Newsletter March 10, 2025

New Game

Our newest game got off the ground, but just barely. We had 2 1/2 tables, but this game will grow as we have seen with all our other games. So please attend if you can. It is limited to players under 300MP, but most are far lower than that. This is a great opportunity to learn and grow in an unhurried environment.

Upcoming

Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Sunday all Master Points awarded will be 1/3 Red. Wednesday will be a Unit-wide Junior Fund Charity Game. In the coming weeks we will have 1/3 Gold week and a STaC (all Silver points).

Mardi Gras Celebration

Immediately after the new 0-300 game Monday was our Mardi Gras Celebration Lunch. Hats off to Judee Brooks for coordinating and the many members that contributed.

But, we had a surprise in the Open game after lunch, Jan Osta and Tom Cole placed first North-South 2nd overall) and earned 3.59 MPs; and, Karen Fleming and Marilyn Meagher placed second North-South (4th overall) earning 1.97 MPs. Both pairs were in the "C" strata beating all the "A" and "B" players. Well Done!

Team Games Draw 16 Teams

Wednesday's "Eight Is Enough" Team Game experiment was very encouraging. With 16 teams participating, many said they enjoyed the game and hoped we would do it again. When and how often will be on the agenda of the Board of Governor's meeting Monday afternoon. If you have an opinion you can attend the meeting  (after the game on Monday) or speak to any member of the Board (the list is on our website).

Winners of the Game were Jim Kielt, Mary Merrow, Diane Laws and Barbara Schwartz, who won 5.20 MP each. The top two teams played against each other in the fourth and final round. The losing team placed second, Marie Richardson, Bill Snelling, Margery Rogge and Janice Haralson winning 3.90 MPs each. The final score was Kielt's team 74 and Marie's team 52.

Many players were asking how the game is scored: First, each board is scored by the Int'l Match Point Scale. The difference in points of your score from your opponents is rated by IMPs. Once that is determined and that score is turned into the game director it is converted into Victory Points. In this case we used the 20 Point Scale. Which means that in each match there are 20 points up for grabs. if You tie your opponents then each of you get 10 points. If you win by 28 or more points then you get all 20. There is a scale on the Team scoring card that shows the break down. In addition a team gets a fraction of a point for winning a round if they don't place, in this case it was .23.

Hilton Head High

20 members of our Club attended some part of the Hilton Head Regional last week. The tournament had 1306 players, 2459 tables and awarded 17,700 Master Points to participants. The attendance was 20% higher than last year, an encouraging sign.

Top winners from our Club were Mark Webb and Jeff Young who earned 45.44 Gold Master Points winning with their team mates 2 Knockout Games; Roberto Crocenzi won 32.40 Gold by being on the winning team of two Knockout games, one with Mark and Jeff and one with partners from Savannah; Fran Kielt and Diane Altenbach made it to the finals of the Monday-Tuesday KO Teams, placing second with 17.91 Gold. With that win Diane became a Life Master! In addition Jim Kielt earned 8.26, Mary Askew and Don Kronenberger earned 6.50 Gold. Lynn Kuglar, an occasional player at our Club , but a member of our Club, won 19.54 Gold playing with Jeff and Mark in Bracketed Swiss Teams placing fourth and with Fran Kielt, Diane Altenbach and Mary Askew placing 3rd in Wed-Thur KO Game. Another occasional player and a member of our Club was Manning Rountree who won 23.23 Gold playing with Mark and Jeff on the third round of KOs.

Out of the 1306 participants, Mark and Jeff placed 80th and 4th among players from Georgia and 1st from our Unit (202). Next stop: Memphis NABC.

Ah the scent can be overwhelming

Recently we have had players who have reacted badly to heavy scents and perfumes. Strong perfumes and scents are barred from the Club by policy of the Board. So please do not wear perfumes or heavily scented deodorants to the Bridge Center as you could be asked to leave.

Movin' On Up!

Joyce Christianson and Diane Laws achieved Life Master (500 MP, 75 Silver, 100 Red/Gold, 50 Gold), Virginia Goetsch achieved Club Master (20 MP); and Terry Williamson achieved Junior Master (5MP).

Congratulations to all!!!.

Notice of Meeting:

Board of Governors, 4:30 Monday March 10

Regular monthly meeting, no agenda at this time.

All members may attend

February 10, 2025 Newsletter

The Mini-McKenney

This week we report on the 2024 Mini-McKenney results for our Club. The McKenney Trophy was given to the player who had won the most total master points in a year, as opposed to the Shanbrom race which is only local club points. The McKenney Trophy was discontinued in 1983 in favor of the Barry Crane Trophy (the Barry Crane 500 lists the top 500 players in the ACBL). At the same time the Mini-McKinny was established which honors district and unit winners in several categories. The winner of the Barry Crane race this year was Jiang Gu of Mountain Lakes, NJ who won 3,964 master points in 2024; the second place finisher was 800 points behind him. The winner of the Mini-McKinny in our District (7) was Alex Hudson of Morrisville NC with 1429 points. The top player in Georgia was Robert Fenwick of Marietta with 812 points.

In our Club we start with 5-20 MPs category, 1st in the Unit (202)  was Amy Bishop with 27.49. In the 300-500 category, Barbara Schwarz was 1st, 30th in the District with 110.8. Her usual partner, Diane Laws placed 2nd, 32nd in the District with 108.76. In the 500-1000 category, 1st in our Unit and 22nd in the District was Jeff Young with 175.89; 2nd was Rick Runyan with 157.41 (29th District); 4th was Judee Brooks (54th District) with 137.41 and 5th was Jim Jones (57 District) with 135.05).

In the 1000-1500 category in 1st place was Kathy Pennington (25th District) with 187.20; in the 1500-2500 category, Ken Trobaugh was 2nd (36th) District) with 205.69. In the 3500-5000 category, Kay Butters was 1st in our Unit (22nd District) with 232.49. And, in the 7500-10000 category, Ward Schaumberg placed 2nd in our Unit (11th District) with 239.23. In addition, Mark Webb who plays and directs at our Club but calls Rome Georgia his home, placed 1st in Unit 114 and 3rd in the District in the 1000-1500 category. Congratulations to all.

Last Minute Gold Rush

The ACBL just last week decided to award 1/4 Gold Master Points to all Master Point winners playing in local Club games this coming week. This will apply to Monday through Thursday's Games.

At Last our Non-Life-Master Tournament is Here.

Friday Feb 14th 9:30 and 2:00 Stratified Pairs (under 750MPs) $13 in the morning $12 in the afternoon

Saturday Feb 15th: 9:30 and 2:00 Stratified Pairs   $12 morning, $13 afternoon

Sunday Feb 16th Swiss Teams  11:30 play through one game.

Please note: DO NOT PARK at, near or around the construction area next door. You can park on the grass on either side of the Arts Center.

There are sign-up sheets at the Bridge Center for food and time donations for the Tournament.

Board of Governor's Meeting: Monday at 4:30. All Members may attend the Meeting.

      On the Agenda are concerns from the Treasurer, and the possibility of a morning Game on Friday.

February 3, 2025   Newsletter

We have come to our final installment of the Helen Shanbrom Master Point Race. We will cover the last categories: in the 1000 to 1500 category first in our Club was Kathy Pennington (9 district/41 ACBL) , Second was Bill Snellings (17 district/110 ACBL) and Third was Carol Bliven (18 district/121 ACBL); in the 1500 to 2500 category, first was Ken Trobaugh (11 district/58 ACBL), second was Emwynn Smith (41 district), Third was Ramsey Badre (56 district). In the 2500-3500 category there was only one from our Club, Judson McCranie (50 district). In the 3500 to 5000 category was Kay Butters (8 district/54 ACBL) and in the 7500 to 10000 category was Ward Schaumberg (5 district and 46 ACBL). I guess it is no surprise that these last categories are so thin as we only have 1 Club member in the 3500-5000 category and one in the 7500-10000 category. But we have a great crop of new Life Masters coming up so hopefully that will change in the not so distant future.

Movin' on up!

The ACBL announced 4 new achievement awards for January: Penny Hennessy, Bronze Life Master (750MP); Barbara Schwarz, Life Master (500MP, 75 Silver, 50 gold, 100 above black); Ann Truehart, Advanced NABC Master ((200 MPs, 25 Silver, 20 Red/Gold, 5 Gold); and, Joan Bennison, Junior Master (5MP). Congratulations to all!

Report from Savannah

I was nice to play in Savannah's new playing space. The Savannah Club's playing venue burned down a few years ago and they were hard pressed to find a new decent place. So after bouncing around it is wonderful to see them in a comfortable place. But, the rent is $4000/month which includes utilities. In comparison we probably pay about $2500/ month and we own our facility. The Savannah Club is a member owned Club and they are making strides to offer a range of classes. We had eight of our people playing:there, but the turnout was thin (15 tables for the open pairs and 16 for the Swiss teams.

In addition to the tournament, Unit 202 (Savannah, Augusta, St Marys and us) board met. Teryl McBurney took over as President, Lynn Goldblatt continued as Treasurer and Jeff Young was appointed Secretary. Potentially the Unit could do a lot for our 4 Clubs by supporting educational and recruiting efforts. The Unit has over $25,000 in its treasury. But the Unit board has languished recently and its by-laws need revamping. I am absolutely certain things will change for the better under Teryl.

Hey we gotta tournament comin' too also!

Our Tournament starts a week from this coming Friday. Please make an effort to play in as many games as you can. You will see a different aspect of the game which will hopefully encourage one to further their bridge pursuits.

I played in my first tournament at Host Farms in Lancaster Pennsylvania in 1968. Then there was no stratification, no bridge mates, smoking was allowed on the playing floor and chaos reigned. But they had huge turn outs and the average age was much younger than today (lots of college kids). Most Clubs were "owned" by someone and run as a for-profit business. Clubs owned by the members were rare, but there were clubs everywhere. I started duplicate play in the Bangor, Maine Club. There were two clubs, you could play 3 times a week and 15 tables was normal.  Today there is one club, meeting twice a week and averaging 3-5 tables per game. Which really showcases our Club today and why we continue to have a strong performance.

January 27, 2025     Newsletter

Continuing to highlight the Helen Shanbrom Ace of Clubs Master Point Race, we will highlight the 100-200, 200-300, 300-500 and 500-1000 races. These races count only Master Points won at the club level. The count starts on the first of January with whatever total one had at the end of the previous year. The winner in 100-200 category in our Club was Nancy Wood who was second in our Unit. No others placed in the top ten from our Club. In the 200 to 300 category there was no one who qualified. In the 300 to 500 races, Dick Arildsen was the winner by 6 hundredths of a percentage point over Deb Foster.  Dick and Deb placed first and second in our Unit (202) and 26th and 27th in our District, The list is below of those the qualified and earned points. 

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In the 500 to 1000 category, our Club took the top seven places in our Unit. The winner in our Club was Rick Runyan, who was first in our Unit, 10th in our District and 47th in the ACBL. Not far behind in second was Jim Jones, who placed 14th in the District and 73rd in the ACBL. The list is below (the number to the far left is place in the District).

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 Behind the behind-the building.

As always there are key people that get projects done. The behind-the-building yard was no exception. First, the push by Dianne Durand to get the project on the agenda; the Board working to provide a framework and the funding; Jim Kielt searching for a suitable building and closing the deal; Dianne  getting a landscaper to clear the area and provide a pad; Jim overseeing the placement of the shed and getting the concrete contractor in and laying out the necessary work; Stu Graham providing the shelving and building the ramp;  Rick Runyan and Emwynn Smith getting the contents of the shed put back and organized; and finally Jim hiring some help from The Well to clean up the area around the shed, whew!!  There were many others that provided a hand here and there, which is what makes this Club and Bridge Center the great place that it is.

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Limited Game on Fridays:

The Bridge Center has advertised that it would have a limited master point game concurrent with the open game on Fridays. However, we have not been able to find enough players to make up the section. There are many players that would qualify for the limited game but choose to play in the open. In case you were wondering.

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Our Non-Life-Master Tournament is fast approaching. There are four games on Friday and Saturday, you can play in any one or all. The team game (4 players) is on Sunday at 11:30. Check our website under tournaments for more info.

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This weekend is Savannah: pairs on Friday and Saturday 9:30 and 2, Swiss teams at 9:30 and 2 with lunch included on Sunday. Check out their website (Savannah Bridge Club) for directions and particulars.

Newsletter January 20,2025

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This week we will continue to highlight the Helen Shanbrom Ace of Clubs Master Point Race. This race counts only Master Points won at the club level. The count starts on the first of January with whatever total you had at the end of the previous year. The list is the top ten in our Unit (202). In the 20 to 50 Master Points category the winner in our club and 4th in our unit was Nancy Bittner. In the 50 to 100 category the winner was Karen Fleming who also placed 2nd in our Unit. Several others placed in the top ten; the top ten in each category in our Unit 202 are listed below.

  Lets talk Money

As we look back on 2024, the Bridge Club and Center had a good year. Membership grew, lots of new faces, lessons were well attended and our table count was higher. That is saying a lot as many clubs in the past 3 years have folded and many struggle to stay open. Another measure of our success is the balance sheet.

At the end of the year the Club was over $13,000 ahead of last year. The previous year we were only $1300 ahead, so our net increase was up 10 fold. What were the significant changes? On the income side we had a $3750 increase in table fees; $2180 increase in memberships; we had over $9000 decrease in donations; and, an increase in the Marx bequest of $2450 (for a total of $15,280). For the last two years our Club has taken advantage of high interest rates and has invested over $100,000 for a return of over $4200 in interest. In the end we had an overall decrease in income of about $2300.

On the expense side of the ledger: Total expenses were down over $14,300, largely due to a decrease of over $17,800 in capital expenditures (big ticket items like carpet or the roof). Game directors' fees were down nearly $600, bridge supplies down $1457, facilities and grounds maintenance down $4100, Utilities were up over $2170.

Most of the invested money is our capital fund that covers future expenses for things like the roof, carpet, appliances, air conditioning, etc.. The finance committee annually reevaluates these needs and sets the amount we need to have on hand now to be able to handle these expenses in the future. Even though we were $13,000 ahead this year, our direct income of table fees and memberships did not cover our usual expenses. In fact without the Marx Bequest, we would be a substantially different Club.

Perhaps one could consider the Club in their final wishes to ensure we are here in good standing for many more years, like the Marx.

Golden Isles Non-Life-Master Sectional Tournament:

For those that are planning or considering the NLM Tournament coming up here are the particulars: Friday and Saturday, February 14 and 15, the first game is at 9:30 and the second is at 2:00. Sunday, February 16 will be the Swiss Team Game which will start at 11:30 (only one session); . Friday morning and Saturday afternoon are charity games, the fee is $13/game. Friday afternoon and Saturday morning the fee is $12/game. The Swiss Team game fee is $48 (team of 4). There is a $4 fee for those that are not paid ACBL members. You may play in any or all of the five games. The games on Friday and Saturday will be stratified: 0-100, 100-300, 300-750. The Swiss Team Game will be stratified by the Director once the field of players has been set. Drinks and snacks are provided for all games. Penny Hennessy is the Tournament Chair for further information  penh@yahoo.com.

Savannah Sectional Tournament

We got a call from our friends in Savannah for us to participate in their sectional tournament January 31 to Feb 2. Pairs Friday and Saturday, Swiss on Sunday. All games are at 9:30 and 2. Swiss game is $120/team lunch included. If you have questions contact me (Jeff at jeffeyoung@yahoo.com).

Newsletter January 13, 2025

Wow!! We have THREE NEW LIFE MASTERS from the last two weekends. Diane Laws and Barbara Schwarz earned theirs at the Charleston Regional and Joyce Christianson this last weekend. A great big congratulations to all three. 

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This week we will highlight the Helen Shanbrom Ace of Clubs Master Point Race. This race counts only Master Points won at the club level. The count starts on the first of January with whatever total you had at the end of the previous year. The list is the top ten in our Unit (202). In the 0-5 category the winner in our club and 4th in our unit was Betsy Hamilton. In the 5-20 MP category, Amy Bishop was top in our club and first in our Unit and 35th in the District. These are just two of the many races which we will be highlighting in the next few weeks.

Lessons:

The Beginners Bridge first lesson was on Saturday. Still not too late to get started. Ken Trobaugh's lessons start this Thursday at 10. Check out "Lessons/Classes" on our website menu.

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Our Non-Life Master Sectional Tournament

is coming February 14th to the 16th. Now is the time to find a partner and plan on playing. A tournament is a big part of the bridge world. This is an opportunity to play in a tournament at its most basic level. All those nasty Life Masters can't play in this tournament, so the scare has been taken out. Just come and have some fun.

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New faces:

Was nice to see Tom Cole, Merle and Alvin Lewis and Cathy Chicos.Tom is one of our regular and recurring snow geese. We had a nice visit from Peter Isard and wife Margaret (Maggie) Cooke from DC, who were staying on the Island for a couple of weeks.

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The Board of Governor's meeting Monday may be canceled as there was no pressing business. Check with the Director at Monday's game

The back yard is almost finished. Today the concrete was poured for the walkway. The new water line has been installed. Big shout out to Jim Kielt our facilities manager and Dianne Durand for all their hard work bringing these projects to a successful conclusion.

Charity. Each year the Club plays several "charity" games where we donate the proceeds to a local charity. If you have a charity in mind contact any member of the Board.

Newsletter January 6, 2025

Happy New Year

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The Game for Wednesday Jan 8 is CANCELED. The water main will be shut off while repairs to the water entry are made.

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In the last Newsletter I had that the Non-Life Master Tournament in February was limited to players with over 750 Master Points. That was obviously wrong it is UNDER 750 Master Points. oops!

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Lessons start this week: Beginners and Brush-Up  Supervised Play and Learn  Saturday Jan 11 at 10 at the Bridge Center

Lessons starting next week: Lessons from the Road. A review of popular topics gathered by the instructor, Ken Trobaugh.  Thursdays Jan 16 at 10

For all the info go to Lessons/Classes on our website or pick up an information sheet at the Bridge Center

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We will be reviewing the achievements of the Club in the next few Newsletters. This week: Who won the most points playing at our Club and Who played the most times?

I guess it would be no surprise that Ward Schaumberg won the most points at 206.99. Ward is an Emerald Life Master with over 7500 Master Points. Second was his usual partner in crime, Kay Butters with 201.63. Kay is a Sapphire Life Master with over 3500 Master Points. Third was Ken Trobaugh with 177 Master Points. Ken is a Ruby Life Master with over 1500 Master Points. Fourth was Kathy Pennington with 151.62. Kathy is an Advanced NABC Master with over 1000 Master Points. Rick Runyan was fifth with 137.15. Rick is an Advanced NABC Master with over 1000 Master Points. Congratulations to all.

So who plays the most at our Club? Kathy Pennington. She played 168 times in 2024. Second/Third was Ken Trobaugh at 148 times. Tied with Ken was Rick Runyan also with 148. Fourth was Amy Bishop with 137  and Fifth was Kay Butters with 135. Wow that is a whole lotta bridge playin'.

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This Friday January 10 will be a ACBL-wide game dedicated to the Junior Fund. The Junior Fund helps our college and younger players attend National and International Bridge Competitions. In case you didn't know it the Collegiate Bridge Championship currently belongs to Georgia Tech. We played against them in Gatlinburg last Spring. All I can say is, people noticed their presence. Your scores from this game will be compared with scores from all over the ACBL and a recap of the hands will be available after.

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As the new year starts we see a lot of new faces. Debra Schenkel from Delaware. Fred Maione is here hiding from the snow again. Fred is a very good player and is always looking for a partner. Also Lynn Kuglar from the Rome (GA) Club, who will quickly tell you she is not from Rome but the adjacent metropolis of Cedartown. It was nice to see Jud McCranie, who has also become a member of the Rome Club after moving there this last year. Always good to see you Jud.

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The Board of Governors meets next Monday 1-13. No agenda yet. The Game Directors meet the following Monday on the 20th.

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NEWSLETTER   DECEMBER 30, 2024

Lessons:

Beginner lessons will start on Saturday January 11 at 10 and go for 8 weeks. Taught by Ginger Thomas and Lynn Goldblatt

Lessons for the more advanced player will start on Thursday January 16 at 10 and go for 9 weeks. Taught by Ken Trobaugh.

For more information select Lessons/classes on our website menu or pick up a printed copy of the info at the Bridge Center

All lesson are at the Bridge Center.

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Funeral Services for Linda Wright

 Saturday, January 4 at 11:00 at the St Simons United Methodist Church.

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There will be a game on Wednesday January 1, New Years Day

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Golden Isles Non-Life-Master Sectional Tournament

Friday February 14 to Sunday February 16 at the Bridge Center

Entry limited to players who are not Life Masters or have over 750 Master Points

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Speaking of Tournaments:

We have several great tournaments near us coming up: Macon Sectional Jan 10-12, Savannah Sectional Jan 31 to Feb 2, Jacksonville Sectional Feb 21 to 23 and Hilton Head Regional Feb 24 to Mar 2. For more info go to the ACBL website.

NEWSLETTER   December 23, 2024

There is still a couple of games during Christmas week.....

There are games Monday the 23 and Friday the 27, but no advanced beginner lesson. There are no games Tuesday (24), Wednesday (25) and Thursday (26). There will be a game on Sunday Dec 29 if there is enough interest (pre-registration required))

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Let's get started!! 

Lynn Goldblatt and Ginger Thomas will lead our on-going effort to bring new players into the game.

Beginner and Brush Up Bridge * Supervised Play and Learn

8 weeks of playing lots of hands covering popular player topics such as:

Getting started-evaluating your cards and suit ranking; opening bids and responses, basic play and defense, and conventions including Stayman and transfers

Lots of hands to practice play and ask questions

January 11 to March 1  Saturdays  10 to 12 

Cost: $130 includes the book (cash, check, Venmo)

Where: Golden Isles Bridge Center  114 Skylane Ct SSI

Register by Jan 4,call or text Ginger (913-530-1312) or Lynn (678-592-8639)

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Now that you know the basics, how about some whistles and bells....

Ken Trobaugh will lead our continuing effort to help players improve their game. The subjects taught will be topics that his students from the Road Scholar Program found most challenging. You can take the whole course or pick and choose.

Bridge Lessons from the Road

9 week series of some of the most requested topics Ken has taught in the Road Scholar Program

January 16 to March 13, 2025 Thursdays 10 to 12

Where: The Golden Isles Bridge Center

Cost: $10 /lesson, $12/non-Club members

To register or for more info contact Ken Trobaugh at ktrobaugh@comcast.net or 912.638.21422

Topics:

1-16 Limit Raises 3 Card or 4 card support Competitive bidding

1-23 Help Suit Game Try: What does this game invitation require

1-30 Maximal Doubles Another way to invite game

2-6 Defense: Attitude signals; locating honors, When to mislead

2-13 End Play: Putting oppponents on lead with no safe option

2-20 New minor forcing: All the ways it can find a fit

2-27 Jacoby 2 NT & Jordan 2NT: Helping find the right level

3-6 Strong Openings: When its appropriate, how to respond

3-13 NO Trump: In different positions, when do you promise stoppers? When do you promise (semi) balanced distribution

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Golden Isles Non-Life Master Sectional Tournament.

February 14, 15 and 16.

Our Club will host a Non Life Master Tournament in February. Here is a chance for our newer members to take part in an important segment of the Bridge world: tournaments. Those who are Life Masters or have more than 750 Master Points cannot play in this tournament. So for those who lament coming up against the most proficient players, they won't be there. This tournament is meant to be an introduction to tournament play with a more level playing field. This is not a scary event, it is fun event and it only happens once a year at our Bridge Center. So find a partner and plan on coming.

NEWSLETTER   DECEMBER 16, 2024

print copies available on the director's desk and on the website under "newsletters"

Well....At Least Grandma didn't get run over by a reindeer.

Our annual Christmas Party was a hit for about 55 members and their friends and family. The Italian meal was catered by Olive Garden. We also celebrated Eric Andreae's 99th birthday. Many thanks to Judee Brooks who worked tirelessly to make the event a success. It seems that the number who come to the Christmas Party continues to dwindle. Perhaps having a Christmas luncheon instead? Also a shout out to Jim Bruce who has been posting pictures of our events on his website for several years now. Thanks Jim!! The link is on the top of our web page.

Annual Meeting, short and sweet

The election of officers was a pretty dull affair, held in about 10 minutes. Since there were no competitive races those nominated were elected by a motion for the Secretary to cast one ballot for the slate. They are: Dianne Durand, President; Diane Laws, Vice-President; Laura DeMartino, Secretary; Barbara Schwartz, Treasurer; and Penny Hennessy, Member at-Large. All are elected for one year except Penny who was elected to a two year term. Many thanks to those who serve the Club. Many many hours of volunteer time is given to the Club by the Board Members. So please thank them when you see them.

Board of Governor's meeting, trying to get through the jungle in the Outback

The last Board meeting was Dec 9, Diane Laws presiding. Discussion centered on what to do with the back yard. Our 25 year old shed was looking kinda sad. With the next door lot being developed and a fence along the lot line it would make it very difficult to move and/or replace the shed or do any improvements in the back yard. The Board provided for the shed to be replaced a few years ago by putting $6,000 in the capital account. So the Board decided to do the replacement if it could be done within the amount allotted in the capital budget, and get it done before the construction fenced us in.

From the Back Yard to the Front Burner:

On Saturday about a 1/2 dozen good men and women cleaned out the shed (Emwynn and Rick in-charge). The purchaser of the shed came around 1:00 and hauled off the old shed. Monday a company will level the site and on Tuesday the new building will be delivered and placed on the cleared site. The door will face the double doors in the center of the back of the Bridge Center so we can easily move items back and forth when needed. Our facility manager Jim Kielt was able to negotiate a sweet deal for a 10'x14' shed. All the work done will come in under budget.

Special Games

Lot's of colored master points given out this week in the Royal STaC. If you earned points you should have gotten an email.

This week we are doing "Stardust" Games with all points 1/4 Gold. Now is the chance to pick up some gold without going to a Regional or NABC. Many Thanks to Teryl McBurney, our Club Manager, who works hard to see that our Club takes advantage of all the special games that are available.

Monday December 23 will be our monthly Unit Championship Game with Savannah, another chance to win extra points.

Christmas Break

NO GAMES on Tuesday (Dec 24), Wednesday (Dec 25) or Thursday (Dec 26)\

No Advanced Beginners class Friday Dec 20 or Friday Dec 27

There will be games on Monday (Dec 23) and Friday (Dec 27)

New Lessons

Beginner and Brush Up Bridge * Supervised Play and Learn

8 weeks of playing lots of hands covering popular player topics such as:

Getting started-evaluating your cards and suit ranking; opening bids and responses, basic play and defense, and conventions including Stayman and transfers

Lots of hands to practice play and ask questions

January 11 to March 1  Saturdays  10 to 12 

Cost: $130 includes the book (cash, check, Venmo)

Where: Golden Isles Bridge Center  114 Skylane Ct SSI

Register by Jan 4,call or text Ginger (913-530-1312) or Lynn (678-592-8639)

Bridge Lessons from the Road

9 week series of some of the most requested topics Ken has taught in the Road Scholar Program

January 16 to March 13, 2025 Thursdays 10 to 12

Where: The Golden Isles Bridge Center

Cost: $10 /lesson, $12/non-Club members

To register or for more info contact Ken Trobaugh at ktrobaugh@comcast.net or 912.638.21422

Topics:

1-16 Limit Raises 3 Card or 4 card support Competitive bidding

1-23 Help Suit Game Try: What does this game invitation require

1-30 Maximal Doubles Another way to invite game

2-6 Defense: Attitude signals; locating honors, When to mislead

2-13 End Play: Putting oppponents on lead with no safe option

2-20 New minor forcing: All the ways it can find a fit

2-27 Jacoby 2 NT & Jordan 2NT: Helping find the right level

3-6 Strong Openings: When its appropriate, how to respond

3-13 NO Trump: In different positions, when do you promise stoppers? When do you promise (semi) balanced distribution

Newsletter December 9, 2024

HO HO HO

The annual Christmas Party is this Friday the 13th (what could possibly go wrong?). Olive Garden is catering the Party. We are asking members to bring the desserts, so bring something sweet to share. ALSO we are soliciting for winter coats, hats, scarfs, gloves and especially socks; bring to the Bridge Center and Jim will see that they get distributed.

ELECTION BALLOT  To be voted at the Annual Meeting after the Friday Dec 13 game. The period for nominations has closed. The following persons are the nominees for each office.

President: Dianne Durand

Vice-President: Diane Laws

Secretary: Laura DeMartino

Treasurer: Barbara Schwartz

Member at-large: Penny Hennessy

Board of Governors

The minutes of the last meeting are posted on the bulletin board and on the website.

Their will be a Board meeting Monday December 9 after the Monday game. At issue will be the replacement of the laptop computer with a conventional tower; also deciding what to do with the shed and the back yard. This last issue has some immediacy as Woodman's plan to fence in the lot which would make any changes in the back yard difficult. As always any member may attend the Board meeting.

Parking Loop repair

Our Facilities Manager, Jim Kielt reports the roots in the parking lot round turn have been dug out and the area leveled out at a cost of $100. Thank you Jim!

Special Games

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday this week are Royal STaC Games. STaC stands for Sectional Tournament at Clubs. The point awards are 1/4 black/silver/red/gold

December 16, 17, 18, 20 and 22 are Stardust Games with all point awards being 1/4 Gold.

Dec 23 Monday is our Unit Championship Game with Savannah

Thank you Teryl McBurney for all your hard work get these games scheduled, well done!

Movin' on up!!!

In September  Sally Cornell, Charlotte and Andrew Kostelic achieved their Club Master rank (20 MPs)

In October Emily (Sandy) Bair, Lee Knox and Lynn Moses achieved their Club Master rank (20MPs)

In November Carolyn Hearn and Jeff Young earned their Silver Life Master (1000 MPs, 200 above black); Richard Graham earned his Club Master (20MPs) and Betsy Hamilton and Susan Mower earned their Junior Master (5 MPs). A big congratulations to those who have spent many years at the bridge table and those just starting their journey in the bridge world.

Passing on.......

We have received word that Gordon Zeese passed away on December 1. Gordon was a true gentleman with a big heart and a disability that limited his movement. But he never complained and perservered with great dignity. As of yet we have no further details. We wish Gordon and his family Peace.

Holiday closures

The Bridge Center will be closed December 24, 25 and 26, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday..

Newsletter   December 2, 2024

Money, money, money

As we approach the end of the year at the Bridge Center, the Board focuses on how well we did this year and the prospects for next year. One issue was clear, the amount of revenue generated by the games was not enough to cover our usual expenses. But wait, don't we have more money now than we did last year? Ah, yes, this is because of the generous donations of our members, but in particular the Marx's Bequest. In case you are not aware, Leonard and Virginia Marx left the Club a 2% share in a real estate trust in Seattle. This year it generated over $15,000 for the Club. Since we are about $7,0000 ahead of last year, that means we would have been $8,000 short without the Marx's Bequest. It is the feeling of this Board and previous Boards that the "extra" income should be held for the capital budget and special projects, but not for everyday expenses. So the Board at the request of President Durand decided to raise the dues to $35 to help offset the short fall. The only other alternative is to increase the table fees, which the Board decided not to do at this time, since we are in good shape financially otherwise. Our table fees are significantly lower that most Clubs. Savannah is $9 and Jax is $8.

What a Capital idea!

Speaking of money, we will be working on the capital budget for 2025. It was not updated for 2023 or 2024, so it is overdue. The Capital budget is an attempt to project our future needs, how much they would cost and how much we need to put away each year. These are the big ticket items like the air conditioning units, the roof, the carpet, etc. We try to "best' estimate the cost of these items in todays dollars, how long these items are expected to last and how much we need to put aside in each annual budget to accomplish those goals. In 2022 we estimated that we needed to have $66,000 in reserves to cover the capital needs. Considering inflation and the aging of our equipment we will attempt to come up with a reasonable amount that needs to be put aside in the 2025 budget. This is no easy task. Considerable research needs to be done for each item to come up with an accurate assessment. So if you look at our balance statement, and you see big sums in the investment accounts, this is why.

Do do dues, please.......

The annual dues for 2025 are $35. You can pay by cash, check or credit card at the Bridge Center or you can go online. To go online go to our website and click on "Online purchases/donations". And if you can spare a little extra, please make a donation in addition to your dues.

Jingle bells jingle bells.....

Our annual Christmas Party is December 13 after the Friday Game. Before the Party we will hold our Annual Meeting. The Party is being catered by Olive Garden. We are asking our members to bring desserts, so bring your best Christmas sweet to add to the festivities.

We must elect our leaders, oh no!

No the Gods on Mt Olympus do not appoint our leaders; yes it is that time of the year where we must decide who will lead us through this next year. The nominating committee has nominated all the current office holders for the upcoming year. They are: Dianne Durand, President, Diane Laws Vice-President, Barbara Schwartz Treasurer, Laura DeMartino as Secretary and Penny Hennessy for the at-large member. The at-large members are elected for 2 years, 2 one year and one the next. Any member can nominate themselves or someone else for any of the open positions, but you would have to do it by the end of this week so their name can be put on the ballot. For your information the Board of Governors is made up of the four executive offices, three at-large (Gail Manning, Lynn Goldblatt and Penny Hennessy), the Club manager (Teryl McBurney), the Club's Head Game Director (Emwynn Smith) and the Immediate Past President (Jeff Young).

Well now what do we do????

In addition to the elected officers we have many additional positions: The facilities manager is Jim Kielt, he can always use an extra hand. Gail Manning oversees the kitchen. Dianne Smoot is in charge of dealing the boards. Jeff Young works on the website (bridgewebs) and the newsletter. Marie Richardson keeps the membership list current. Lynn Goldblatt and Joyce Christianson do the Facebook page. Judy Brooks is in charge of parties and celebrations. Penny Hennessy is in charge of tournaments. Ken Trobaugh is in charge of the education committee. Barbara Bruce is in charge of publicity/advertising. If you would like to assist or be a part of any of the work assignments, please contact any of the appropriate leaders or any officer of the Club. Without volunteers this Club would not be able to function at the high level that it does.