ACBL Director's Report
ACBL Director's ReportPossible changes in GNT and NAP events
The Board of Directors has been
discussing the possibility of changing the flights for the Grand National Teams
and the North American Pairs. Two different changes are being discussed:
(1) Adding a fourth flight to the NAPs as there are in the
GNTs; and/or
(2) Changing the upper masterpoint level for Flight B to 2500
masterpoints.
Currently, there are three flights in the NA Pairs -- 0-500 (non Life Masters), 0-2000 and open -- and four flights in the GN Teams -- 0-500 (non-LM), 0-2000, 0-5000 and open.
If you have an opinion on this matter, please let me know as soon as possible,. Please send email me (gkheth@hotmail.com) with GNT/NAP as the subject. Again, this is only discussion at this point. No motions have been made to make either of these changes. I look forward to hearing from you.
World Bridge Federation Meeting
I attended my first meeting of the World Bridge Federation Executive this past month in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was very different from the ACBL Board meetings. The WBF Executive meets only once a year. Most of the decisions through the year are made by the President, Jose Damiani, who then reports to us at the board meeting. We also heard reports from the different zones of the WBF. Jerry Fleming, the current president of the ACBL Board of Directors, appeared and reported on behalf of Zone 2. We also had various motions to consider, the most significant being the revision of the bylaws and awarding the 2010 World Bridge Championships to Philadelphia. Negotiations are still ongoing for years after 2010.
Two new members were added to the Executive: a second representative from China and a high-level player representative. The player representative will be elected by other high-level players at the 2010 world championships. In addition, any zone with two or more members must have at least one member of each gender. These bylaw changes must still be approved by the Congress before they take effect.
We also elected the new president who will take over after Mr. Damiani’s term expires next year. Mr. Damiani will have been president for about 16 years when he resigns, so this is a significant changing of the guard.
I was warmly welcomed by the Executive, and not just because I am a woman. The WBF has been seeking recognition for bridge as an Olympic sport for some years now. One requirement of the IOC is that the governing bodies have both male and female representatives and some player representation (see above). The Executive had not had a woman member for several years. I made a motion that was passed and helped draft the bylaw changes and proof them. I was definitely not treated as a token, which was a concern of mine when I found out I was the only female member. I was also able to spend time with the other members at social gatherings, meals and during sightseeing that was squeezed in between meetings. They were all very interesting people and I look forward to working with them and getting to know them better in the years to come.
The world championships to be held in Philadelphia in October, 2010 are open to participation by anyone who wants to come. You do not have to win the right to represent your country as you do for the other types of championships. I plan on playing in one event before the meetings start next year, just for the fun of it. If you look at the entry fees, do not get scared off too fast. While they are significantly higher than ACBL entry fees, they are for the entire event and there is a discounted price if you are staying in the host hotel. There are also discounts for younger players.
-- Georgia Heth, District 8 BOD representative and ACBL WBF representative