NEW LIFE MASTERS IN RENO

Wayne Kaneko of Ewa Beach HI became the first new Life Master here in Reno. Kaneko was playing in the Educational Foundation Knockouts with partner Barbara Simon, also of Ewa Beach, and teammates June Lucas of Reno and Nancy Riely of Honolulu HI.

Caryl Garlock of Urbandale IA also earned her gold card in the Educational Foundation Knockouts. Garlock played with partner Amy Young of West Des Moines IA and teammates Don Flanagan and Donna Flanagan of Bettendorf IA.

Chris Karabinas of Tucson AZ became a Life Master playing in Friday’s Stratified Senior Pairs with partner Harold Feldheim of Hamden CT.

Ginny Poulter of Redwood City CA and JoAnne Murdoch of Yuba City CA have been playing as partners on the Internet for the past two years, but the first time they met face-to-face was yesterday. They celebrated by finishing sixth in the B/C/D Open Pairs. That gave Poulter more than enough gold points to become a Life Master.

Edward Sutcliffe of Sonoma CA won one bracketed knockout and tied for third in another, giving him more than enough points for his gold card. He had two partners in these events – Doug Allan of Manassas VA and Dale Rodgers of Fort Lauderdale FL. Their teammates were Rosemary Reitz and Jack Hillner, both of Ventura CA. The KO win was dramatic. Down 23 at the half, they outscored their opponents 59-2 in the second half to win by 34.

Collene Maktenieks of Alpine Meadows CA also went over in the bracketed knockouts. Her partner was Leonidas Maktenieks, and their teammates were Elaine and B.J. Jordan of Austin TX.

Gloria R. Weltz of Santa Barbara CA didn’t waste any masterpoints en route to becoming a Life Master here. She came to Reno needing 26.08 points. She won a bracket of the knockouts that was worth 22.93 points. Then she finished third in a compact knockout consolation for 3.15 points. Add ‘em up – exactly 26.08. Her partner in both events was Shi Yan of Delta BC. Their teammates were Patty Hurlbert of Santa Ynez (who became a Silver Life Master the previous day) and Guoxu Zhang and Gary Ge of Vancouver BC.

Beryl Higgs of Halifax NS got all the golds she needed (5.55) in the bracketed knockouts. She actually won 7.28, partnered by Mary MacKay, also of Halifax. Their teammates also are from Nova Scotia – Douglas Miller of Dartmouth and Patrick LeBlanc of Halifax.

Bert Sheldon of San Antonio also went over the top in the bracketed knockouts – and one of his teammates was Beryl Higgs, who became an LM the night before. Sheldon needed 5.05 golds when he came here, but he already has won more than 10. He was partnered by Paul Sitz of Minneapolis. Once again Higgs’ partner was Mary MacKay.

Lili Nagle Williams of Antelope CA needed 8 gold points when she arrived in Reno. She placed first in Strat D of the B/C/D Pairs for 5.69 and first in Strat D of the B/C/D Swiss Teams for 3.41. Her partner in both events was her husband, Stephen Williams.

Don Waddell of Bettendorf IA needed 2.18 points, so the 3.19 he won in the bracketed knock-outs was more than enough for a gold card. He was playing with his wife Elaine, and their teammates were Donna and Don Flanagan. “I didn’t play for about 25 years,” said Waddell. “When I took up the game again, I called the ACBL and they found all the points I won 25 years ago.”

Jane Barber of Beaverton OR went over the top in a bracketed knockout event.

Sandy Wold of Shingle Spring CA got her gold card in the bracketed knockouts. Her teammates were Dave Baskin and Dave and JoAnn Bennett.

Carl Brame of Tacoma WA became a Life Master as a result of points won in the bracketed knockouts.

Greg Svendsen of Anchorage AK, who is making a comeback after 20 years away from the game, went over the top in the bracketed knockouts. This is his first NABC, “and I’m having a great time. I’m playing three times a day.” His partner was Robert Hill of Anchorage, and their teammates, all from Anchorage, were Peggy Pfeifer, Kathy Centoni, Wonnie Duncan and Sandra Singleton.

New Life Master Douglas Cairn of North Bend OR became a Life Master by winning Strat C of the B/C/D Swiss Teams yesterday. His partner was Tom Trudeau of Martinez CA, who became a Bronze Life Master here.