries increase each year, this fee increase is definitely necessary. As an example, a 1,200 table Regional will have increased fees of approximately $675.

For 2010, we are budgeting a small loss of $65,000. Since the ACBL has experienced large gains in some of the most recent years, this projected loss still leaves us in excellent position in terms of satisfying the ACBL's financial guidelines.

The Finance Committee approved a suggestion made by the new CFO that the final budget for a given year be approved by the Finance Committee before February 15 and then presented to the full board for ratification at the Spring meeting. Previously, the budget carried forward was the budget set at the November meeting.

NAP Conditions of Contest

A motion was made that the Flight B limit be changed to 0-2500 masterpoints from 0-2000; this motion failed.

Another motion was made to add a flight to the NAPs with a masterpoint range of 0-5000, similar to the GNTs. This motion also failed because of the extra costs involved and the opinion there are not sufficient players in most of our districts to support a super-flight category.

Election of ACBL President

A motion was passed that the election for ACBL President be moved back to the Fall meeting, starting in 2010.

NABC Event Schedule

A motion was passed that the 0-5000 Mini-Blue Ribbon Pairs be increased from four sessions to six sessions concurrent with the Blue Ribbon Pairs. One of the reasons the board initially approved only four sessions for this event is that most Fall NABCs began the week before Thanksgiving. Many upcoming Fall NABCs will start on Thanksgiving Day, making six sessions more appealing.

2014 Fall NABC

I'm delighted to report that the board has accepted Management's recommendation that the 2014 Fall NABC be held in Providence from November 27 to December 7.

To provide some background, I was contacted by Management about two months ago and asked whether our District would consider Providence as an alternative to Boston for an upcoming NABC. I brought this issue to the attention of the Executive Committee and, as a result, Bob Erwin, Joe Brouillard, Sally Matthews, and Helen Pawlowski visited Providence with ACBL Management a few weeks ago and strongly recommended we choose Providence. One of the key selling points is that daily room rates will be more than $50 lower in Providence than in Boston. The Convention Center and adjoining hotels (Westin, Biltmore, Hilton and Courtyard) are considered to be an excellent venue for an NABC. I expect Jeff Johnston will finalize a contract within the next month or so.

ACBL Goodwill Committee & Charity Committee Appointments

It gives me great pleasure to announce the following appointments to the ACBL National Goodwill Committee and the National Charity Committee. These are lifetime appointments honoring players who have contributed substantially to bridge.

National Goodwill Committee

Bob Erwin, RIBA

Frank Hacker, VBA

Both of these players are most deserving of this appointment because of their exemplary behavior at the bridge table and their significant contributions to District 25.

National Charity Committee

Phil Sharpsteen, VBA

Bill Watson, CBA

Both Phil and Bill have contributed greatly to bridge by being heavily involved in activities which result in increased membership in theit units.

Top 25 Masterpoint Winners – San Diego NABC

	Name	Total Points	Points Won in NABC+ Events
1.	Douglas Doub, West Hartford CT	152.48	152.48
2.	Victor King, Hartford CT	114.64	14.81
3.	Allan Graves, Barnett VT	109.95	106.09
4.	Lewis Gamerman, Westwood MA	93.18	35.53
5.	Stephen Gladyszak, Chelsea MA	84.72	39.62
6.	Jay Borker, Greenwich CT	82.20	82.20
7.	John Stiefel, Wethersfield CT	75.43	36.92
8.	Lloyd Arvedon, Bedford MA	66.32	37.95
9.	Robert McCaw, Sudbury MA	61.92	34.23
10.	Ivanie Yeo, Brighton MA	57.65	1.06
	Lon Sunshine, Framingham MA	57.65	1.06
12.	Pat McDevitt, Brookline MA	55.04
13.	Alan Walters, Naples FL	51.47
14.	Vincent Messina, Wolfeboro NH	50.64
15.	Buddhadeb Biswas, Lexington MA	49.25	2.74
16.	Robert Bertoni, Haverhill MA	47.83	2.12
17.	Brenda Montague, Waltham MA	46.15
18.	Peter Manzon, Waltham MA	44.95	2.12
19.	Karen McCallum, Exeter NH	44.71	30.77
20.	Molan Chan, Van Buren ME	41.70
	William Chan, Van Buren MA	41.70
22.	Joyce Pearson, Framingham MA	41.33	1.59
23.	Robert Michaud, Sun City West AZ	39.40
24.	Debbie Benner, Fairfield CT	37.37	1.06
	Arthur Crystal, Fairfield CT	37.37	1.06

Top Platinum Masterpoint Winner - 2009 NABCs

Congratulations to Doug Doub, who won 307 platinum masterpoints in 2009, far more than any other District 25 player. Platinum points are awarded for nationally-rated events with no upper masterpoint limit.

The 2010 Spring NABC will be held from March 11 through March 21 at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, one of our most popular sites. Room rates are $99 ($109 for Summit Rooms, which include both a refrigerator and microwave). The 2010 Summer NABC will be in New Orleans and the FAll NABC in Orlando, our most popular site in my opinion. Room rates for both of these tournaments will also be in the $110 range. I hope that many of you will be able to attend some or all of these 2010 NABCs.

Rich DeMartino
District Director