PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

My first year as Unit president has been both rewarding and challenging. I thank the members of the Board, as well as many other Unit members, for their suggestions and assistance as I've settled into this position.

The most recent Unit events were very well-attended. For the August sectional, there were 135.5 tables over the course of the 3 days, including 23 teams at the Sunday Swiss game. The Pro-Am, held on September 14th, had 13 tables. The results for these and other events can be found on the Unit website.

Efforts directed at member retention have been productive, providing us with 15% of the unit's total ACBL membership dues. Recruitment efforts have largely focused on bringing in newer players. Page 4 of the newsletter discusses this both in terms of the Intermediate/Newcomer committee activities as well as the ACBL's own recruitment efforts. My thanks to Chris Thorn, Amy Nellissen, Marlene Case and the members of their committee for their hard work.

It's also election season! Not just for U.S. president, but for the Unit 106 Board of Directors. You can find the slate of this year's nominees on page 3. Some are continuing members whose terms are expiring; others are new to the Board. Unit 106 members with email addresses listed with the ACBL will be receiving electronic ballots again this year. Please watch for these sometime after October 15th. Be aware that they may come from an email address that you don't know. You should, however, be able to identify them from the subject. Unit members without emails will again receive postcards in the mail with the nominees listed on them.

We are now offering the ability to find partners and/or teams in advance of unit events. If interested, contact Marty Becker mbidds43@yahoo.com and indicate the event(s) for which you need a partner/team and how many master points you have.

If there is anything that you think will improve this newsletter - interesting articles, challenging bridge hands, etc. - please let me know.

Best,
Carole Gelfer