REPORT FROM LONG BEACH NABC BOARD MEETING
Our three day meeting was crammed full….with some sessions lasting past 11:30 p.m. The full minutes of the board meeting can be found on the web site (acbl.org).
Of major interest to us here in District 9 was the approval of an additional
Regional tournament.
The motion as approved reads as follows:
“In addition to its four (4) allocated Regionals, a District with 9,000 to 12,000 members is allocated one (1) additional Regional each year; a District with 12,001 to 15,000 members is allocated two (2) additional Regionals each year; and a District with more than 15,001 members will be allocated three (3) additional Regionals each year”. District 9 also has an Offshore Regional which has been held for the past few years in Marco Island. We look forward to 2004 and Regionals held in two new locations: Sarasota in February and Boca Raton in September.
The NAP and GNT committee met for long hours to determine whether these two events should be continued. A final report will be made to the board in New Orleans. I will continue to support and lobby for these two important events in our District. It is my belief that these two events can be continued with lower cost to the clubs and aggressive advertising.
Bruce Reeve of Raleigh, North Carolina was elected to be our ACBL President for 2004.
The Budget Committee met with recommendations to be presented to the board In New Orleans. Because of good years in 2001 and 2002, we could budget for a loss and not adversely impact ACBL’s financial condition. We will strive to budget 14.5% of our total expenditures for marketing. No membership or club sanction fee increases were contemplated.
Jerry Fleming, our Treasurer, made a motion to reduce the ACBL dues to the World Bridge Federation (WBF) from about $75K/year (a per member charge) to $30K/year (a flat fee) generated considerable debate and was deferred to the fall. I am particularly in favor of this motion since I feel the ACBL funds are used to fund a small group of globe trotting bridge players who hold Seventeen (17) day board meetings. The ACBL representatives to the WBF will address this Issue at the meeting later this year in Monaco.
Management was authorized to experiment with 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. starting times during an upcoming NABC, but only with the approval and cooperation of the local sponsoring organization.
Membership Residency Requirements:
Members of the ACBL are normally expected to belong to the Unit in which they reside. If a member chooses to belong to a Unit in which he/she does not reside, the member or an appropriate club manager, Unit or District official must specifically make this request in writing (e-mail is permissible) to the ACBL stating the Unit of preference and the reasons for the request. Further, if the Unit is not in the same District as where he/she resides, both Districts must approve the membership in the other District. The following are some of the reasons why a member would be given permission to belong to a Unit outside the District of resident. To warrant consideration, a player should meet at least two of the six reasons listed:
Plays at least once a month in a club in that Unit
Attends STACs or Sections in that Unit at least twice a year
Attends the annual unit dinner and or annual membership meeting
Participates in Unit special events
Serves on the Unit Board and/or Unit committees
Serves on the District Board and/or District committees
If it is determined that a member requests a change of Unit membership for the sole purpose of Grand National Teams (GNT) or North American Pairs (NAP) play, the request must be denied.
This regulation supercedes any GNT and NAP membership residency regulations previously passed by the Board.
Previously we passed a requirement that all players participating in NABC+ events must be an ACBL member whose service fee or dues is current. We expanded this rule to include all events at an NABC that have a national champion.
NABC+ Life Masters Pairs Participants:
All Conditions of Contest for NABC+ Life Master Pairs are amended as follows:
A player who has equivalent status in a Bridge Organization other than the ACBL and who is a member of the ACBL may request, in writing, an exemption from the requirement to be an ACBL Life Master. Only the Chief Tournament Director or his designee may grant this request.
Swiss Team General Conditions of Contest:
Currently a player must play at least fifty percent of the matches in order to eligible for overall masterpoint awards. The board created two exceptions: In a Swiss Team event with only seven matches, a player can qualify for overall awards by either playing four or more matches, or the last three matches. In a Swiss Team event with eight matches, where the event is broken into a first session of five matches, a final session of three matches, a player qualified for overall awards by playing only the final session of three matches. In an eight-match game broken into two four-match sessions, a player must still play at least fifty percent of the matches to be eligible for overall awards. This will be effective January 1, 2004.
The following motion failed: “The eligibility age for playing in ACBL Senior Events is that a player must have reached his/her sixtieth birthday.” I certainly voted against this motion. I try to ask the question: Will this benefit bridge? The answer is “This definitely would not be popular in Florida”.
International Fund Game at Sectionals:
Effective as soon as can be implemented by management, all Units (i.e. Sectional Sponsors) are permitted to run up to two (2) International fund sessions at each Sectional with the exception of STACs. An International Fund Game can be run as an Open Game, as a Senior Game, as a Team or pair Game, as a Newcomer Game or any other game that is run at a Sectional tournament. The point awards will be regionally rated silver points. A $1.00 per player additional will be charged to the Sponsor of the Sectional. The normal sanction fee for Sectionals will also be charged.
No open club may bar a player, or players as a class, based upon the player’s race, creed, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, national origin or on his proficiency at bridge.
Except as detailed in the previous paragraph, a club may bar a player for whatever reason it deems proper consistent with ACBL Rules and Regulations and the Laws of Duplicate Contract Bridge. An obnoxious or incompatible partnership may be barred as a pair, but each may be permitted to play with other partners.
To bar a player, club management must notify the player in writing and send a copy of the notification to the ACBL Club Membership Department. The notification must include the player’s name and player number and reason for the barring.
An open club can bar players from its regularly club masterpoint games, membership games, ACBL-wide games, club championships, charity and international fund club championships, and other special events.
If the player feels that his or her barring does not comply with these regulations prohibiting barring players, he or she may appeal the barring sequentially to the Unit board, the district and the ACBL Board of Directors. Until the appeal is lodged and heard, the player remains barred unless reinstated by the club.
A club may extend the barring of a player from Grand National Teams, North American Pair events, STACs, qualifying sessions of a progressive sectional, unit or district competitions. The written notice to the prson barred must include the person’s right to appeal the action to the Unit Board in which the club is located within thirty days of the action taken by the club.
Attendance at Board of Directors’ Meeting:
Providing space and other practical considerations permit, ACBL Board of Directors’ meetings shall be open to any ACBL member, with permission of the ACBL President. Members are excluded from Executive sessions and meetings concerning Appeals and Charges and sensitive issues. Members attending such meetings shall not participate in the proceedings unless requested to do so.
I hope to see many of you in New Orleans for the NABC events. It is an exciting city …lots to see…lots of good food….and most of all, the BEST bridge competition in the world.
Shirley