PRESIDENT'S REPORT

January and February are always busy times for the GNYBA. As soon as we have wrapped up the Winter Regional (a break-even success this year), we're busy running the Pro-Am and Newcomers Weekend, the Betty Kaplan Teams and the Grand National Teams. A lot of effort for what this year produced rather disappointing results.

Many of those who participated complained about the dearth of advertisingsomewhat of a contradiction when you think about it. Truth be told, there were flyers in all the clubs and the dates had been published in the November Post Mortem. Those with e-mail got notice via the bridge mailing list that is voluntarily maintained by Adam Wildavsky. Even so, participation in all these events was down. The Pro-Am posted 44 pairs, down from almost 70 last year. The Newcomer Sectional had three tables on Saturday afternoon. The Betty Kaplan Teams shrank from 29 last year to 19 this year. And the total turn-out for the GNTs was 14 Flight A tables, 5 Flight B tables and 7 Flight C tables. (As an aside, Long Island had zero Flight B tables show up for their event!)

Could it be that these are events whose time has passed? Are they simply another casualty of a much too crowded ACBL tournament calendar? (We had to run our events opposite the Allendale Sectional.) Or has the decline in club play made using the clubs as a channel for information an ineffective medium?

I don't know the answer, but I do have a big concern. Especially because our next big tournament, The Eastern States Regional, will soon be here (May 21 - 26) and it's through the clubs that the GNYBA has planned to coordinate hospitality volunteers and player transportation to and from Stamford.

Within the next few weeks there will be flyers with the tournament schedule available in all the clubs. In addition there will be sign-up sheets posted in the clubs for people willing to help out with pairing, prizes and hospitality and those just looking for or able to provide a ride to the tournament. All you have to do is indicate your name, the day(s) you want to play and/or volunteer and a phone number where you can be reached. The Transportation Committee will then coordinate the lists and provide drivers and riders with the name and phone number of the person(s) with whom they have been matched.

For those whose plans are not set enough in advance to sign up for a ride, we will also post train schedules in the clubs. Stamford is an express stop from Grand Central (45 minutes each way) and the station is a short five minute walk from the hotel.

So you can start planning your play dates now, the full schedule for the tournament, which includes the always popular Green Point Pairs and the Goldman Pairs, is printed on pages 12-13. In addition to the good mix of events for players at all levels, we'll be providing free refreshments at this tournament, an amenity most players come to expect at Regionals but which we haven't been able to afford at New York-based tournaments. All in all, these six days in May are planned to be fun filled and memor[ial]able in every way!

As an update, Deals on Wheels, which was launched in December by the GNYBA, is alive and well and thriving in the Bronx. Volunteers have been teaching computer skills every Wednesday to seniors at Aging In America and teachers and seniors alike are loving it. A training session was held in late January for a second group of volunteer teachers and we hope to get a second pilot program under way over the next several weeks.

For those who are not familiar with Deals on Wheels, it is an initiative of the GNYBA to bring Internet bridge to seniors at senior centers, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities and even at home. The objective of Deals on Wheels is to use computers to provide seniors with companionship and connection through the fun of bridge and the excitement of the Internet. If you think you may want to become involved or simply want more information, you can call Deals on Wheels at 1(800)270-1691.

And finally, now that all the master points for the year have been recorded, congratulations to Jason Ciano for winning the Bronze Life Master Master Point Race for 1996just 18 points ahead of Kent Mignocchi.

See you in Connecticut.

Bonnie Gellas