Bridge Blog 1139: Marching along

 

Well, we’ve tramped up to the end of the first quarter of 2021 and the path ahead is clear, the lines of progress in this pandemic point race are set. For instance, I’ve settled into a leisurely pace of about 6 points per month. So let’s go to the ACBL and see what’s shaking as of March 31.

Ace of Clubs (club play only). Unit 116 (just Buffalo). Gold Life Masters (2,500 to 3,500 points).

Even those Weltes have slowed down a bit. After averaging 90 points a month in January and February, John and Martha added only 60.09 in March. They now stand at 239.79, far, far ahead among us Goldies. They’re also still tied for first among all players in the unit.

There are just 10 of us Goldies in Unit 116, so here’s all the rest of us:

Holding their places in this list and among all unit players are Ken Meier with 67.33, up 22.90; and Allen Beroza with 62.55, having added 20.66.

I’m still fifth with 19.21, up 8.44 since February. I’ve improved among unit players, though. A month earlier, I was #42, now I’m #33.

Again in sixth place is Bill Rushmore, who picked up just 3.86 in March. He’s #51, down from #47. Seventh-place Fred Yellen also had a slow month, gaining only 1.25 points. His 10.48 makes him #65 overall, down from #50. Davis Heussler brought in 1.74 to reach 8.35. He used to be #64, now #84.

Sharing the bottom rung are Art Morth and Pat Rasmus, both with 1.16. They’re also tied at #172 among all players in the unit.

Ace of Clubs. Unit 116. All players.

Way, way, way ahead are John and Martha Welte with their 239.79, but quite a scrum is developing behind them among those six players in the 60-point range. Here’s how they line up.

Barbara Libby, still third, with 68.70, which is 17.20 more than she had a month earlier. Nipping at her heels in Jim Lanzo, seventh a month ago and now fourth, having added 26.01 points to reach 68.43.

After that, it’s Ken Meier, 67.33; Martha Townson, 66.67, 21.24 better than February; Vic Bergsten, 65.47, a 21.79 point improvement; and Allen Beroza, 62.55.

Rounding out the Top 10 are Sandi England, 53.67; and Sharon Benz, 46.53. Eleventh-place Judi Marshall would want to be mentioned since she’s so close to tenth with 45.04. And while we’re at it, let’s give notice to Larry Himelein, who’s next with 44.12, and Gay Simpson, lucky #13 with 43.68.

OK, let’s do the rest of teens – Amita Arora, 40.66; Violet Makhija, 33.87; Bram and Terry Hamovitch, tied with 32.98; Linda Henschel, 31.50; and Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, tied at 30.50.

Mini-McKenney (club points plus tournament points). Unit 116. Gold Life Masters.

Pretty much the same numbers as Ace of Clubs, except for the Weltes, whose grand total is 255.18, an increase of 71.60, and Davis Heussler, who got a bump back in February. Here’s the list:

John and Martha Welte, 255.18; Ken Meier, 67.33, sixth overall; Allen Beroza, 62.55, eighth; moi, 19.21, #35; Davis Heussler, 17.25, #43; Bill Rushmore, 13.53, #54; Fred Yellen, 10.48, #68; and the tie between Pat Rasmus and Art Morth, 1.16, #173.

Mini-McKenney. Unit 116. All players.

After the Weltes, a couple of surprises. Ahead of Sapphire Life Master (3,500-5,000 points) Barbara Libby are a couple non-Life Masters – Jim Lanzo, ranked as an Advanced NABC Master (300-500 points), and Martha Townson, who’s just a Sectional Master (100-200 points). It helps, of course, that they can play in the novice games, where they dominate. Here’s the list:

John and Martha Welte, 255.18; Jim Lanzo, 79.24; Martha Townson, 73.11; Barbara Libby, 68.70; Ken Meier, 67.33; Vic Bergsten, 66.45; Allen Beroza, 62.55; Amita Arora, 54.32; Sandi England, 53.67.

And in the teens – Sharon Benz, 46.53; Judi Marshall, 45.04; Larry Himelein, 44.12; Gay Simpson, 43.68; Dian Petrov, 42.60; Violet Makhija, 33.87; Bram and Terry Hamovitch, 32.98; Linda Henschel, 31.50; (tie for #20) Marilyn Wortzman and Jim Easton, 31.46.

Ace of Clubs. District 5 (Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh). Gold Life Masters.

Here again, the Weltes have a lock on this division and Buffalo players hold four of the top five positions. Here they are:

John and Martha Welte, 239.79 (also first among all players in the district). Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, 91.65 (fourth overall). Ken Meier, 67.33 (#16). Allen Beroza, 62.55 (#24). Doug Snyder of Shaker Heights, Ohio, 55.59 (#31). David Norris of Rocky River, Ohio, 46.76 (#45). Peter Merker of Mentor, Ohio, 45.04 (#48). Gary Sikon of Cleveland, 33.61 (#92). And the lone Pennsylvanian, Jack Hawthorne of Valencia, 32.05 (#99).

Let’s do the teens, too. I’m in there. Jayne Stahr of Stow, Ohio, 25.55 (#133). Ronald Sain of Indiana, Pa., 22.49 (#156). Vicki Goodykoontz of Morgantown, W.Va., 20.88 (#174). Moi, 19.21 (#198). Kenneth Eichler of Murrysville, Pa., 19.14 (#199). Carolyn Sullivan of Richfield, Ohio, 18.50 (#211). Barry Boyd of Wheeling, W.Va., 17.81 (#227). Leroy Hackenberg of Pittsburgh, 17.67 (#231). Marcella Retetagos, also of Pittsburgh, 16.57  (#249). And sitting at #20, another Buffalonian – Bill Rushmore, 13.53 (#298).

Ace of Clubs. District 5. All players.

John and Martha Welte, tied at 239.79. Richard and Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, not tied. Richard has 95.06. Monica has 91.65.

Then we have perennial point-gatherer Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh with 88.58, followed by a bunch of Ohioans – Davis Bonner of Mentor, 82.09; Gary Cole of Norwalk, 73.97; Sue Becker of Canton, 72.01; Robert Ryan and Macedonia, 70.85; Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, 70.75; and at #11 Chris Murphy of North Canton, 70.65.

After that, Buffalonians dominate the teens. Barbara Libby is #13 with 68.70. Jim Lanzo is #14 with 68.43. Ken Meier is #16 with 67.33. Martha Townson is #17 with 66.67. Vic Bergsten is #19 with 65.47. And let’s not forget Allen Beroza, even though he’s just #24 with 62.55. For the next Buffaloon, you’ll have to scroll down to me at #198.

Mini-McKenney. District 5. Gold Life Masters.

Totals are a little different, but the order is the same until you get down to where I am. Robert Zimmerman of Pittsburgh has snuck ahead of me. Here’s the top 20:

John and Martha Welte, 255.18 (also, no surprise, first among all district players). Monica Early, 91.65 (#5). Ken Meier, 67.33 (#25). Allen Beroza, 62.55 (#28). Doug Snyder, 57.39 (#33). David Norris, 54.95 (#34). Peter Merker, 45.04 (#51). Gary Sikon, 33.61 (#99). Jack Hawthorne, 33.25 (#102). Jayne Stahr, 25.55 (#142). Ronald Sain, 22.49 (#166). Vicki Goodykoontz, 20.88 (#185). Robert Zimmerman, 20.41 (#192). Moi, 19.21 (#209). Kenneth Eicher, 19.14 (#210). Carolyn Sullivan, 18.50 (#222). Barry Boyd, 17.81 (#237). Leroy Hackenberg, 17.57 (#242). And at #20, another Buffalonian, Davis Heussler, 17.25 (#252).

Mini-McKenney. District 5. All players.

On top, of course, are John and Martha Welte with 255.18. Richard and Monica Early of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, are not third and fourth, however. Slipping ahead of them is Erin Gonzalez of Mars, Pa., who’s reached the century mark – 100.76.

Then it’s the Earlys with 95.06 and 91.65, respectively; Reanette Frobouck of Pittsburgh, 88.58; and a big jump up by Bruce Cahoon of Silver Lake, Ohio, who’s seventh with 86.41. He’s followed by Davis Bonner of Mentor, Ohio, 82.09; Gary Cole of Norwalk, Ohio, 81.98; and Amy Goddard of Hartville, Ohio, 81.25.

Heading the teens are Buffalonians Jim Lanzo, 79.24, and Martha Townson, 73.11. After that are a bunch of our folks in the 20s – Barbara Libby at #24, Ken Meier #25, Vic Bergsten #26, Allen Beroza #28. Down in the 30s, we see Amita Arora at #35 and Sandi England at #36.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

The Weltes got 70+ points in March, but it wasn’t enough to keep them in a second-place tie nationwide. The guy who passed them in February – Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J. – increased his lead. As of March 31, he  has 339.88 points, 127.76 more than he had a month earlier.

Moving up to second place from fifth is Hal Jones Jr. of Lorton, Va., who accumulated 114.96 points in March, to reach 280.17. Slipping into third place is last month’s sixth-place guy, Stephen Donohue of Riverwoods, Ill, who collected 111.22 points and has 270.14.

John and Martha Welte are tied for fourth with their 239.79. After them is former-fourth place player June Patton of Brevard, N.C., with 226.94, having picked up 55.62 points.

Sitting seventh is Yacob (Jacob) Rubinstien of Holland, Pa., with 220.01, who’s 64.89 points better. Eighth is Jim Loffree of Naples, Fla., with 218.67, followed by Judy Hansen of Eagan, Minn., with 192.44, and Mark Crumrine of Ocala, Fla., with 176.36.

Further down the list we notice frequent opponents Danny Ioannidis of Grassie, Ont., at #29 with 117.44 and Jane Jennings of St. Catharines, Ont., at #226 with 58.97. District 5’s Monica Early is #68 with 91.65. Unit 116’s Ken Meier is #159 with 67.33 and Allen Beroza is #193 with 62.55. The list of 500 ends at 38.49 points.

Ace of Clubs. Nationwide. All players.

Continuing at the top of the heap is Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J., with 384.17, bolstered by another 132.42 points in March. Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore., retains her hold on second with 343.17, which 114.43 better than a month ago. Third again is Goldies’ leader Piotr Olszewski with 339.88.

After that, it’s David Rosenblatt of Palmetto Bay, Fla., with 311.83, who was eighth a month ago; Sundaresan Ram of Tucson, 304.16; Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, 302.18; Stephen Gladyszak of Newton Center, Mass., 297.50; Tom Rutledge of Charleston, N.C., 297.15; Mel Norton of Burlington, Ont., 288.24; John Brady of Jacksonville, Fla., 287.47. On deck in the teens are Hal Jones of Lorton, Va., 280.17; John Onstott of New Orleans, 274.45; and Dolores Aquino of Houston, 272.45.

The Weltes, tied for #13 a month ago, are tied for #27 now. Our old friend Rashid Khan of York, Ont., is nearby at #30 with 235.37. Nobody else from Unit 116 is on this list of 500. It ends at 97.88 points.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. Gold Life Masters.

Looks pretty much the same as the Ace of Clubs, though the numbers are slightly different – Piotr Olszewski, 353.59; Stephen Donohue, 294.56; Hal Jones, 280.17; the Weltes, 255.18; June Patton, 229.32; Jacob (Yacob) Rubinstien, 220.01; Jim Loffree, 218.57; Mark Crumrine, 211.76; and Judy Hansen, 192.44.

District 5’s Monica Early is #75 with her 91.65. Ken Meier’s here at #171 with 67.33. So is Allen Beroza at #206 with 62.55, not too far ahead of Jane Jennings from St. Catharines, who’s 3210 with 61.97. This list stops at 40.09.

Mini-McKenney. Nationwide. All Players.

The news here is not the supremacy of Judy Rothstein of Livingston, N.J., who’s sitting on top once again with 386.27 points. It’s the rise of Irva Neyhart of Portland, Ore., who’s second with 363.72, and Piotr Olszewski of Hackettstown, N.J., third with 353.49. They bumped last year’s champ, Mark Itabashi of Murrieta, Calif., who slipped from second to fourth with 337.35, after a mere 105.04-point month.

The rest of the Top 10 list includes Stephen Gladyszak of Newton Center, Mass., 317.23; David Rosenblatt of Palmetto Bay, Fla., 311.83; Sundaresan Ram of Tucson, 304.16; Milton Neher of Richardson, Texas, 302.18; Tom Rutledge of Charleston, S.C., 297.15; and Peter J. Boyd-Bowman of Greensboro, N.C., 295.65.

John and Martha Welte, tied for #15 a month ago, drop to a tie for #25 with their 255.18 points. And who should be sitting there in front of them at #24 is Rashid Kahn’s partner, Vera Carpenter, with 256.92. Rashid is #31 with 246.54. He’s one rung ahead of the legendary Jeff Meckstroth of Clearwater Beach, Fla., who has 245.41. No more familiar names on this list. It stops at 102.92.