Not So Far Away Anymore

When I first signed on to be chairman of the first ever Charlottesville Regional bridge tournament, it seemed so far away. All of a sudden, it's just a little more than a month away, and things are coming together quite nicely.

Planning has been work, indeed, but it hasn't been the nightmare everyone seemed to think it would be. We had enough time that most things were pretty well spread out, and of course lots of great advice from other MABC tournament officials. We've been finalizing lots of details this week. McKenzie got our registration gifts ordered, and we predict they will be a big hit. Since this may be the only regional Charlottesville ever gets (and because we might get more of them if it is a good one), we want to make sure to focus on the players. We're stretching our budget as much as possible to provide good gifts and hospitality, and we put a lot of thought into what those gifts would be.

We've still got a little bit of work to do as far as door prizes. This isn't a requirement, but we'd like to do it, so we're going to go out and try to get donations from nearby restaurants and retailers. That's one of the things we've been putting off, though, because it seems like a drag. We've got our committee chairpersons in place, and we're very thankful for everyone who's volunteered to help so far.

My mom, Nan Massie (CHObridge at aol dot com), is the partnership chairman, and she would like some folks to step up and be guaranteed partners, and also partnership desk helpers. If anyone is interested in helping with that, please send her an email. We need volunteers to man the registration desk as well, so you can email me or leave a comment here if you'd like to help hand out the gifts. All desk volunteers (partnership and registration -- prize desk is covered!) will work 30 minute shifts either before or after the sessions, and will receive a free play for every two volunteer shifts.

The last thing we need volunteers for is the hospitality. If anyone is interested in bringing food for the hospitality suite on any evening of the tournament, these donations will be greatly appreciated! Again, comment or email me if you'd like to help with this, or just want to help with preparations in the hospitality suite.

All volunteers will receive free plays and access to the exclusive tournament VIP suite, where there will be private hospitality for the tournament committees. That's where you get to hang out with us:)

We were pleased to learn that the entire hotel is almost completely booked with bridge players. That's a very good sign for our attendance, and we can't wait to see this all come together. We hope to see you there!