Directors are Human Too

Yesterday I was called to a relatively simple director’s call and I made the wrong decision.  I am human.  All directors are human although there are one or two of them of which we have our doubts.  What can you do if you believe the director made the wrong decision?

First - don’t tell them they are wrong because they are human and it does no one any good to devolve into an adversarial relationship.  If you are familiar with this situation, you can say, can I… giving the director a chance to change the ruling.  If the director does not take the opportunity to adjust then

Second – tell the director that you would like to discuss it further after the game (or if the director is not playing and you have a sit out then during your sitout) You should have enough time for both of you to fully and calmly discuss the issue.

Third – there are  no official appeals of director rulings.  But we want to get it right. Sometimes we need to consult other players, other directors or the ACBL. 

In my Wednesday game there are frequently five directors playing in addition to me.  Directors tend to call the director more than other players because they realize the role of directors in keeping the game going and in keeping the game fair for all.  

 When I first started directing in Virginia Beach I had a director call.  I had the rule book in my hands and made the ruling which did not seem right even to me.  The players who called me over strenuously objected.  I said I would research further and get back to them but play on for the moment.  I read and read and read.  Four times I read the pertinent section and came up with the same seemingly twisted answer.  The fifth time I read the section, it said something different.  This answer made sense.  Why did I read something wrong four times in a row?  I hate to admit I might be human.

In summary call the director whenever it is appropriate.  Do not make a ruling at the table to save the director effort.  Do not just accept the ruling if you do not believe it is correct.  But, do not make comments as to the director’s character.  It will not help.

I have had numerous what I believe were incorrect director rulings, even in the Nationals.  One of my partners never questioned a ruling and did not want me to.  I disagree, but question it politely and calmly and at the appropriate time. Remember the director is a human being like you and you are well on the way to a productive director/player experience.

A few of us managed to find our way to Louisville.  Tracy Brines  19.9 and Maureen Brines  10.5 were winners of note.  Also playing were Jim and Judy Fox, and James Oliver

NLM-Only Game Starts April 2, 2024

Anne Duty and Kerry Weil are delighted to announce the launch of a new game just for players who are not yet Life Masters.  This game will be held at the Bridge Center on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 9:30 AM, starting on April 2, 2024.  The entry fee for the game will be $10/person.  Please come and join us!

Bill Mannschreck resigned as Unit 146 President on March 13th, 2024.  Vice President Judi Passerini has assumed the office of Unit President.  The Unit Board will elect a new Vice President at their next meeting.

1. On March 7th 2024 the Unit Board of Directors elected Unit Officers.  The new Unit President is Bill Mannschreck.  The Vice President is Judi Passerini.  Louise Gordon will continue as Treasurer.  Kerry Weil is the new Recording Secretary and Wrus Kristiansen is the new Membership Secretary.
2. Please make your plans to attend our Spring Sectional April 5-7.  See the item on the home page for details.
3. The Sunday Unit Game has a wealth of special games and events in the next few months:

• March 17th:  Charity Club Championship.  Join us for some Irish tea and baked goods at 12:30 before the game.
• March 31st is Easter, so there won't be a game.
• April 14th's game will offer 50% Red points, 50% Black points.
• April 21st will be a Charity Club Championship.
• April 28th will offer 25% Gold points, 75% Black points.
• May 5th will offer 50% Red points, 50% Black points
• May 12 is Mother's Day, so the game is cancelled.
• May 19th will be a Grass Roots Fund special game
• May 26th will also be a Grass Roots Fund special game.
• June 16th is Father's Day, so the game will be cancelled
• June 23rd we will do fund-raising for the Alzheimer's Association in conjunction with the Longest Day.  Details TBD.
• June, July, and August will feature two NAP qualifying games each month.

Welcome to New Member

♣ ♦ Lynn Feigenbaum ♥ ♠ 

Congratulations for Leveling Up

New Junior Master

♣ ♦ Glenn Palmer ♥ ♠ 

New Club Master

♣ ♦ Stephen Grimes ♥ ♠ 

New Regional Master

♣ ♦ Janet Tranter ♥ ♠ 

New Bronze Life Master

♣ ♦ J.D. Oliver ♥ ♠ 

New Gold Life Master

♣ ♦ Liz Hendriksen ♥ ♠ 

Monday 2/26

• Open Pairs
  • 5th in A:  Brian Schoenfeld and Joel Weintraub
  • 6th in A:  Muh-Sha Crawford (with Kent Massie of Lexington, VA)
  • 5th in C:  Hazel White (with JoAnn Olson of Suffolk)

Tuesday 2/27

• Open Bracketed Teams Bracket 2
  • 1st: Beth Reshefsky, Martha Dennis, Lynnette Regan, Shary Schlain
• Open Bracketed Teams Bracket 3
  • 1st: Doug Lahammer (playing with Bill Grewe of Front Royal, VA, Sheryl McEwan of Summit Point, WV, and Brenda Egeland of Haymarket, VA)

Wednesday 2/28

• Mid-Flight Pairs
  • 1st Barbara Duer and Fred Kovner
• Gold Rush Pairs
  • 1st  Deborah Line and Stephen Rose
• Online Gold Rush
  •  2nd Teresa and Dennis Haynes
• Open Bracketed Teams Bracket 3
  • 1st: Doug Lahammer (playing with Bill Grewe of Front Royal, VA, Sheryl McEwan of Summit Point, WV, and Brenda Egeland of Haymarket, VA)​​​​​​

Thursday 2/29

• Open Pairs 
  • 2nd in B  Barbara Duer and JoAnn Tucker
• Online Gold Rush
  • 2nd  in B Teresa and Dennis Haynes
• Open Bracketed Teams Bracket 2
  • 3rd Peter and Kathy Haglich, Maureen Brines, and Allen Moon of Carroliton, VA

Friday 3/1

• A/X Swiss
  • 4th  H. Joel Weintraub, Brian Shoenfeld, Muh-Sha Crawford, with Charles Sadowski of Yorktown, VA
  •  3/4 in B Tracy Brines with Joyce Nevell of White Marsh, VA, Maureen Brines with Allen Moon of Carroliton, VA
• Bracketed Swiss Teams 1
  • 1st  Barbara Duer, JoAnn Tucker, Linda Ankers, and George Holliday
• Bracketed Teams Bracket 2
  • 1st   Doug Lahammer (playing with Bill Grewe of Front Royal, VA, Sheryl McEwan of Summit Point, WV, and Brenda Egeland of Haymarket, VA)​​​​​​

Alll Williamsburg results can be found on ACBL Live:  http://live.acbl.org/events/2403107

Unit 146 President Judi Passerini has scheduled the First Quarter 2024 meeting of the Unit 146 Board of Directors for Thursday March 7 at 4 PM via Zoom.  Unit members who want to attend may send an email to Peter Haglich and he will provide the link.

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Select the "Contact Us, Sunshine" from left menu and fill in form.
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Many of you are receiving email from club owners about upcoming events and other bridge topics, even if you never signed up for them.  The club owners probably obtained your email from the ACBL roster.  The ACBL terms of use (found at https://web2.acbl.org/documentLibrary/about/termsofuse.pdf) allow them to send information about ACBL-sanctioned bridge events and announcements and newsletters discussing activities of the respective club, Unit, or District.  If you don't want to receive their emails then send them a note to direct them to remove you from their mailing list.  If they won't honor your wishes then let me know.

Emails from the Unit will be sent using the database we maintain on BridgeWebs, which is also updated with the ACBL roster.  If you want to opt out of those, you can either use the Contact Us form on the web page or else you can update your member profile in the Member Area (under Membership).  If neither of those work then contact the webmaster, Wrus Kristiansen, or myself.

P. Haglich