Vox Populi
by paul cronin on
May 19th, 2010
It would appear from responses to previous threads that the way to “save” duplicate bridge is to get it back into the hands of the majority of players – perhaps those having less than 5000 masterpoints. As Canadians, we face two problems in doing this: (i) there is no Canadian Contract Bridge League to govern the rules and regulations of the game (ii) the members of the ACBL Board of Directors are elected by the members of the various Unit Boards – not by the ACBL membership at large. The first point subjects us to the American paranoia regarding litigation, and the second to an ACBL Board of Directors with virtually no grass roots accountability.
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A word from Vox Pop,
The Voice of the People of Canada should be united under the banner Canadian Contract Bridge League…
Paul, you and your fellow comrades have the opportunity to create a bridge league that is generous, devoid of petty politics and interested in marketing ” with a smile” a generous portion of titles, “meritpoints” and so many other goodies ( trophies, bridge books, T-shirts, hats, mugs and the list goes on ).
Just keep it simple…no complicated rules, just good old fashion clean fun for all. Litigation is waived and volunteers are those green shoots of grass that use the internet to set schedules for tournaments and discuss in forums how to keep the game going. By the way, speaking of grass roots, go with the clubs and BBO for qualify partnerships for Grand National types of events. Don’t be paranoid about cheaters, collect their money, as they will get weeded out at the higher levels of play. No professionals need apply, as their total contribution is chump change in the grand scheme of things.
Pros are but a weed in your grass roots movement!
How to run the greatest tournaments in the world? Just ask Martha Beecher or Grace Matthews, the two warrior ninjas famous for holding the largest tournaments ever run anywhere in the world.
Make sure to run so many Nationally ( example: First Time Duplicate Entrant National Winner ) rated events for every flight during every Regional. Never make a deal with the host hotel for rates, which are always higher than if they just go to one of the travel sites.
Finally, let the President, Board of Directors and CCBL dignitaries volunteer their time and energy, as in no free plays or rooms. You’ll need that money for your players.
In other words, go to the opposite end of the spectrum and create a bridge league that does not COPY the ACBL…..
More Later
Your man in the street
Glad to be of service!
Paul:
Bridge today at the club level is a serious problem. I don’t think restricting it to players with 5,000 or less masterpoints is the solution. Better yet, why don’t the Canadians go all out to train their directors about both infraction of rules, how to handle them and also explain how important deportment is at the table. And besides, those in the 5,000 or over category are expected to live by the same rules — or else. No exceptions!
It is just not going to happen on its own. Bridge needs all the help it can summon and people like you (who are aware of the many stumbling blocks) must lead the way.
Good luck!
Judy