Only one day separates December 31 and January 1 but let’s stop and think about the real difference in the two of them. December
31 is the end, the last, the final day. It brings with it memories of
what was and/or what could have been. It brings thoughts of
happy times and sad times. Times that are seared into our beings for
reasons known only to us. January 1st is the beginning, the start
and the first day of a new year. It spreads out before us with
anticipation, with possibility and of course, the unknown. It is a time
for resolutions of eating less, exercising more, being kinder to all
and just being a better person.
Happy New Year – may 2012 be everything you want it to be.
Our
annual meeting and party was enjoyed by 20 ½ tables. Lots of good food
(thanks cooks and bakers), great bridge and the results of the voting.
I was reelected, thank you for your vote of confidence. Paul Zittel and Tova Reinhorn
were both elected to 3 year terms. Thanks to all who ran for the board
this year and all past years, your interest in serving is very
important to us. The old and new board members met Tuesday, December
20. Officers were elected, committee appointments were filled and the
new board appointed Elaine Moon
to fill Frank Kidd’s position. Elaine will serve this year until the
next election. I am excited about the people who make up the Board of
Directors and look forward to giving the bridge community lots of
opportunity to play this amazing game.
The Winter Sectional
was enjoyed by 133 tables. That is an increase of 16.5 tables over last
year. Great bridge (see results on this web site), friendly atmosphere
and lots of food. That sounds like a bridge player's dream. We send
thanks to Mother Nature for cooperation, sun and above normal
temperature. A HUGE "Thank You" to Fran Kurtz, chair of this event. Wonderful job!! Thanks also to Mike Roberts
our director. He managed with good humor and timely decisions. Another
thanks to all who pitched in with clean-up. There is real truth to the
saying "many hands make light work". At the end of a long
weekend, everyone wants to leave but many, many "hands" remained until
all work was done. Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!
Embrace the NEW of the New Year with kindness and understanding.
After
75 years Buffalo Whist
Club
is closing. For the last decade and more The
Whist Club has been sharing the bridge facilities of the Zion United Church
of Christ in Tonawanda with the B&P Duplicate
and later with Bridge
Club Meridian. The Monday Night Game was "The Game" in Buffalo
- drawing the top players in the area in a high level competition.
Starting November 7, 2011 Bridge
Club Meridian - in an attempt to preserve the spirit of
the Whist Club
- will offer a continuation of the Monday evening games at Zion UCC -
same time, same place, same tradition!
• • •
Joel Wooldridge: 2011 Player of the Year
The ACBL is pleased to announce Joel Wooldridge as the 2011 Player of the
Year. Several impressive national wins this year including the Norman Kay
Platinum Pairs, Silodor Open Pairs, and United States Bridge Championships along
with a second place finish in the Baldwin North American Open Pairs helped
Wooldridge claim this great achievement.
The honor of Player of the Year is awarded to the ACBL Member who wins the
most platinum masterpoints in a calendar year. Wooldridge’s 6th place finish in
the Keohane North American Swiss Teams at the Seattle NABC secured him the
award, giving him a 0.95 edge over Bobby Levin.
A former junior player, taking the honor of the Youth Player of the Year in
1996, Wooldridge, now 32, has an established career in duplicate bridge.
Wooldridge remembers fondly on his first trip to the local bridge club. “It
was just before my tenth birthday and I went and played a club game with my
father. Our goal was to not come in last,” he said. “We came in second to last,
went out for ice cream to celebrate and I was hooked.”
His career first place finishes include the 2001 & 2005 World Youth Team
Championships, 1997 Lebhar IMP Pairs, 2003 Fast Pairs, 2009 Roth Open Swiss
Teams and Freeman Mixed Board-a-Match Teams, in addition to his 2011 wins
previously mentioned. Wooldridge was also member of the Bathurst Team, one of
the two teams representing the United States in the 2011 Bermuda Bowl.
Be on the lookout for a full interview with Wooldridge in February’s Bridge
Bulletin.
Interviews with Joel:
----
•
• •
Check the Duplicate Bridge
column in The Buffalo News each Saturday for weekly game results and
other announcements. Unfortunately, space there is limited,
but additional results, more complete
announcements and other information can be
found in the weekly Internet version of the column at www.buffalonews.com.
For quickest results, search the words "duplicate bridge" and
Saturday's date. For the latest information and detailed game
results directly from the clubs, check the web sites of clubs in Western
New York. ...
Welcome
to the Western New York Unit 116 website. Our unit of over
500
dedicated bridge players is part of the American Contract Bridge
League’s District Five. Geographically, we encompass the
counties
of Erie and Niagara, at the eastern end of Lake Erie and western end of
Lake Ontario, in New York State. We often have players from
across the Canadian border playing at our clubs.
Our goal is to
promote bridge and support local bridge clubs.
We have six open, active clubs. We host three sectionals each year –
January,
April/May, and September – as well as a Non-Life Master sectional in
the summer. The District Five Regional is held at the end of
October and famously titled “Spooktacular”. Numerous unit
games
are held throughout the year.
We publish a
bi-monthly newsletter,
Bridge Buff,
for and about its members. It regularly includes extensive
interviews with several members, an interesting bridge hands and
analysis, and perhaps a good recipe enjoyed at a Unit game.
The "Bridge Buff"issues were retrieved
starting with issues back in the past. You can read old and
current issues to see where
we
were and where we are going as a bridge community. There was a gap in
publishing from March to October 2007, when the bridge community was
torn apart by controversy and the Buff was on hold.
Help preserve the bridge history of Unit 116 by downloading the files
and saving them - you will never know when and who from the future
generations will read them.
