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Club Managers's
News Letter |
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From: Carol Robertson Manager of the Club Membership Department The summer North American Bridge Championships will be held July 17 – 27, 2003 in Long Beach, California. We hope you will be able to attend. ACBL will host a reception for all Club Managers, owners, directors and teachers on Friday, July 18, from 5 to 7 pm (between sessions). This is our way to say "Thank You" for all you do for the great game of bridge and ACBL. I hope you can join us on Saturday, July 19, at 10 am to learn what items were discussed by our ACBL Board of Direcotrs and to get an update on what’s new with clubs. Come meet other club officials! If you have any questions regarding the ACBLscore program, you may meet with Rick Beye, ACBL’s Chief Tournament Director and Guillermo Poplaswky, Associate National Tournament Director, from 11 am to noon. We look forward to meeting you! ACBL President Al Levy will be attending the upcoming tournaments listed below. He is interested in any comments and/or concerns you may have. Ste. Foy, Quebec City Regional, May 15 – 19, Eastern States Regional, New York City, May 21 – 26, Nebraska Regional, Council Bluffs, Iowa, August 4 – 10, Fargo Sectional;, Fargo, North Dakota, August 29 – September 1, Tunica Regional, Tunica, Mississippi, September 15 –21, Jacksonville Sectional, Jacksonville, Florida, October 2 – 5, Marco Island Regional, Marco Island, Florida, October 6 – 12, and Ocean City Regional, Ocean City, Maryland, October 2- 26. NEW STAR TEACHER PROGRAM The ACBL is redesigning its Star Teacher Program to both recognize and appreciate more of the bridge teachers who work to ensure the future of bridge and the ACBL. The new "Find-a-Teacher" pages at the ACBL web site will list teachers who are actively teaching bridge and will give more information about those included in the list. To be listed, bridge teachers need to submit an application to the ACBL Education Department at 2990 Airways Blvd., Memphis, TN 38116 or by e-mail. The application for an online listing can be found at www.acbl.org (Go to "Quick Links," Teachers, Star Teacher Program.) Applications submitted and approved by June 15 will be posted to the new "Find-a-Teacher" pages this summer. Club Managers should encourage all teachers working with their clubs to apply for this online listing. It will help direct potential new customers to your games. THE COOPERATIVE ADVERTISING PROGRAM OUR MISSION: To subsidize ACBL teachers, clubs and units for expenses incurred in advertising programs and lessons designed to recruit students into the ACBL’s Bridge Lessons Program and to promote the game of bridge. YOUR HEADQUARTERS CONTACT Jean Patterson, Manager Marketing Services ITS EASY TO RECEIVE SUBSIDIES The Cooperative Advertising Program (CAP) will reimburse 50% of your advertising expenses up to a maximum of $250 (U.S.) each time you promote bridge to newer players. Media options include, but are not limited to, newspaper, radio, television, Yellow Pages, direct mail, magazines, fliers, and billboards! The CAP is available to club managers, teachers, units and districts. Just be sure to use the ACBL logo or the words "American Contract Bridge League". ACBL logo art—electronic or hard copy—is available at no charge from ACBL. TIMING Calendar year 2003* *Subject to change without notice REIMBURSEMENT METHOD The ACBL will issue checks in U.S. Funds. CLAIM DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS Advertising Specifications. Prior approval of electronic ads and media spots is required. The ACBL logo and/or words "American Contract Bridge League" must appear in printed materials and in all electronic media. 2003 INTER-CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCHEDULE The Internet has unlocked many opportunities for bridge enthusiasts, and now clubs can take advantage of this technology to offer their players a fun, new way to earn masterpoints. ACBL-sanctioned clubs may participate in Inter-Club Championship Games (ICCG). It works like this: Clubs that register to participate in these contests receive hand records by e-mail. Using these deals, the club game is played ans cored in the usual fashion with the normal masterpoint awards. In addition, the game is scored across the field of all clubs that participate on the same date. Overall awards are given in addition points earned at the local club. For Example in most recent ICCG, 22 clubs – with more than 230 tables in play—joined the action, and the top pair earned more than 11 masterpoints (black). ACBL stratifies these contests A (1500+), B (500 – 1500) and C (0 – 500). (Clubs may use whatever stratification they wish to award "local" points.) In order to participate, clubs must have a regularly scheduled game for the date and session on which the ICCG is held. Also, clubs must sign up in advance and use ACBLscore 7.0 or higher. Participating clubs must report results within 24 hours. Please note that clubs may host only four ICCG events per sanction per year. Players may access hand records online the next day, which include analysis by Deep Finesse on the maximum number of tricks available in each strain. Frequency charts and recap sheets are also available. The next ICCG is scheduled for June 9. For more information click on "2003 ICC Games" under "Headlines" on the ACBL web site at www.acbl.org or e-mail iccg@acbl.org. Below is a schedule for remainder of 2003 Monday June 9 Evening JANE JOHNSON CLUB OF THE YEAR AWARDS Johnson, longtime manager of ACBL’s Club Membership Department, died in November 2000. The ACBL Board of Directors names Johnson one of two Honorary Members of the Year for 2001 (the other: Norman Kay). The Board also established a Jane Johnson Award for the ACBL employee "who exemplifies extraordinary care and concern for our members" and the Jane Johnson Club Awards. "This is just one way to express our appreciation to our clubs and the countless hours club volunteers spend promoting our great game," said ACBL CEO Jay Baum. "I was a club manager myself and know it can be a thankless job. But not today – THANK YOU to our star clubs! And if I or anyone here can help make your job easier, please let me know." Clubs must meet all the requirements for star status in their category. To be considered for the Jane Johnson award, they must meet additional criteria: The club is part of the community. Its membership does more than play. The club works as a family. Members are responsible for the health of the club. They share duties such as directing, cleanup, scoring, partnerships and hosting. Club members actively promote the club though good advertising, including word of mouth, and by inviting newcomers to visit and play. The club provides service to new and needy members, phone calls to missing members, assistance in transportation and welcoming committees. ONE STAR CLUB WINNER – Cape May County Duplicate Bridge Club in Cape May, New Jersey. TWO STAR CLUB WINNER – Olympia Duplicate Bridge Club in Palatine, Illinois. THREE STAR CLUB WINNER - Severna Park Duplicate Bridge Club in Severna Park, Maryland. SPECIAL EVENTS North American Pairs Stage 1, Club level, is held in June, July and August. Material has been sent to clubs, which held the event last year or requested material for this year. If you wish to receive the NAP club kit, please call 1-800-467-1623 or e-mail: Special.Events@acbl.org Worldwide Bridge Contest Good luck with the Worldwide Bridge Contest in June! 49ers Pairs in September During the month of September clubs may run a 49er pair games. If you wish to participate you may leave a message for the Special Events Department on the Customer Service Line 1-800-467-1623 or e-mail: Special.Events@acbl.org with your club number requesting the 49er material. October is Club Appreciation Month October is Club Appreciation Month. During the month of October you club may hold as many Club Appreciation pair games as the club has sanctioned sessions. The games must be held at the time of a club’s regularly sanctioned session. There are no extra sanction fees. Masterpoint awards will be black points at Unit open pairs rating (85% of sectional open pairs.) Also, a club may hold one Club Appreciation Team game per sanctioned session during the month. |