UPDATE
FROM THE DISTRICT DIRECTOR --
Shirley Seals
NEW WEB SITE: http://www.District9acbl.org
This has been a challenging year for me as Chairman of the Junior Committee. For years the number of Juniors who belong to ACBL has been stagnant at approximately 700 members. With the help of my committee, we are beginning to formulate policies that will make the spending of Junior funds more effective.
A motion will be presented to the ACBL board at the New York board meeting to develop a pilot program for bridge summer camps for Juniors 21 years and younger. Our present Junior program is not developing enough participants and is centered on a small few members. The vision of this motion is to have numerous summer camps throughout North American that will provide a bridge experience to many more young people than are currently being reached.
If we can have tennis, cheerleading and sports camps of every variety for kids, why not devote Junior Funds to Bridge Camps.
At the last District 9 board meeting, a motion was approved to allow Juniors, up to the age of 21 years, to play at Regional Tournaments for $3 and Juniors, from the age of 21 to 26, to play for $5. This is certainly a step in the right direction.
If you have any suggestions for other programs to get more Juniors involved in bridge, please send them to me. We need to recruit more Junior players.
Bruce Reeve, our ACBL President, has designated 2004 as the Year of the Volunteer. He is strongly aware that volunteers are the heart of ACBL and more should be done to recognize them. Bruce is submitting a motion to the board that a new award be created and named the President’s Volunteer(s) of the Year Medal and it be given to one or two members who have exhibited the long effort and giving that makes the ACBL volunteers the best in the world.
I will certainly be pleased to vote in favor of this.
I am never too busy to reply to your e-mail messages so please keep in touch.