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Catching Up with Craig
When District 4 ACBL board representative Craig Robinson became the 2011 ACBL President, he decided to do things a little differently. Many new presidents tour the regionals as they pop up across the country. Craig thought it would be better to visit local clubs, where new talent and ACBL members get their start, so planned to visit 100 clubs in 100 days. We caught up with Craig as he completed the East Coast swing of his tour.
NL: Hi, Craig. You have visited a lot of clubs and met a lot of new people in the past months. What were the top three questions people asked during your visits?
CR: By far, the most common question has been, "What is your ACBL number?" After that, people want to know what makes a bridge club good. They also want to know why we reduced the number of charity games or why we don't reduce the number even more!
NL: By the first question about your ACBL number, we assume that someone was trying to enter you in the computer database?
CR: Yes. When I visit each club, I try to play in a game with a club member. When they can't find me in the computer database, they ask for my ACBL number.
NL: What are some of the different club types you have seen so far on the tour?
 | | Craig Robinson with Jan Weber and Laureen Alcock of Shadowfax Bridge Club |
CR: I played in both "member" and "proprietary" clubs. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, but I did notice that member clubs don't have to work for a profit and always seem to have plenty of volunteers willing to help out. I also saw one club at MIT that was corporate-sponsored.
NL: What were some of the "bests" or "mosts" you encountered?
CR: I visited the Hartford Club, which is the oldest club in the ACBL and still going after 80 years. I met Jack Longman of Clearwater, FL, who played with 100 different club members in a year.
NL: What are some other interesting or unusual events that you observed?
CR: There were many, but here are some of the highlights. In the middle of the game in Kalamazoo, it was announced that everyone was invited to Marion Gilbert's house for dinner. I asked my partner in disbelief, "Did they just invite 80 people to dinner?" And they had. At Shadowfax Bridge Club in Chester, NJ, Laureen Alcock had asked her husband to build a house that included a room for a bridge club. He did, but the club has overgrown the room and is now taking over the house.
NL: Those are all great stories. We hope you tell us more when you return from the West.
CR: It's a pleasure to meet bridge players from all over the country and I would happy to tell more of their stories.
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