U141: We have seen some good things happening in our Unit. Can you tell us what has been going on?
MG: Like any organization, we need to look for ways to innovate and strive for constant improvement. Over the last two years, Joann Glasson has done a superb job of revitalizing our organization and improving our tournaments. One of the things that Joann did was appoint Meyer Kotkin as our Tournament Chairman. Through Meyer's leadership, we have see major improvements to our sectionals.
One of our innovations was the introduction of "Dupli-Swiss" -- using pre-dealt boards with hand records for team events at sectionals. This has been so popular that we have received requests from around the country for information about how we do it. Look for an article on our Dupli-Swiss in a future edition of the ACBL Bridge Bulletin.
At the beginning of this year, we contracted with Bala Golf Club to use their facilities for many of our tournaments and special events. Having a "permanent" site has been a big winner for us and the people who play in our events. We have proven that if you put on a tournament at a good location and run it well, people will come and play.
U141: What would you say the "platform" for your presidency is? What main goals do you hope to accomplish in the next two years?
MG: I would like to see participation in our tournaments and special events grow. There are over 2600 bridge players in our unit who are members of the ACBL, yet only a small percentage play in tournaments. By continuing to make improvements, I think more players will discover the enjoyment of duplicate bridge. If we make our events appealing, we will attract more of the many players who are out there.
U141: What other goals do you think are important?
MG: Three are many steps we can take. Finding a permanent site was a major one.
Players around the unit who are not regular tournament players often tell me that they do not play because they perceive that bridge players are not nice. Unfortunately, this is true for a small percentage of the players but we can't let a few bad apples spoil the experience for many. The ACBL introduced Zero Tolerance years ago and it was quite effective. We should remind ourselves that we still operate under Zero Tolerance guidelines (see Table Tips below for more on Z-T -- ed.). Our directors and officials will strive to rigorously enforce these guidelines at Unit tournaments. We want to be sure that the many have a fun and pleasant experience that is not detracted by a few.
Now that we have a site that is available for special events, you can look forward to seeing more. We have had great success with special 0-199er Sectionals. Look for more of these in the future all over our unit. We have a new Director of our Intermediate and Newcomer Program, Bruce Lang. He has great ideas on how to bring new players into the game.
An innovative program that we will be conducting around the Unit is Learn Bridge in a Day (LBIAD). This is a one-day session to give an absolute beginner an introduction to bridge. This program was developed by Patty Tucker and has been very successful given in many locations around the country. The retention rate has been over 90% and participants can continue their bridge education with formal lessons and introduction to duplicate play.
U141: What improvements do you see as critical for bridge in the long run, both locally and nationally?
MG: As I have already mentioned, a return to Zero Tolerance is a must. There is no reason why tournaments cannot be fun for everyone.
Technology is very important. The ACBL has been terribly slow keeping up with the times. They are working now to update the technology we use to score and conduct tournaments, but we are getting to the point where we cannot wait. For example, we could benefit from pre-registration for our events. Have you ever wondered why there is such a crowd of people smashed up in front of the scoreboard at a Swiss Event? Our directors still have to post scores and make new table assignments by hand. Why not do this with big monitors or send the information out to smartphones? We're looking forward to the ACBL making great improvements in this area. The unit has purchased Bridgemates for scoring all of our pairs events at tournaments. We hope to be able to expand their use to team events. I hope to see and make many innovations in the future.
Another area is special events. Why not have a Unit Team Championship or a two-day Swiss event? We only have one major Pro-Am a year, but it would be good to expand this idea. We're looking at all of these options.
U141: If you had a magic wand, what three things would change in bridge immediately?
MG: 1) better use of technology 2) a revitalization of Zero Tolerance 3) a stronger national marketing program from the ACBL for attracting new bridge players
U141: How would you like to see the Unit members help improve bridge in our area?
MG: The life blood of our game is attracting new players and the place to do that is in the local clubs. I would like to see more players and more experienced players participate in the club games. We have a lot of clubs in our area spread out in a very large geographical area. Anything we can do to improve attendance at clubs would be great.
Of course, we need volunteers and help with all of our plans. It takes a lot of people and a lot of work to put on our tournaments and other activities. Please come out and volunteer. Encourage your friends to take one of the Learn Bridge in a Day seminars. Many will find out why bridge is the most fascinating game in the world. One of the very good things we have in our area is many, many excellent bridge teachers, including a finalist for Teacher of the Year honors last year. Please take a lesson. Even the top players in the world say they are still learning. The better bridge player you become, the more fun you will have.
U141: Suppose players want to be more involved. What could they do? How would they start?
MG: Never hesitate to email me (mgiesler@comcast.net) if you want to help or to offer comments, suggestions, or questions. If I cannot help you, we have a fantastic team and I can direct your question to any of them. We love suggestions and there is plenty of work for anyone and everyone who wants to participate.
U141: Thanks. We look forward to a busy and successful two years.
MG: Thanks. We do, too.
Was Eliot a bridge player? If so, he would have been happy in Unit 141 in April with so many opportunities to play.
U141: 
We are always looking for the right mix and number of events that we hold in our sectional tournaments. With the increased attendance at Bala Golf Club, we might have the opportunity to either add some events or have a special team tournament.
In the interview with Mike Giesler, he stressed the importance of enforcing Zero Tolerance. What is Zero Tolerance and why is it important? 