22 May 2015.indd - Western Conference Contract Bridge Forum

May 2015
What’s New in District 22
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Coronado/Chula Vista
By Jean Seager
A
t the Eastlake Bridge Club, two
pairs achieved 70% games in
March: Dan Molnar and Joe Rubin
scored a 71.21% game, and Sally Hale and
Jeff Rogers scored a 70.45% game. Dan
and Joe’s game gave them first place in
both A and B in a 72 ½ table STAC. The
pair won an additional two matches making them three-time winners. Also in the
STAC, Kathy Hennessy and Sharon Gordon were third in C, and Hiroko Kitamura
and Barbara Schafer were fifth in C.
Other standouts at Eastlake were Kamal
and Kalpana Parikh who won three times.
John Lagodimos won three times, once
each with partners, Dave Cleary, John Dusharme and Louis Block.
Additional winners included Vickie
Palmer and Pat Woodford, Gary and Liz
Piazzoni, Jim Ciolli and Manu Chaganlal,
Roy Shepard and Tom Turner, Chris Sloan
and Laurie Dodson, and Cheryl Rankin
and Elisabeth Cogdill.
In the Eastlake Swiss Teams competition,
two-time winners were John and Linda
Dusharme, Rose Vogt and Tom Turner.
Vicky and Larry Bamberger, Kathy Hennessy and Sharon Gordon won once as
did the Bambergers, Kathy Hennessy and
Bruce Zissen.
At the Coronado Duplicate Bridge Club,
John and Betty Ann Ellery continued their
winning ways with three victories. Norma
Lyerly and Phil Akre won twice. Additional winners were Ginger Herrick and Judy
Deans, Alice Dudley and Phil Akre, Phyllis
Yates and Jackie Sollner, Bill and Jean Seager, Jan and Lynne Erikson and John Pizzato
and Dick Palmer with a 70.83% game.
Dana Harbor
By Gary Waldron
O
ne of the great joys of duplicate
bridge is the opportunity to meet
and learn about the lives of a variety of wonderful people. One down side
is that the demographics of our game results in the loss of many of these friends. In
March we lost Don Ellis, a special member
of Dana Harbor because of his fine game;
because of his many contributions to the
club, including locating our wonderful facility; because of the gentlemanly nature
he preserved till the end; and most of all
because of his wonderful marriage and
partnership with the love of his life, Mary
Elin Ellis. We are all richer in our life’s experiences from the time he shared with us.
Only a few members ventured to New Orleans for the Spring National, but that wonderful city welcomed all who did with great
food and some excellent bridge. John and
Susan Kissinger, Alan and Debbie Gailfus,
and Patricia Menefee and Andy DeLeon,
and Mark Itabashi all had top twenty placings in national events. Mark also starred
in the District 22/23 STAC totaling the
most points ... more thna 70 for the week,
and winning two sessions outright.
Mark continued his string of wins at regional Open Pairs events with one at San
Diego. Peggy Brand brought home the
gold with a win in a Compact Knockout
Teams event.
Frequent partners Nadia Araabi and Sandy Stranger headed up the masterpoint race
at the club for March. Meanwhile, teams
games were a focus as players geared up
to qualify for the Grand National Teams
competition. The winning team for “8
is Enough” was Jennifer Porter, Kathy
Braunig, Janie Matlaf and Jeff Rocklin;
Carol Stiff, Sharon Donoff, and Carol and
Ken Zanio headed up the C division; and
the NLM section was won by Joan Cox,
Marianne Seldman and Betty Ann and Galyn Cagle. Dana Harbor will host the B and
open division GNT qualifier for District 22
on April 10 and 11, followed by the C and
A qualifier on May 30 and 31
More deserving members advancements
in rank to report: our newest Life Master is
Sunila Kulkarni. Congratulations!
Others advancing up the ladder to “Life”
were: Cynthia Gallaway, NABC Master
and Lynn Gerspach, Sectional Master. And
Gary Waldron made Silver Life Master.
We welcome new members Gary Baldo
and Linda Theel, plus a transfer from up
north: Catherine Boothe.
Desert Cities
By Nancy Erickson
T
he unit’s Spring Sectional hosted
378 tables. We send a very special
shout out to Scott Magged, Darryl
Hendershot, Carol Wilkerson, Jane Witous
and William Stine who worked tirelessly
on behalf of David Kane, tournament manager and President Nance Lodge. Congratulations are in order for Jim Darvey for
amassing the most masterpoints and Lee
Parkinson the top point NLM recipient.
On Sunday, April 12, the unit’s Annual
Award Ceremony & Game were held.
The following members were recognized
in either or both categories of the 2014
Helen Shanbrom Ace of Clubs and MiniMcKenney Races: Jack Barr, Mac Becket,
John Currie, Donna Darvey, Jim Darvey,
Louis Goldsmith, Larry Graves, Dominic
Gruttaduria, David Kane, Pat Larin, Nance
Lodge, Anne Lund, Scott Magged, Carol
Malmquist, John Newburger, Robert Wernick, and Charles Williams.
Five other award winners were announced. The Lucy Mitchell Award was
won by Ross Grabel, the Barbara Mondo
Award by John Newburger, the Globel Zobel by LuellenBecket and William Stine,
the Erickson Unit Volunteer Award by
Dick Prochnow long-standing unit discipline chairperson, and the Edith Hirschman
Sportsmanship Award by husband and wife
Renee Rogers and Roger Sielicky.
The Unit 533 Board of Directors has accepted Steve Goldstein’s resignation. Steve
has served the board with distinction dedicating thousands of hours of service to the
greater Palm Springs bridge community
and its players. We thank him for his commitment to the game and to all of us.
The board has appointed Darryl Hendershot to fill Steve’s seat. Darryl, who has
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been a contributing volunteer at our sectionals and regional, impressed the board
with his willingness to role-up his sleeves
and contribute.
The unit will sponsor another NLM Sectional Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May
17, at the Duncan Bridge Center. Carol
Wilkinson has been named tournament
chairperson and she is planning a terrific
tournament. ACBL DIC Scott Campbell
will do a lesson on the positives of playing
Swiss Teams. NLMs: mark your calendars
and form your partnerships!
Recent member promotions recorded by
ACBL include Lou Goldsmith, Dennis
Peacock and Diana Seeb to LM, Paul Collier, Doug Doering, Don Garner and Diana
Seeb to Bronze LM, and Barbara Maniscalco to Silver LM. We salute you all on
your achievement.
A warm Unit 533 welcome goes to our
new members Anne Agnew, Bruce Cameron, Ann Carter, Raymond Coad, Cliff and
Libby Horwood, Vera Irvine and Sheila
Lewis. The reporter apologizes to Donna
Blumenthal who was omitted from last
month’s new members welcome.
Remember, all the news fit to print is located on the unit’s website:
coachellavalleybridge.com
High Desert
By Steve Klein
T
he snowbirds will have started to return to the mountain when you read
this, but in March they were still
gone. In addition, Eiko Miller has been in
Japan all month visiting her children and
grandchildren, and Stan Wolcott has still
been dealing with his late father’s estate.
In spite of this, Big Bear still managed to
put two sanctioned games together.
Big Bear also sent the team of Mary Ann
and Warren Wotring, Christine Cook and
myself to the San Diego Regional. We
played in the Compact Knockout Teams on
March 31 and finished second, losing the
final by one IMP. The next day we failed
to place in the full Knockouts, winning our
morning match but losing in the afternoon.
Elsewhere, the unit will be losing an important member; see below.
Big Bear club winners in March: Mary
Ann and Warren Wotring (73% game if
scored using match points), Janie Davis,
Terri Dicius.
The Morongo Basin Club appears to be
going strong, with seven games reported
for the month.
Morongo Basin Club winners (reported
by Patrick Page): Richard Grimes(2), Patrick Page (2), Carol Boyer, Carie Newell
(2), Kay Knapp (2), Joe Radvansky (3),
Louise Syvertson (2), Ron Zamow, John
Muller.
From Joe Wilson in Victorville: I bid a
fond farewell to our bridge community in
Unit 516. I have enjoyed being a director
and a player, but I will be stepping away
from bridge for now. Please keep in touch,
and I wish all of you the best.
Congratulations to the winners of the
March unit game, Don Partridge and
Kevin Phipps. Player of the Month honors
for March go to David Bloom with three
club wins! Other winners of club games in
March were: Robert Raupp (2), John Ruffo
(2), Jane Pace (2), George Economou, Liz
Tufo, Jerry Kinkade, Stan Gabriel, Charlotte Phillips, Rosemary Drake, Rick Roth,
and Steve Koller.
Inland Valley
By Harvey Lesser
I
nland Valley held its annual awards
celebration preceding the March unit
game. Every member who achieved
a new ACBL rank or won the unit MiniMcKenney or Ace of Clubs award was
honored with lunch, a certificate, and a free
play to the unit game.
Needless to say, the game was fully attended and fun was had by all.
Upcoming events in May include the May
3 unit game held at the Sierra Dawn Clubhouse in Hemet, the Western Conference
(Continued on page 12)