The biannual Richmond Memorial Day Regional is history and the overwhelming opinion was it was very successful. Sporting a new schedule format, different days and revamped hospitality times, the tournament bucked both the national and regional trend of declining attendance by holding steady.
The tournament attracted 1,654 tables, down just 35 from 2017, only a 1.4% decrease compared to most tournaments which are running a decrease of 10-15%. District 6 is experimenting with a new format, holding the two session games during the day at 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. with only single session games at night. This necessitated moving the hospitality events to after the morning game and before the afternoon games. The days of the tournament were changed to start on Monday and run through Sunday, eliminating playing on Memorial Day. The weekend attendance was significantly higher than two years ago.
George Lewis and Jacki Shuman chaired the event for the eighth consecutive tournament. Congratulations to them and their committee chairs for a great tournament. Committee chairs were John Kloke, partnership; Mimi Pustilnik, prizes; Debra Gardner and Frances Terminella, I/N partnership; Ellen Shuman, information deak; and Barry and Winnie Fratkin, hospitality. Thanks, also to the many volunteers who assisted with these committees.
Complete results are listed on the RBA and ACBL websites.
The new Friendly Bridge class for newcomers began again on Sunday, March 17, 2019. No registration required. Just show up at the Bridge Center (1911 Bishop Road, behind Krispy Kreme just west of Staples Mill and Broad) on Sunday between 5:30 and 5:45. The lessons are from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. You will receive a FREE BOOK, and the first 4 lessons are FREE! At week 5, you will pay $4.00 per week. Please come and try bridge out. You will learn a new skill while meeting some very nice folks. It might be the best decision you ever made! Feel free to come join us any time.