Minutes

WBL Board Meeting

April 20, 2005

The meeting was held at Richard Ferrin’s house.

In attendance: Barbara Ames, Don Berman, Richard Ferrin, Fred King, Steve Robinson, Barbara Summers, Dick Wegman, and Ron Zucker, and non-voting member Donna Rogall.

President Dick Wegman called the meeting to order at 8:10 PM.

Secretary’s Report

Without objection, the board approved the minutes, as amended.

Treasurer’s Report

Steve Robinson reported that the WBL had $9812.36 in its checking account. Steve noted that the WBL has received its quarterly ACBL check, and that the WBL has pre-paid with the Schweinhaut Center for rent for the sectionals scheduled for October 2005, January 2006 and March 2006. Dick Wegman asked if the WBL had received a refund from the Newport Mill Middle School for the January 2005 tournament (which was held at the Schweinhaut Center instead). Steve said that he did not know. Dick stated that he would check with Nadine Wood. The treasurer’s report was approved without objection.

April/May 2005 Sectional

Dick Wegman asked if the event between sessions in the Saturday of the sectional would be a panel show or a workshop. Steve Robinson said that that decision had not yet been made. Steve will find panelists.

September/October 2005 Sectional

Dick Wegman asked what event would be scheduled between sessions on Saturday of the sectional. Steve Robinson said that there would be a workshop. Dick also reminded the Board that the Board had agreed to hold an IMP pair event for Friday night (as opposed to the barometer pairs). Donna Rogall asked if there would be any special hospitality planned for the sectional. Dick suggested that Donna check with Nadine Wood.

Donna asked what progress had been made regarding a survey of the membership for start times on Saturday. Barbara Ames stated that no survey had yet been made. Fred King suggested that the survey include participants on both Thursday and Saturday of the next sectional. Dick suggested a survey by show of hands at the annual election. Steve said that the survey should be of people who actually attend the tournaments. Ron Zucker added that the agenda for the annual election is already crowded. Dick suggested that a survey by show of hands would not take much time. Barbara Ames stated that she would frame the question, and send the question tomorrow to Steve Robinson.

Joint WBL/ABA Game

Dick reported that the joint game held by the WBL and the Washington Bridge Unit of the American Bridge Association (“ABA”) was a success. The game had 16 ½ tables (66 players). Of the 66 players, 35 were members only of the ACBL, 18 were members only of the ABA, and 13 were members of both the ACBL and ABA. According to Dick, Cassandra Smith was pleased and told him that she was looking forward to another joint game, this next time at a WBL sectional. Dick suggested holding the joint event at one of the Saturday sessions in the September-October WBL sectional. It was pointed out that currently the WBL has scheduled a two-session trophy pair game for the Saturday of the September-October WBL sectional. Ron Zucker then suggested moving the two-session trophy game to the January 2006 sectional. Dick agreed, and recommended designating the 11:00 AM game on Saturday at the September-October WBL sectional as the joint game with the ABA.

Donna Rogall noted that since the two-session trophy pair game was being moved to January, the Sunday games should also be switched. Currently, the A/X Board-a-Match (“BAM”) game was slotted for January, but it should not be scheduled for the same sectional as the two-session pair Saturday trophy game, so the Sunday BAM game should be switched to the September-October sectional. Dick agreed and suggested that Donna talk to Nadine about the proposed event changes.

Unit Game Lighting

Ron Zucker reported that he had purchased three lamps at a total cost of $44, and put them up two weeks ago in the Unit Game as a test. The test worked well. He also tested half-globes to diffuse light, but those did not work well. Ron also tested compact fluorescent lamps. He asked players at the Unit Game, who reported that the compact fluorescent lamps worked well. To date, two such lamps are in place, and three others have been purchased. Dick Wegman stated that Christ the King Church needs to replace some of the overhead bulbs. Barbara Ames volunteered to contact the Church about that.

Partnership Guarantee Program

Dick Wegman stated that he recently served as a volunteer partner. He played with a beginner, who was very enthusiastic, and the game was pleasurable. Dick stated that the purpose of the program should be to find partners for players who need a partner on occasion, not week after week. He asked the Board what the policy should be. Richard Ferrin queried whether it has been difficult to find partners for persons who make frequent use of the program. Ron Zucker stated that his view was that the primary purpose of the program was to fill out tables at the Unit Game. Barbara Ames commented that she viewed the purpose of the program was to assist persons who need a partner only occasionally. Steven Robinson said that if the person needing a partner was a rank beginner, that person and the volunteer partner should play in the B/C game, even though the volunteer partner might not be eligible for the B/C game. The presence of one partner above the B/C cutoff does not prohibit the pair from playing in the B/C game, it only means that the partnership would not be eligible for masterpoints in the game. Dick suggested that the Board consult with Ted Ying about these issues at the next Board meeting.

In response to a question regarding partnership chair responsibilities, Ron Zucker stated that Charleen Brand agreed to handle those responsibilities until her surgery, at which time Ron would assume responsibility.

Don Berman asked what the policy should be regarding foreign nationals who are national champions in their native country but who do not have many ACBL masterpoints. Steve Robinson stated that classification in such situation should be at the discretion of the director.

Behavior Issues

Dick Wegman stated that the WBL should not impose too-rigorous guidelines regarding behavior, and that balance is needed in such situations. Dick then read the following e-mail that Ted Ying circulated to the Board:

The only issue I have to report on is regarding the issue with unacceptable behaviour at the 4/7/2005 Thursday night Unit Game/NVBA Sectional.

I spoke with the player who was involved. He apologized and agreed that his behaviour was completely out-of-line. He explained his perspective. He said that the opponents were talking and criticizing their own defense during the hand and that after the hand, the woman started to berate her partner, the man. He asked that they play the next board, and they ignored him and she continued to berate him. He got very upset, said the expletive and left the table. When he returned shortly after, they had finished and were able to play the next hand. He apologized for his behaviour and agreed that he should (and would)call the director to handle the problem in the future. He has been given a warning that this is inappropriate behaviour for the unit game and will be monitored in the future.

I then decided to talk with the opposing couple. When I spoke with them, they had a slightly different perspective. They did not agree that they made any comments or criticism during the hand. When the hand was over, they agreed that they were discussing the defense, but they did not feel that they were "yelling" at each other. The woman explained that the man is significantly hard-of-hearing and if she doesn't raise her voice, he cannot hear her. She felt that the opponent may have misinterpreted her raising her voice for yelling at him. She heard that he asked to play the next hand, but felt that her only chance to discuss the hand/defense to ensure that the problem didn't occur again was between hands, before they started the next hand and felt that since they were not late, they shouldn't have been rushed into the next hand. I suggested that if the opponents wanted to continue playing, then she should save the discussion until the end of the round if possible. I will also continue to monitor this pair in the future.

Dick stated that he thought Ted handled the situation well, that this appears to have been an isolated incident, and that the WBL should not create a “police state” for an occasional incident.

Steve Robinson said that the WBL needs to deal with some others who are “bad apples”. Fred King stated that he is worried about selective application of rules; rules should not be applied selectively. Steve Robinson stated that in situations where a convention is not alerted, sometimes a player attempts a “two-way shot” by calling the director after the hand is over. Ron Zucker asked whether this situation is common at the Unit Game. Steve said that a few players tend to engage in that behavior. Dick Wegman asked how many “bad apples” that there were in the Unit Game. Steve said that there were about four or five slow players, and one or two who go out of their way to take advantage of situations. Dick asked about the incidence of rude players. Steve commented that there was more of a problem when the game is stratified (as opposed to strata-flighted) and a Flight A pair calls the director against a Flight C pair. Steve said that Ted was concerned that the Board would not back him up when he dealt with these situations. Steve said that he would back Ted up, as long as Ted does not yell at the players. Dick commented that the key is for the director to treat players with respect. Fred said that the laws have to be applied evenly.

Notices in Syndicated Columns

Dick Wegman reported that Steve Robinson sent an e-mail to Frank Stewart about including a plug in his column that would direct players to local units, including the WBL. Stewart said that he would consider it. Steve Robinson said that he will also send a similar note to Bobby Wolff. Barbara Summers stated that she called the ACBL today about this issue (information regarding points of contact for the WBL and other local bridge units). Barbara said that the information is on ACBL’s web site, but it takes too long to guide the browser to the site where such information resides. Steve Robinson added that such information should also include a phone number for a local contact. Barbara Summers volunteered to be the contact person for such a local phone number, and said that she would be prepared to mail the WBL’s local club pamphlet to anybody who calls.

WBL Logo

Donna Rogall reported that she focused on several of the logos originally designed by Charity Sack, and added additional possibilities. Board members offered their views as to the best logos. The Board members voted on their favorites, but there was no clear favorite. Donna then suggested that she will come back to the next meeting with two options for the Board’s consideration.

Annual Election

Dick Wegman reported that Ron Zucker is working on hospitality for the upcoming annual election meeting, and Jim Allen will chair the meeting. Dick noted that all of the officers are running for re-election unopposed, and of the other board members, Don Berman is running for re-election. There are two additional seats with no incumbents.

St. Elizabeth’s Duplicate Bridge Club

Barbara Summers noted the ACBL’s notification of cancellation of the sanction for the St. Elizabeth’s Duplicate Bridge Club. She said that the problem is being corrected. She noted, however, that the director, Kathy Kruskal, is experiencing vision problems. Clyde Kruskal has volunteered to act as a backup director to Kathy. Steve Robinson suggested asking Steve Czecha to direct, since he goes to the game frequently. Dick Wegman and Barbara Summers agreed to approach Steve Czecha. Barbara Summers noted that the Northern Virginia Bridge Association (“NVBA”) co-sponsors the St. Elizabeth game along with the WBL, and therefore suggested that Paul Krueger should also be considered as a possible director. Dick asked about the sanction fees for the St. Elizabeth game. Barbara Summers stated that the ACBL has waived the sanction fees; the ACBL only needs an annual registration.

Other Business

Dick Wegman noted that Carol Wood recently died. He said that Nadine Wood and Peter Boyd will look at the wealth of material regarding the WBL that she has accumulated over the years. Dick queried whether Peter might consider acting as archivist for the WBL. Steve Robinson said that he would ask Peter.

Dick thanked Ron Zucker and Steve Forsythe for their service on the Board. Donna Rogall noted that Sandy will take over Steve Forsythe’s column for novices.

Next Meeting

The next WBL board meeting will take place May 25 at Dick Wegman’s house. The Board thanked Richard Ferrin for his hospitality. Whereupon, the meeting adjourned at 9:45 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

Richard Ferrin, Secretary