June 2008 - 9

The American Contract
Bridge League

From
the CEO

President
Dan E. Morse
Chair, Board
of Directors
Sharon Fairchild
Chief Executive Officer
Jay A. Baum
ACBL Counsel
Peter Rank
Chair, Board
of Governors
Linda Mamula
Board of Directors
District 1 * George Retek
District 2 * Jonathan Steinberg
District 3 * Joan Levy Gerard
District 4 * Craig Robinson
District 5 * Sharon Fairchild
District 6 * Nadine K. Wood
District 7 * Bruce Reeve
District 8 * Georgia Heth
District 9 * Shirley Seals
District 10 * Bill Cook Jr.
District 11 * A. Beth Reid
District 12 * William Arlinghaus
District 13 * Harriette Buckman
District 14 * Sue Himel
District 15 * Phyllis Harlan
District 16 * Dan E. Morse
District 17 * Jerry Fleming
District 18 * Richard G. Anderson
District 19 * Donald Mamula
District 20 * Jeffrey Taylor
District 21 * Roger L. Smith
District 22 * Gayle Andrews
District 23 * Rand Pinsky
District 24 * Alvin Levy
District 25 * Richard De Martino
To contact your district director,
address your e-mail to
district"*"director@acbl.org
(Enter the district number
where you see "*".)

June 2008

On good behavior
In April, I was privileged to be the guest speaker at
the annual District 7 Goodwill meeting, which took place during the Gatlinburg MABC Regional. A major part of that meeting was the introduction of
the 2008 ACBL Goodwill Member of the Year, Richard Caser, of Hendersonville NC (see page 37).
Dick was supposed to have received the honor at the Spring NABC in
Detroit, but bad weather kept him and his wife, Louise, at home. District 7 is
justifiably proud of Dick, so the recognition was delayed until the regional.
As you may know, there are three National Goodwill Committee meetings
each year, held on the first Monday of each NABC. Since 1985, the meetings
have been hosted by Aileen Osofsky, Goodwill chair.
Aileen's tenure is the longest of any chairperson since the committee was
created in 1955 and made permanent by the ACBL Board of Directors two
years later.
Aileen has done a sensational job of promoting goodwill in all ACBL
venues, from clubs to NABCs. In fact, it was her idea to name a Goodwill
Member of the Year, which started in 1990.
In my mind, fostering goodwill is a key to the long-term growth and prosperity of the ACBL.
Aileen likes to tell people that it's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice - and I couldn't agree more.
Duplicate is a competitive game, and it's not unusual to feel a bit of tension
when you're trying to figure out a tough bid or play. That makes it doubly
important for everyone to work at showing respect and courtesy to their opponents, especially those who are new and perhaps lacking a bit of confidence.
It may sound cliche to say it, but we must all remember that we as ACBL
members have only one chance to make a first impression. If new players -
prospective new members - have a bad experience in their first duplicate
game, they won't be back.
I'm convinced that our efforts to promote goodwill are paying off. Consider
this: In 2003, about 50% of new members renewed after the first year. Today,
about two-thirds of those who join the ACBL renew for that second year. We
have found that when a player signs on for a third year, they are likely to stay
on our membership rolls for a long time.
Let's all get behind this. The effort has a payoff that benefits everyone.

Viva Las Vegas
On the subject of new players, I'm sure you are aware that our NABCs are a
great venue for beginners - and the next chance for newer players to get into
the swing of duplicate at a major tournament happens this summer.
The 2008 Summer NABC is July 17-27 at the Las Vegas Hilton. It wouldn't
surprise me if this tournament breaks the record set
in Las Vegas in 1991 (24,221 tables). I hope you are
planning to be part of the excitement. More details
are available starting on page 10.
Jay Baum, CEO
9

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2008