December 2002 Column

San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif. Unit

Our next social event will be a New Year’s Eve celebration featuring a champagne disco with hearty hors d’oeuvres at 7:30 p.m. We’ll mix, mingle and might even sing and dance until bridge begins at 8:30 p.m. We intend to limit attendance to 26 tables. Reservations will be accepted on a first come first serve basis. So, avoid disappointment. Get your reservations in early.

Welcome and best wishes for an enjoyable experience to Aruna Desu, our newest member. Congratulations to Jan Mrazek and Bill Rabin, who are our new NABC Masters.

At October’s Unit game, the winners were: A Overall: Daisy Straus & Carla Van Zuiden, Frank Jackson & Shirley Frisby and Albert Malouf & Leonor Frankel. B Overall: Pauline Berkow & Ronald Kauffman, Betty & Victor Szteinbaum and Fran Ball & Marjorie Johnson. C Overall: George & Sasha Orenburg tied for first with Arlie Lamb & Louly Geer. Third place went to Selma Mittelman & Janis Paslin-Diller.

Our members were active in October on the tournament trail. My scouts tell me members played in the Oregon Coast and Hollywood Park Regionals and the Sonora, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and Glitter Gulch Sectionals. Our top winner was Hamish Bennett with 44.02 MPs, all won on the Oregon Coast. Trailing behind Hamish were Tania Moalem, Don Doolittle, Dan Stowell, Paul Cornelius, Janice Nakoa, Leila Gaines, Gilbert Ramirez, Mie Thiemmedh and Joanne McConnell.

Don Doolittle and Dan Stowell had four firsts overall each and Janice Nakoa had two firsts. Most of the others listed above had one first. In addition, Yatindra Sahae, Hanan Deeby, Bernard Figueiredo and Rajeev Gupta had one first.

Incidentally, our data sources for the awards are internet listings of overall results only. Sectional wins are not posted so it is possible that some winners above had more points than we found and the order of finish could be changed. Also our inexact methods inadvertently omitted a fine September for Dee Sauer, for which we apologize. Please advise if you do well somewhere on the tournament trail so that we will be sure to include your accomplishments in the "Forum."

Don’t forget the Western Conference Holiday STAC event featuring beaucoup silver points at our regular games from December 17th thru December 23rd. If you don’t win points, you can always try to take 25 cents away from Marian Jarrett at Gin Rummy. Ed King and Carl Witkovich have tried and failed. Nanci Gilchrist has succeeded.

If you’re running late, need a partner or want to reserve a table call the club at (650) 344-4919. For other club information, see Andrew Binstock’s web site (www.meckwell.com/unit498). E-mail, fax, or drop off material for this column in the club suggestion box. Please include your name and phone number in case I have any questions.

—Paul Levine pblevine@juno.com, Fax: (650) 593-2572