[SBU Board] Fwd: Update from the 5/28 Board Meeting?

JC Chupack jc.chupack at gmail.com
Thu Jun 4 19:37:57 PDT 2020 

More info from Julie below...

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: District Nineteen <d19director.acbl at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jun 4, 2020 at 2:22 PM
Subject: Re: Update from the 5/28 Board Meeting?
To: JC Chupack <jc.chupack at gmail.com>


JC,
Here are responses to the issues you raised in your last message. There are
a couple of things I cannot answer without checking with Those Who Know,
and I will list those, and get back to you when I do know the answers.
Until then:

   - I am assured that unit games are OK to run. I don't know if there is
   anything more to know about this, but I can ask.Sectionals and Regionals
   online. At present, the ACBL plans to run some kind of special event every
   month. The idea, as I understand it, is that one month it will be an event
   that will directly benefit the ACBL, and in alternate months, the event
   would be something to directly benefit clubs. So, in late June, the ACBL
   will offer another regionally-rated four-day tournament with funds to go to
   ACBL. The Silver Linings event, just last week, was a benefit for clubs. I
   don't think firm plans are made for anything past the end of June just yet.
   One comment: the ACBL regional held at the end of April was
   intentionally priced high, so that it would not be such a severe
   competition for clubs.
   - It is also worth mentioning here that there is very likely to be some
   kind of new policy about sectionals and regionals in the future...who can
   hold them, who will profit, who might be allowed to play. And what about
   online play after the pandemic is over? The new task force established to
   study online bridge has this issue as their jobLive play guidelines. I
   agree that investing in a lot of costly equipment is not going to be the
   best solution, at least for most clubs/units/districts. The ACBL is working
   hard to give some guidance, and they have promised something soon.
   - SYC fees: Clubs can now opt in to electronic payments, as opposed to
   mailed checks. This is going to make transfer of funds a lot easier for
   everyone.
   - I have heard nothing about a change in fund distribution for SYC
   games. I would be extremely surprised if something like that were to
   happen, at least in the near future.
   - Fee allocations for SYC games, as far as I am aware, go to a player's
   home club. If a player happened to play some percentage of time at one club
   (in the last year) and some percentage in another club (or clubs), then the
   player's fees would be divided fairly among each of their clubs, matching
   the percentage of time the player has played in each. For your information,
   the SYC game funds do not go to the ACBL, they go to clubs. The ACBL does
   take their $0.25 sanction fee, and BBO takes their cut. After that, all the
   money goes to the club(s). SYC club funds go to the player's home club(s)
   whether or not the club happens to be offering virtual games.

So, things I will check on and answer later include:

   - How can players access information about where their funds go (SYC vs
   virtual clubs).
   - Anything else you might need to know about offering unit games on BBO.

Please share with your interested parties, and look for further
communications from me when I can tell you more.
Julie

On Wed, Jun 3, 2020 at 5:39 PM JC Chupack <jc.chupack at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Julie,
>
> Thank you for the responses and updates. Below are responses to responses,
> where I thought it might be helpful. I also wanted to ask a new, separate
> question -- *is there a method for clubs to run unit games on BBO yet or
> will there be?*  Our unit typically hosted unit events at various clubs
> and ran monthly unit games at local clubs, with some separate
> prizes/awards, and we'd continue to allocate those to clubs if we know they
> can use them.
>
> *Responses:*
>
> *Sectionals/Regionals*
> As mentioned in our board's response, we completely understand the
> technical challenges to running tournaments at unit/district level at scale
> and agree with a decision to not run sectionals/regionals in the interim. I
> will also say that, as our unit's secretary dug up the proposal as written,
> the fee split that was proposed would have been such that our unit would
> not have been willing to run a sectional. We would prefer to see 25% go to
> our area clubs vs. to the ACBL, particularly if the ACBL is also requiring
> us to still pay director, table, and sectional fees. (We, of course, can't
> give money to clubs due to tax laws limiting transactions by non-profit
> organizations.)
>
> One aspect that was not clear is whether the ACBL intends to run
> sectionals and regionals, however.  The motion wasn't specific on this
> front, and we do know they've already held a regional without any input
> from units or districts. Would the ACBL's activities not similarly
> disadvantage clubs?  Is there to be a motion also prohibiting the ACBL from
> running further sectionals & regionals?  (I suspect I know the answer is no
> and that the ACBL does plan to keep running these events -- if so, I'll
> note that I don't think it will be taken favorably by units or districts if
> the ACBL continues to usurp those tournament types without using them to
> help districts and units financially in some form.)
>
> *Live Play*
> We did see the World Bridge Federation put out guidelines for live play.
> Speaking for our unit, the financial requirements associated with those
> guidelines would make live play not a realistic possibility in the near
> term.  Site costs in this area are such that our tournaments tend to run at
> break-even or a little under; raising rates has been on our radar but not
> yet proven necessary.  But investing in a large amount of costly equipment
> (e.g., tablets per player, plexiglass screens) for a short-term issue would
> not make sense for us. I'd expect the ACBL to have similar guidance, but
> we'll see what comes out!
>
> *SYC Fee Allocations*
> Re: SYC allocation - thank you for confirming. And yes, the clubs have
> received it as of now.  At the time we were posing the question, we were
> being told clubs hadn't gotten those payments yet...but that seems to have
> been just a timing issue.
>
> There were rumors that the ACBL was going to cut the club's allocation to
> 50% for the SYC games specifically. Please keep us apprised if there are
> plans to change those allocations. Our members are playing in the SYC games
> (and we're advocating for them as a unit) on the basis of the clubs getting
> ~75% of the fee.
>
> The board did have another question about allocations -- how players can
> confirm how much of their entry fee is going to each club. The notes
> mention it being split among the "clubs you play at the most", but it's not
> clear how that is being determined. (By days? Sessions?  What about clubs
> that aren't running Virtual club games?  Are they still being given a
> share?)  Board members were also interested to be able to view their
> specific allocation so they could make a determination of whether to play
> in the SYC vs. a Virtual club (if their preferred club had games).  It
> seems like this is a one-time calculation per member that could be posted
> into MyACBL, right?  Or minimally, it could be available *somewhere* for
> members to review if they want to know.  Are there discussions or plans on
> how to publish this allocation per member?  Also, there were edge cases
> that were unclear -- what if a player hadn't been active at a live club in
> the past year but is now active in SYC online?  what about new members?
> Etc.  We'd appreciate having more detail on how this is being handled. We
> do have members in the unit that are hesitant to play in SYC games because
> they don't understand the allocation and are worried that it's ending up in
> the ACBL's pockets vs. their clubs (rightly or wrongly, this is a concern
> we've heard) for a myriad of reasons. As I/we mentioned, trust in the ACBL
> is lower than it should be.
>
>
> Thanks again, and please do feel free to "overcommunicate."  Don't worry
> about filling our inboxes. More info is better than less right now!
>
> --JC
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Jun 1, 2020 at 1:42 PM District Nineteen <
> d19director.acbl at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hi again, JC.
>> I am glad I double-checked about the SYC fees, as it turns out I had the
>> numbers a little bit wrong. Here is the accurate information today:
>> In both Save Your Club games and Virtual Club games, BBO gets the first
>> 3.5% to cover credit card fees. Of the remainder, BBO gets 25% and the
>> clubs get 75%. The club then pays the ACBL a sanction fee of $0.25 per
>> player.
>> Julie
>>
>> On Mon, Jun 1, 2020 at 10:06 AM District Nineteen <
>> d19director.acbl at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Good morning. I will attempt to give you some answers for the questions
>>> you asked last week.
>>> First, the motion to allow units and districts to sponsor online
>>> sectionals and regionals was defeated by the Board of Directors. In my
>>> opinion, this was the right decision at this time.
>>> There may indeed be a future in which units and districts can run online
>>> tournaments, but there needs to be significant development in technology
>>> before this can happen, according to ACBL management. In addition, a
>>> broader strategic discussion is needed, regarding tournaments, both in
>>> person and online, in the coming months and years.
>>> It has become apparent that this motion, if passed, (and if possible to
>>> execute at all at this time), would likely have had a devastating financial
>>> impact on clubs.
>>> A new task force has just been formed to work intensively over the next
>>> four months, with the directive to study and to make recommendations
>>> regarding the future of online bridge in the ACBL.
>>> Second, you asked about the future of live bridge, and the need for more
>>> frequent guidance for the league to assist in planning for 2021. I can tell
>>> you that some locations throughout the ACBL are beginning to open up
>>> somewhat. I understand that clubs in a few locations are planning to
>>> restart, and I also know that a few regionals upcoming in various parts of
>>> the continent have not been cancelled.  For instance, I am aware of plans
>>> to hold a regional in Montana at the end of June. There is no ACBL-wide
>>> mandate permitting or forbidding live play. These decisions need to be made
>>> by each local organization as they think best. In the meantime, ACBL
>>> management is working to put together some recommendations for resumption
>>> of live play that will supplement directives from national,
>>> state/provincial and local governments. I anticipate seeing something from
>>> management in the next week or so.
>>> You also asked about the allocation of Save Your Club fees between
>>> clubs, BBO, and the ACBL. (I was just about to give you some figures here,
>>> but I have realized that I was about to give you amounts for the virtual
>>> club games and not the SYC games. If I may, I will check on this and get
>>> back to you later today. I don't want to give you the wrong numbers.)
>>> I apologize for the late arrival of my last newsletter. I have no excuse
>>> other than difficulty getting an appropriate mailing list together. I think
>>> I have that problem solved now, and I will do my best in the coming months
>>> to keep you better informed.
>>> Look for another message from me today, regarding the SYC fees.
>>> Julie Smith
>>>
>>> On Sun, May 31, 2020 at 5:41 PM JC Chupack <jc.chupack at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Could we get an update on what occurred at the board meeting?  Our
>>>> unit's regular meeting is 6/1, and we'd like to be able to discuss and make
>>>> decisions based on the vote outcome.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> JC Chupack
>>>> * Seattle ACBL Unit 446 <http://www.bridgeinseattle.org> President,
>>>> Web/Email Admin, & Publicity Chair
>>>> * Lead Technical Product Manager, Zulily <http://www.zulily.com>, Inc.
>>>>
>>>>
>
> --
> JC Chupack
> * Seattle ACBL Unit 446 <http://www.bridgeinseattle.org> President,
> Web/Email Admin, & Publicity Chair
> * Lead Technical Product Manager, Zulily <http://www.zulily.com>, Inc.
>
>

-- 
JC Chupack
* Seattle ACBL Unit 446 <http://www.bridgeinseattle.org> President,
Web/Email Admin, & Publicity Chair
* Lead Technical Product Manager, Zulily <http://www.zulily.com>, Inc.
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