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Unit 131 Board agenda – Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019, 10:30 AM – meet at tables in foyer of bridge area

Let’s always be reminded of our priorities (let’s measure our success in early 2020):

  • Great tournaments

  • More Swiss teams; and more events for newer players

  • Pleasant environment at clubs

  • Grow unit

  • Engage “old guard” and newer players actively

  1. 10:30 AM - Well wishes to unit members who are ill and/or recovering (who has names?).

Remembrances of unit members who have recently passed away.

  1. 10:35 AM – Tournaments scheduled through 2021

  2. GNT and NAP 2019 qualifying (Vicki)

  3. NAP -

Qualifiers for NABC = top 3 "A" pairs and top 4 "B" and "C" pairs; NABC NAP competition is in Columbus: Flight A = March 18-19, flights B and C March 28-29 – good luck!

  1. GNT - Encourage more C teams!

District GNT finals at OKC Regional March 7-8, 2020 (no buy-in)

NABC GNT finals in Montreal, July 16-26, 2020

  1. Future Unit 131 tournaments – Tory, Alan, Richard, Randy, and?

  2. 2019

  3. Dec. 26-31, Regional, Sheraton OP - update

  4. 2020

  5. April 3 - 5: The J, Overland Park, KS

  6. June 26 - 28: Marriott, Blue Springs, MO

  7. Aug. 28 - 30: Marriott, Blue Springs, MO

  8. Oct. 23 - 25: The J, Overland Park, KS

  9. 2021

  10. April 2 - 4: The J, Overland Park, KS

  11. June 11 - 13: Marriott, Blue Springs, MO

  12. Aug. 27 - 29: Marriott, Blue Springs, MO

  13. Oct. 22 - 24: The J, Overland Park, KS

(Note: Depending on the Chiefs schedule, the October dates in 2020 and 2021 could shift. Also, we are in the process of confirming all the locations, so they could possibly shift, too.)

  1. 10:50 AM – Recommendation (if any) from Tournament Committee - Tory

  1. 10:55 AM - Unit finances - Jim Dorman and Rajeev Bansal

  2. Financial results from Winter Sectional: Jim, Rajeev

  3. Posting meeting summaries and financial statement: our website, bulletin board – when?

  1. 11:10 AM - Unfinished Business

  2. Do all Board members have name tags? Let’s wear them.

  3. Contact with local ABA unit – Lee Marks and Ivan Smith; Tom Cranshaw – next steps in 2020?

  4. Visiting other Unit 131 clubs in 2020: Norm, Robert, Bar, Max, Beth, Becky, who else?

  1. Plans for a printed 2020-2021 Unite 131 (and 234) directory…

  2. Aim for April 1, 2020 mailing (done with prep by March 1)

  3. Action Mailing and Printing, Liberty, MO

  4. Include a Declarer in the mailing, a letter from the President, and an absentee election ballot

  5. ~$3300 for both

  6. E-mail monthly reminders to people to update their contact info on the ACBL site; announce at all clubs repeatedly, flier on bulletin boards

  7. Each club owner gets a stack for their club

  8. Who can help sell ads (divide up one per board member?), at what price?

  9. Jim Masilamani – Topeka

  10. Liz – Manhattan

  11. Grant – Lawrence

  12. Danny – Conroys – Aline sold them an ad!

  13. Local teachers

  14. Mo-Kan – Kathy Rolfe – Norm sold her a half page ad!

  15. Barb Hicks and Trice Massey

  16. John Knox – Becky is contact

  17. Jack Spear – Max McGinn is contact

  18. Don Childers

  19. Alan Hierseman – Tom Cranshaw is contact

  20. Sheraton – Tory sold them a full page ad!

  21. Other? John Stewart?

  22. Directory committee members: Steve Crutcher, Rajeev Bansal, Nancy Trager, Robert Weaver, Norm Kahn, Jim Dorman, Becky Walker, Alan Hierseman, Kathy Breen, Tom Cranshaw, who else?

All Board members are ex-officio on this committee. We’d like to get everyone to sell one ad.

  1. Eight is Enough tournament in Lawrence, Sunday, March 15, 2020; partnership chairs: Aline Zimmer and Grant Sutton

  2. PR?

  3. Mixing A’s and C’s (Malcoms and Muirs have volunteered, others?)

  1. Growing Unit 131 membership – focus groups (A players, C players, Club owners/directors): report from Robert, Bar and Norm

  2. Lessons for new players

  3. Young people, schools, high school and college bridge leagues (like chess leagues), Scout Merit Badge (like chess),

  4. Retirees

  5. Social and duplicate players at the same time

  6. Mentoring games

  7. A and B players mentor C and I/N players, once every other month with mentees? (like Florida)

  8. Opening day of the regional, draw names out of a hat for mentoring games (like CO regional)

  9. or auction opportunity to play with mentors ($ to charity)

  10. “Eight is enough” teams: 0-499 = 1, 500-999 = 2, >1000 = 3, teams may not have more than 8 points

  11. Unit Swiss on Sundays for I/N only

  12. Norm and Robert visited with Kathleen McMahon to discuss how to attract party bridge players to duplicate

  13. she recommends facilitating a duplicate party for party bridge players in many communities in NW MO

  14. going to existing party bridge tournaments in small communities of NW MO to donate prizes, like free plays at local duplicate clubs

  15. how to facilitate the transition of students from our lessons to playing in club games

  • she recommends arranging partners early during the lessons, so they can play together and plan together to go to club games

  • another idea was a sign-up sheet on the Unit or Studio bulletin board for people to create partnerships.

  • she also liked the idea of mentoring games.

  1. Spending the unit treasury on priorities (thank you to Susan Urich, Robert Weaver, Vicki Muir, Bar Kaelter, Rajeev Bansal, Jim Dorman, Steve Crutcher)

  2. ~$80,000; must save $26,000 to protect against bad weather at the Holiday Regional; maybe have ~$5500 each year to move toward our priorities?

  3. Attractive amenities at the Holiday Regional – yes, first priority – what are they?

  4. A couple of free plays for graduates of bridge classes, subsidize I/N events – yes, first priority – how to make it happen ASAP?

  5. Update on slate for May 2020 Unit elections – Robert Weaver

  1. 11:40 AM - New business

  2. Open letter to Unit and District Presidents

  1. Noon – Adjourn

  2. next meeting?


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