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President’s Message
by John Sharpe – President, Calgary ACBL Unit 390
June 2024
I am pleased to report that the Membership of Unit 390 increased to 934 from 901 over the period April 1st 2023 to March 31st 2024. This should be compared with the overall ACBL, where membership declined by 2.1% in 2023 leaving 129,131 active members. Not long ago there were over 160,000. District 18, of which this Unit is a part, was virtually static with an increase of 0.09%. The ACBL are very concerned with their membership losses and have initiated a program to encourage units to actively engage in membership recruitment. If they do not do so there will be a reduction in the amount of membership rebates.
The Sectional Tournaments over the past year had attendances of 200 tables in September 2023, 257 in January 2024 and 235.5 in May 2024. Although the May attendance was down from January, the Spring Sectional in 2023 had only 195.5 tables so the trend is still upward. The May Sectional was held at a new location, the Doubletree formerly the Clarion. I was not able to attend but I am told that the venue was accepted as a distinct improvement with plenty of space around the tables and an excellent lunch. Thanks to Lois Matton and her volunteers for organising.
Everything costs more these days and that certainly applies to the table money at the North American Bridge Championships in Toronto. The fees range from $64 to $34 per session. However, there is a Maple Leaf discount of $14 per session if you are a Canadian resident, a member of the ACBL and the Canadian Bridge Federation (CBF). That discount easily pays for your membership in the CBF, which is $25 per year.
There have been questions asked as to what exactly does the Unit do for the membership? It represents you, the Unit 390 members, and interfaces with the ACBL. The Unit 390 board is your voice. The Unit organises the Sectionals, both the three main ones and the two 299er ones. They are big events and take a lot of effort by the Unit and a host of volunteers. There is also the Rookie Master Swiss team event, the mentoring program and the Bid and Play hosted by Delores Hedley.The Kibitzer is a semi-annual newsletter reporting news and results and offering a variety of excellent articles written by volunteer contributors. Then there is the website, which is full of useful information to keep you up to date with what is happening in Unit 390. Clubs and teachers are able to request posts about their upcoming events and lesson programs. You also can send messages to the Unit membership. Thanks to Daniel Bertrand, Judy Gartaganis and Terri Bedard. There are travel subsidies available for the Grand National Teams, North American Pairs, Canadian Bridge Federation Championships and the World Championships. New members receive a welcome package that includes two free plays, a convention card cover and the telephone booklet. Thanks to Bob and Shirley Macleod for organising. The bottom line is that the Unit and the volunteers provide support and opportunities to all levels of bridge player.
The Unit recognises the work that the Calgary Community Bridge League (CCBL) has done in creating the Calgary Bridge Centre, which is the main venue for face-to-face bridge in Calgary. Consequently, the Unit is donating $5,000 to the CCBL. This money can be spent in whatever direction is appropriate since no tax receipt is required.
This concludes the report.
John Sharpe
President
Calgary ACBL Unit 390