Minutes
WBL Board Meeting
October 19 2005
The meeting was held at Winston Edward’s house.
In attendance: Barbara Ames, Don Berman, Winston Edwards, Richard Ferrin, Fred King, Clyde Kruskal, Steve Robinson, Jane Sturgis, Barbara Summers, Dick Wegman, and non-voting members Kitty Gottfried, Nadine Wood, and Ted Ying.
President Wegman called the meeting to order at 7:50 PM.
Secretary’s Report
The board approved the minutes, without objection.
Treasurer’s Report
Steve Robinson reported that the WBL’s checking account balance was $16,982.80. The balance was approximately $8,000 this time last year. Dick Wegman asked whether the WBL had received the round robin sponsor check yet from Michael Chelst on behalf of Fidelity & Trust. Steve reported that he had not yet received the check. However, Steve did report that the account balance includes receipt of the WBL’s share of proceeds from the Mid-Atlantic Bridge Conference from the 2005 July 4th Regional. Dick stated that he will contact Michael Chelst about the Fidelity & Trust sponsor check.
The board approved the treasurer’s report, without objection.
Sectionals
Nadine Wood passed out a table with statistics on attendance for the WBL’s sectional tournaments. She noted that 2005 attendance was the highest since 2000. Analysis of the statistics shows that most drops in attendance in the past has occurred following shifts in playing sites. However, attendance at the Schweinhaut Center for the October 2005 tournament was excellent compared to previous October sectionals.
Nadine also reported that the schedule for the October 2006 tournament had to be changed because of a scheduling conflict at the Schweinhaut Center. The October 2006 tournament will now take place October 19-22, 2006.
Nadine noted that the theme of the January 2006 tournament will be prize-oriented, and invited board members to offer suggestions in this regard. Nadine stated that she is considering themes for the March 2006 sectional, including a possible “March Madness” or a “Luau” theme. Barbara Ames noted that 2006 will be the 75th anniversary of the WBL, and suggested that as a theme. This suggestion that was well-received by Nadine and the Board.
Nadine retrieved from storage the Eynon Trophy, a silver bowl dating back to 1931, which was awarded as a team championship. The last date engraved on the trophy is 1968. Dick Wegman suggested awarding it again for the Sunday Swiss team event in March. It was noted, however, that the pairs trophy event had been rescheduled for March, so perhaps the cup should be awarded for the Sunday Swiss during the August tournament.
Nadine also retrieved from storage 28 good metal duplicate boards for the WBL’s use.
Nadine asked Richard Ferrin about old minutes from previous WBL board meetings. Richard replied that minutes from all meetings since he became Secretary (May 2004) are posted on the WBL web site, and he had also printed out hard copies. Richard also noted that the previous Secretary (Barbara Shaw) gave him a catalog case with various documents generated during her tenure. Ted Ying noted that he has minutes from board meetings from the mid-1990s.
Unit Growth
Dick Wegman reported that the Unit Growth Committee proposed several new ideas. One idea is to prepare two brochures, one for experienced players, and one for new players. Barbara Ames and Barbara Summers are working on distribution plans. Barbara Doran will assist with distribution to certain locations. Ted Ying suggested distribution to the National Association of Retired Federal Employees.
Dick also reported that the Unit Growth Committee proposed ideas to develop more of a sense of continuity in the sectional tournaments. Suggestions included preparation of a daily bulletin, and a prize for tournament masterpoint leaders in each flight. Nadine Wood commented that a volunteer would be needed to prepare the bulletin. Ted stated that Millard Nachtwey and Doug Grove can e-mail files to the volunteer for preparation into a bulletin, and then the flyer could be e-mailed back for printing. Nadine stated that she could print off the flyer and bring it to the tournament, provided that somebody else would be willing to volunteer to format the document.
Dick stated that Barbara Ames is investigating the possibility of advertising the tournaments in the Washington Post. Also, the Unit Growth Committee is working on a publicity budget for next year. The Silver Spring Gazette expressed some interest in publicizing the results of tournaments. Dick stated that there are other suburban newspapers, which the WBL should target as well.
Finally, Dick stated that the Unit Growth Committee discussed with Steve Forsythe the possibility of combining his novice instruction at 7:30 PM at the Thursday unit game with a short game afterward. Ted Ying opposed this suggestion on the grounds that it would hurt attendance for the current non-life-master game. He said that the way the game is now staged is preferable. Dick commented that attendees with less than 300 masterpoints still want a lesson as well, and suggested that the Board think about ways to balance the various goals.
Lease at Christ the King Church
Dick Wegman proposed that the Board negotiate extension of the lease. Dick’s proposal was accepted by the Board, without objection. Jane Sturgis provided details regarding a proposal for rental of the senior center in Rockville for the unit game on April 13, 2006, because the space at Christ the King Church would be unavailable that date. However, because of the cost and logistics (i.e., need to transport tables and chairs), the consensus among the Board members was simply to cancel the April 13, 2006 game.
Replacement of Playing Cards and Bidding Box Inserts
Ted Ying reported that he had purchased three boxes of playing cards to replace the worn cards; the boxes will be delivered within the next 10 days. He also purchased replacement bidding box inserts for 20 tables. Don Berman asked whether the WBL should replace the cards more frequently than once per year. Steve Robinson asked what the cost would be. Ted replied that a box of 12 decks costs $16.60, plus shipping and handling. Dick Wegman calculated that the cost of a full replacement would be approximately $300 to $400. Without objection, the Board approved the expenditure.
Machlin Trophy
Fred King proposed annual award of a trophy for good sportsmanship, awarded annually, at the same time as the Lovenberg Cup. Dick Wegman commented that the suggestion makes sense. By consensus, the Board approved the concept. Dick stated that the Board would need to develop criteria and appoint committee members for selection of the awardee. Nadine Wood suggested making the first award in March 2006, in conjunction with celebration of the WBL’s 75th anniversary. She also suggested conferring with Sidney Lazard about criteria for the sportsmanship award. Fred and Dick suggested including Millard Nachtwey on the committee. Dick cautioned that the committee membership should broadly represent the WBL and not just consist of Flight A players.
Standing Committee Chairs
Dick Wegman reported that the WBL Constitution requires standing committees for: Membership, Unit Game, Ways & Means, Conduct & Ethics, Tournament, Bulletin, and Club Relations. Dick handed out a list of proposed committee members and chairs. A few changes were proposed and agreed to by the Board without objection. A revised list will be circulated.
Partnership Guarantee Program
The Board discussed the issue of persons who over-use the standby partner program. The Board also discussed the issue of how to address situations where two people arrive without partners and both want to play with the standby partner, instead of with each other. Finally, the Board discussed the need to find a player to assist who knows many of the Flight B and C players, as well as the Flight A players.
Revised WBL Policies
Fred King led the discussion of proposed revisions to the WBL Policies. He noted that he received comments from several people. There are some areas where the actual and written policies differ. The Board discussed the following sections:
Appeals
Board Meetings
Bulletin
Clubs
Committees
Conduct & Ethics
Constitution
Director’s Certification
Executive Committee
Entry Fees
Finances
Free Plays
Discussion of other sections of the revised policies were deferred until the next WBL Board meeting.
Upcoming Board Meetings
The next WBL Board meeting will take place on November 16 at Fred King’s house. Barbara Summers will host the December meeting. The Board thanked Winston Edwards for hosting the October meeting.
Whereupon, the meeting adjourned at 10:38 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Richard Ferrin, Secretary