Minutes of the District 18 Board

Present: President Ron Hemeon, Saskatchewan, Treasurer Floyd Hawley, Wyoming, Vice President Karen Eble, Montana, Secretary Ian Martindale, Idaho, Barry Pritchard, Alberta, Rosalee Gardiner, Utah, District 18 Tournament Director Roger Putnam, District 18 Tournament Coordinator Claire Jones, Tournament Director Steve Bates, District 18 GNT and NAOP Coordinator Marie Jolley, ACBL Director Richard Anderson, ACBL President Bruce Reeve, and Bob Kroupa, Idaho Falls, ID.

1. The meeting was called to order at 4:52 PM by President Ron Hemeon.

2. The secretary read the minutes of the last meeting.

Moved by Ian Martindale, 2^nd Dick Anderson to approve the minutes as read.   Carried

            Dick Anderson noted that the CBF will provide supplies for the fundraiser regional in Calgary.

3. Bob Kroupa of Idaho Falls was invited to present his proposal to stage a Regional in Idaho Falls.

In discussing the proposal, the Board indicated that the rents were higher than desirable. Floyd Hawley indicated that most District 18 tournaments would lose money at the projected rent and hospitality budgets. Bob was encouraged to try to make a better deal with the proposed hotel.

4. Treasurer Floyd Hawley presented the Treasurer’s Report as circulated.

Moved by Floyd Hawley, 2^nd Rosalee Gardiner to approve the Treasurer’s Report as presented.  Carried

Floyd noted that the gain in the exchange rate for Canadian funds made it a break-even year and projected an increase in the general fund because of reduced expenses.

5. Barry Pritchard presented a report of the Grand National Teams final in Calgary. 43 teams competed, compared to 13 in Great Falls in 2003. There was 1 team from the U.S. The event grossed $4,000.00+.

             Moved by Barry Pritchard, 2^nd Floyd Hawley to increase the travel subsidy for representative teams to $1,500 per team, and that if only 3 teams go to divide the total equally among the teams. Carried

            In the discussion, Floyd made the point that the increase in expenses would be $1,200, and that District 18 can afford it at the moment.

6.  Moved by Marie Jolley 2^nd Karen Eble to hold the GNT finals in Calgary in 2005.   Carried

7. Correspondence: the Board received a letter from Martin J. McDonald of Calgary taking the first step in staging an NABC in Calgary in 2015.

8. Moved by Barry Pritchard, 2^nd Richard Anderson to approve Mid-chart conventions  in Flight A stand-alone events in District 18 Regionals.                   Carried.

            In discussing the motion, the point was made that Mid-chart conventions are in general use outside the ACBL, and at NABCs, and that competitors should be prepared to encounter and defend against these conventions.

9. There was no further correspondence to review.

10. Richard Anderson presented the National Director’s report as circulated. The National Board has raised annual fees by $3.00.

11. Roger Putnam gave an interim report on the Billings tournament, and compared to Helena’s total of 874, the attendance is down by 84 so far with a probable final of 750 tables.

12.Claire Jones presented the Tournament Coordinator’s report: Casper and Salt Lake City are organized. He made the point that if a tournament sanction is applied for less than three years before the event an adjoining district can object on the grounds of a conflict. Claire will send a letter to National Director Richard Anderson to request a geographic limit on objections.

Proposed future tournaments: Lethbridge April 7-13 2008 would not be opposite Easter, which may help attendance. Edmonton August 7-13 2008.

13. Karen Eble announced that she will not run again. Elections next year are in Montana and Saskatchewan.

14. Bruce Reeve, President of the ACBL, gave a topical presentation about staging tournaments and negotiating with visitors’ and convention bureaus. He made the very informative point that these entities will sometimes subsidize an event. He also indicated that 2005 will mark the 50^th anniversary of the Goodwill Committee.

He revealed that the League has found that the primary reason people quit playing duplicate bridge is because their partner either dies or moves. He pointed out that new members often know many people who would benefit from joining the League, and suggested setting specific membership goals.

Bruce made the observation that ACBL Score is the feature that has changed competitive bridge more than anything else.

He suggested that a means of gaining publicity and enthusiasm would be a state championship to be held once a year at Regionals.

15. Moved by Karen Eble to adjourn. Adjournment was at 6:50 PM.

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