As the 2018 Denver Regional draws to a close, we are estimating more than 1800 tables in play. This is a significant increase from last year. Our Pro/Am game had 35 tables in play. Congratulations to this year’s winners, George Becker of Parker and Mark Cronshaw of Boulder. Jennifer O’Neill chaired this event, ably assisted by Shelbie Bastiaans and Sheryl Siegel. On behalf of all our players, we thank Gary Zeiger, Director in Charge, and his directing staff. Thank you also to Hanna Brennan, our hotel event manager, for her enthusiastic support.
Bob Stansbury provided supplies and a hard-working set-up crew: Jerry Ranney, Rob Vetter, and Vard Nelson. Betsey Wilson, Charity chair, both baked and got others to bake wonderful desserts for our charity event. About $500 was raised, which will be donated to the JDRF Diabetes Research Foundation.
Pam Root planned our hospitality and staffed the registration desk to provide hospitality all week. She was assisted by a cadre of volunteers. Partnership chair Vard Nelson and his partnership desk volunteers matched up partners throughout the tournament. Vard was also our official photographer. Dan Marthaler served as caddymaster. He is also Unit 361’s treasurer and kept close watch on all of us to be sure that we stayed within our budget.
Unit 361 president Rick Gardner helped out in many ways. Margaret Devere did an amazing job putting together the best Daily Bulletin in the west and leading the transition from a printed to an online bulletin.
Thanks to Rob Vetter, Unit 361 vice president and publicity coordinator. In April, the D17 Scorecard debuted as an online publication and Rob’s technical skills were instrumental in getting flyers and ads converted into a format suitable to be viewed on computers, tablets, and mobile devices. Rob also is responsible for maintaining the unit’s website.
Susan Marshall coordinated our speaker program. Our speakers were Dave Caprera, Flo Newlin, Robert Todd, Dennis Dawson, and Brad Moss. They covered a wide range of topics, and their lectures were well-attended. Robb Gordon, ACBL National Recorder, also offered a special seminar to individuals involed in the disciplinary process.
A special thanks to tournament chair emeritus Jerry Ranney. His knowledge and experience have been invaluable in making the Rocky Mountain Regional a success. He has also provided much needed assistance to me in my first year as tournament chair.
We were pleased to host the GNT finals again this year. All participants receive a mileage reimbursement from District 17, and the winning team from each flight receives $2,000 to attend the National finals at the Toronto Summer NABC.
You, the players, have made this tournament a success. We hope you had fun and enjoyed the newly renovated hotel rooms and playing spaces. We made some schedule changes this year to ensure that players losing in a knockout could always find a team game until the next knockout starts. We also have changed the evening schedule to provide both pair and team events. Feedback about what you liked and what needs to be improved is welcome – please email me at tournamentchair.denverregional@gmail.com.
See you in 2019!
Wayne Eckerling
Tournament Chair