D22 Announces New COVID Policy
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D22 regional tournaments will no longer require proof of Covid vaccination.
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Masking is still recommended if an attendee is at high risk for severe illness.
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If a masked partnership requests their opponents wear masks, those opponents are expected to comply.
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Masks will be available at Directors’ stations.
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If you don’t feel well, please forgo playing.
David's National Dialogue
David Lodge
Regional Director
National Board Rep
Lamya's
Lowdown
Lamya Agelidis
District 22 President
Accepting Goodwill Nominations
Nominate candidates for the Goodwill Award
using the nomination form by September 30
Accepting D22 Board Nominations
for 2024
Interested in shaping the future of District 22? Three openings are available (one each from Areas 2, 3 & 4). Excluded are Units 531, 534 and 538 which are currently represented. Make your request through your Unit president.
All nominations must be in writing and sent to District Secretary Vicki Graves by October 1, 2023. (Lvgraves@swbell.net).
The NAP club qualifying season ends August 31st. Refer to the following list to see whether you’ve qualified.
A “Q” near your name will earn you the opportunity to play in our District Finals which will be held at the Duncan Bridge Center in Rancho Mirage, following the Palm Springs Regional. Three separate games will be held for flights A,B and C in a two-session event on Sunday December 17th starting at 9:30AM.
DORMANT PLAYER OUTREACH
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Current ACBL members in D22 who have not played bridge since before Covid will be receiving a free play in the mail. This coupon may be redeemed for a free entry at any club game in district 22. You can find games in your area here.
1000 free plays were sent in an effort to encourage a return to face-to-face bridge. We hope that this program will encourage dormant players to return to the club and respark the mental and social stimulation associated with this amazing game.
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https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-2015/bridge-for-brain-health.html
Please email Christine with questions: cd3nny@gmail.com
The All-Western
NiteClub
Starting Aug 1st 2023, any player can play in our Monday - Thursday 6:30PM PT "All Western NiteClub", VACB904227, as long as they meet the master point criteria for that game.
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The All-Western NiteClub, a cooperative effort sponsored by five neighboring districts (D17/D19/D21/D22/D23) is a virtual club for players with less than 200 points. We now offer two games nightly (Monday through Thursday), one for 99ers and one for 199ers. Refer to the updated flyer for more information.
A highly qualified team of directors/instructors run these games and the ensuing postmortems, and we are very appreciative of their dedication to the program.
Mondays: Lynn Yokel, directing and Liz Erling teaching
Tuesdays: Lunn Yokel directing and Wirt Gilliam teaching
Wednesdays: Ellis Feigenbaum directing and Paul Darin teaching
Thursdays: Will Watson, directing and teaching
Update to Vaccination Policy for Sectionals and Regionals
Effective May 15, 2023, tournament sponsors will be responsible for deciding whether Covid-19 vaccination is required for their tournaments.
This change in policy from the ACBL Board of Directors will affect regional and sectional tournaments. The ACBL will continue to require Covid-19 vaccinations at the NABCs.
Tournament sponsors (units and districts) must clearly state their policy on the tournament fliers, which will be posted to the calendar on the ACBL website.
If the flier does not show the vaccination policy, please contact the tournament chair.
Please note that a new member survey will be offered in April.
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Covid Protocols for National, Regional and Sectional Tournaments EFFECTIVE December 30, 2022
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Based upon guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the following will be in effect:
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1. VACCINATION: All staff, players and volunteers must have been vaccinated no less than 14 days prior to the event in which the player wishes to purchase an entry. (While the ACBL does not require booster shots, the CDC highly recommends the latest booster shots.) Unless prohibited by law, each player must provide proof of vaccination to the Event Safety Coordinator or a member of their staff. In areas or locations where requiring proof of vaccination is prohibited by law, the event sponsor must put in place other precautions, such as mandatory rapid COVID testing and mask requirements. Please check with the Tournament Chair for any changes or updates to this policy.
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2. MASKING: Masks are optional. Players, staff and volunteers are advised to check the COVID-19 Community Level rate as determined by the CDC or a similar metric from a local health agency in making their decision on masking. Masking is recommended if an attendee is at high risk for severe illness or otherwise is a member of a vulnerable population.
If a masked partnership requests that each of their opponents wear masks, those opponents are expected to comply. This ACBL policy does not countermand any ordinance or law in effect at the site of the tournament.
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3. HAND SANITIZER: Hand sanitizer must be readily available inside the playing area.
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4. EVENT SAFETY COORDINATOR: Each tournament sponsor must provide a designated Event Safety Coordinator, who will be available to review proof of vaccinations, provide masks, etc.
Big News for
Face-to-Face
Tournaments!
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Have you joined us at an in-person regional or sectional tournament lately? If not, now is the best time to start!
The ACBL has just introduced two new programs that will make attending face-to-face tournaments more exciting than ever.
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Jump Ahead with a 20% Overall Award Increase
That’s right! Earn a 20% upgrade on overall awards when you play at face-to-face regional and sectional tournaments.
This special award increase is exclusive to in-person regionals and sectionals. We’re celebrating the growing comeback of face-to-face tourneys, and we hope you’ll join.
The 20% overall award boost will apply to all face-to-face tournament events from May 30, 2022 to May 28, 2023. That’s almost an entire year of chances to rake in the rewards! Yes, all D22 Sectionals starting now will benefit from this boost as well as the Ventura and Palm Springs regional this year!
Skip the Line with Entry Express
Have you heard about Entry Express? It’s the new ACBL online portal that allows you to RSVP to face-to-face tournaments and even buy your event entries ahead of time!
Entry Express was available at the Spring NABC, and attendees were thrilled to no longer wait in line. Now, the ACBL rolling it out to all U.S. open regional tournaments beginning in June - You’ll be seeing it at our own Ventura and Palm Springs regionals later in the year!
If you haven’t already tried it yet, consider it before you purchase entries to the next Sectional, Regional or National you attend! Advance entries for all these events are available through the ACBL’s Entry Express system.
To use Entry Express, go to
members.acbl.org/tournaments. You can purchase entries until midnight the day before the event begins.
For more info, see acbl.org/entry-express
D22 Launches an
Education Grant
Program
Consistent with its mission of promoting duplicate bridge and specifically programs of education for its membership, District 22 has launched an education grant program, encouraging grant proposals from member units and clubs that focus on bridge education and membership building.
A selection process is then applied, and if accepted, a monetary stipend is issued to the submitting entity. Upon competition of the “project”, we will encourage sharing of their accomplishments to promote best practices within the district.
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Click here for more details.
NEW! LOCAL SECTIONALS
ACBL has introduced Local Sectionals. These tournaments replace the previous “Downgraded” Sectionals. Local Sectionals award masterpoints at full Sectional rating; the points are 80% Silver and 20% Black. Local Sectionals may be run by a certified (see below) Club Director or Tournament Assistant. Each Local Sectional will have an ACBL Tournament Director assigned to it; this TD will not be at the playing site but will work with the local staff to answer questions and handle file processing.
Criteria
To qualify as a Local Sectional, a tournament must meet the following criteria:
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Anticipated attendance of no more than 25 tables per session
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No more than two sessions per day and six sessions in total
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No more than two different events per session
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Pair games must be single-session (two-session team games are permitted)
Application Process
Applications for Local Sectionals should be created and submitted through TourneyTRAX as with any other tournament; select tournament type “Downgraded”. Once the application is approved, ACBL may contact you with questions about your event schedule, anticipated attendance, etc. Please have these things worked out before submitting the application.
Note that any previously sanctioned Downgraded Sectionals will now be Local Sectionals. ACBL will contact you if changes to your staffing or schedule are required; in most cases you should be able to run as planned.
Staffing
ACBL is developing a process to certify Club Directors as qualified to run a Local Sectional. There will also be training and resource materials available at no cost. Until that process is in place (anticipated Spring 2023), only those who have passed the Tournament Assistant exam may run a Local Sectional. Information about the new process will be communicated when it becomes available.
Questions about Local Sectionals can be sent to tournaments@acbl.org. .