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President’s Report 

Jack LaVigne
President District 16

On behalf of District 16 I would like to wish you a Happy New Year filled with joy, health, and success. Here's to a bright and wonderful 2025 with lots of bridge in your life!

 

North American Pairs

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The District 16 North American Pairs (NAP) finals are scheduled to take place in Austin on January 11‑12. For more details, please refer to the flyer and the article here by District 16’s NAP Coordinator, Larry Davis.

Jump Start Bridge 

Membership growth remains our top priority, and Patty Tucker has made significant strides with the Jump Start Bridge program. This initiative, which includes setting up bridge exhibits and booths at Gifted and Talented Teacher Conferences in states across the country, is achieving remarkable success (see December 2024 ACBL Bridge Bulletin, page 27.

Most recently, the program traveled to San Antonio, for the conference held there on December 3‑5. Sally Sassen of Austin graciously volunteered to host the event. After completing training in Atlanta, she ordered and prepared all necessary materials before heading to San Antonio to set up the booths. Sally was joined by Betty Starzec, known as the “teachers’ teacher,” who delivered a compelling presentation to a packed audience of educators. Additionally, Allison Freeland, the ACBL Educational Foundation’s treasurer, handled the bookkeeping with precision.

 

Jump Start Bridge

 

Their efforts were nothing short of extraordinary: they signed up 93 teachers and more than 5000 students! This incredible achievement is a testament to their dedication and hard work. On behalf of District 16, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to these outstanding women for their contributions.

This success story brings a renewed sense of optimism for growing our membership, especially among the younger generation ‑ a bright ray of sunshine for the future of bridge.

Introducing Bridge to Your Friends (semibold)

If you're looking to spark a friend’s interest in bridge, I highly recommend an application on BBO called, Just Declare (make link). bbo_just_declare.jpg The app makes it easy to dive into the game. With a click of a button, the bidding process flashes on the screen, and your friend can jump straight into playing hands against robots. To get them started, you can provide a quick rundown of the basic rules and guide them through their first hand. After that, they’ll be ready to explore and enjoy the game on their own.

This format is especially appealing to younger players who are drawn to interactive computer games, making it a great way to introduce them to the world of bridge. From my experience, newcomers pick it up quickly and have a blast.

 

“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” –Thomas Jefferson

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