Greater St. Louis Bridge News

News from Greater St. Louis Unit 143

Editor:  Sheryl Finkenstadt, St. Louis MO    sheryl@finkenstadt.com
 

“If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?"

With the introduction of bridge pads (electronic scoring), there is a new pitfall into which players can fall. If you look at your percentage or other contract results before the next-to-last round, you are actually getting information that will not help you.

It is a matter of statistics. Without a large database, the numbers are not very reliable – and you’ll be upset or falsely elated. Avoid the problem: don’t look!

2011 Player of the Year

For the second year in a row, Alan Popkin won the 2011 yearlong competition for the Unit’s highest award, the Ed Schultz Unit Championship award. Last year (2010), he shared first place with his wife, Nancy Popkin.

The Ed Schultz Unit Championship Award (formerly Player Of The Year aka POTY) is awarded to that unit member in good standing who has won the most masterpoints in unrestricted Unit-sponsored events in a given calendar year. This reflects loyalty and dedication and, of course, a great deal of skill.

Linda Seibert & Steve Zenk presented the trophy to Alan at the Winter Sectional.

Bridge players to the rescue

Duplicate bridge players extended a helping hand to the American Red Cross with a $6000 donation on Friday, January 13. Debbie Romero (right), vice president of Unit 143, presented the check to Corie Story of the American Red Cross at the unit’s Winter Sectional Tournament.

The ACBL raises money nationally through charity events all year long. “This gift represents the generosity of bridge players throughout the country,” said Romero. On a rotating basis, the money raised by charity games is disbursed to local Districts and Units for them to pass on to charities they select locally.

In the Greater St. Louis Region, the local Red Cross launched relief operations after severe storms and tornadoes struck on New Year’s Eve and Good Friday, and again after flooding affected portions of Missouri and Illinois. Throughout the duration of the relief operations, nearly 400 Red Cross volunteers opened 12 shelters, served more than 71,000 meals and snacks and provided emergency assistance to more than 500 families. “The Red Cross depends on the generous support of the American public to assist people affected by disasters. This support will make a real difference in people’s lives,” said Ms. Story.

St. Charles Sectional

The January sectional was great fun to 415 tables at the 3-day event. More than 1500 total materpoints were awarded to 445 unique players. There are many variables involved in gaining masterpoint awards at a tournament. Nonetheless, we all like the idea of winning. It may be interesting to see that Flight C players can win more total MPs than Flight A or Flight B players. For a total list of winners, click here.

The following local players earned the most points:

Flight A:

Tom Oppenheimer, 3rd out of 445, with 28.43 MPs

Rod Beery, 4th out of 445, with 27.25 MPs

En Xie, 5th out of 445, with 24.97 MPs

Flight B:
Judy Putzel, 34th with 11.14 MPs
Debbie Romero, 42nd with 9.45 MPs

Bobbie Riggs, 47th with 8.63 MPs

Flight C:
Randy Baker, 16th with 16.00 MPs  
Augustyn Ortynski, 20th with 14.00 MPs
Bob Pedrotti, 27th with 12.51 MPs

Those winners who chose to have their pictures taken are as follows:

Friday Afternoon Open Pairs: Lily and Paul Chan	Friday Evening Swiss Team: Bob Pedrotti, Daryl Fisher, Krisi Mertz, Shari Krentzel
Saturday Stratified Open Pairs: Bob Sievers & Mike Ring	Sunday Stratified Swiss Team: Bob Sievers, Mike Ring, Leah Newell, Terry Goodykoontz

Bob Griffin joins Board of Directors

Griffin (left) replaces Scott Davis, who resigned in December, due to a conflict in schedule.

Griffin brings a love of bridge, a lot of ideas, and dedication to the governance of Unit 143. Welcome, Bob! 
 

Bridge 4 Kids

Phyllis Siegel (left) has been teaching Bridge 4 Kids at Mary Institute at Country Day (MICDS), a private school, as an after-school program. After 12 weeks of class, an adult-child tournament was held at Bridge Haven on Sunday, December 11.

Siegel said, “Special thanks go to Nancy Pierson, math teacher and sponsor. What fun to see Alexander playing with his grandma, Betty Freeman!  Not only did they play, but also they won!   Sam Hanser also played with his grandma. I hear they had some BRIDGE GAMES in FL over the Christmas holidays. Wil Jones and Jake Speller had adopted bridge parents for the day. Bridge truly is a great cross-generational game. We need to encourage more kids to play!  We are continuing this semester again. We already have some more NEW players joining us!  There will be another adult-child tournament in the spring.”
 

ATTENTION! 

Phyllis Siegel is directing a “novice/Lifemaster” game on Sunday, Feb 19 at 5:30 PM. This new event will be held at Bridgehaven. ANY non-Lifemaster will be partnered with a Life Master. The NLM will pay a flat $25 fee, which will include the pair’s regular entry fee, with the excess going toward the Bridge 4 Kids program.

The game will be a charity game, with increased MP awards. Players can come with their own partners, or make contact with Phyllis for a partner. Call (314) 966-3933 or email psiegeltennis@yahoo.com

Here's a tidbit of information: Bridge Haven, located in Hazelwood, MO raised a total of $5000 through charity games & private donations in 2011, which was given to Backstoppers. This represents an increase over the $3850 they raised in 2010. The majority of the money is gained through the charity Pro-Am event they host in August.

Rank Advancements

Unit 143 has 1174 members as of February 1, 2012. Thirty-nine (39) players have advanced in rank since December 1, 2011.

Upcoming Tournaments:

March 31, 2012:  199er Championship

May 18-20, 2012:  Sectional

August 6-12, 2012: Regional

September 22, 2012:  199er Championship