Greetings fellow shuffleboard enthusiasts.

We have received many phone calls in the last few days from people wanting to know if the tragic events of last week are having an impact on the tournament. While some people have decided to drive instead of fly and there are certainly people who are nervous about flying, entries continue to come in at a strong pace. On the positive side, although it will take much longer to get through airport security, flying is likely to be safer now than it has ever been.

As sad as the tragedies of last week are, it nearly as sad that some people are attempting to fraudulently profit from those events by running phony fund raising schemes. We recommend that anyone who desires to help contact either the American Red Cross at 1-800-435-7669 for monetary donations and 1-800-448-3543 to donate blood, or the Salvation Army at 1-800-725-2769.

Out of consideration for those who have asked for some additional time to make their plans because of last weeks events, we have decided to extend the early entry deadline ten days. The deadline for registering without incurring any late fees will therefore be September 27. That means your entry must be postmarked by that date to avoid any late fees. If you need a registration form, you can print one off of our web site by clicking 2001 NASC™ Registration Form.

Just a reminder, you can get information, print Registration Forms and find other tournament related in formation and merchandise on the tournament web site by clicking 2001 NASC™.

This year starting time for the Pro/Am Draft was moved up to 11:00 a.m. That was done because we have had a hard time getting that event finished at a decent hour on Monday night. We did not know however when we made that decision, that the Sands Regency does not accept Saturday arrivals. We have since found out that this is standard policy at virtually every hotel/casino in Nevada. The scheduled starting time of 11:00 a.m. has in effect forced people who want to play in that event to arrive on Friday night. That has caused a great deal of negative feedback. We are therefore going to change the time of the draft back to the original 1:00 p.m. This will give our participants the option of flying in on Sunday morning. Please note that while the time has been been changed, it is mandatory that anyone who is playing in that event check in personally by 12:30 p.m.. on Sunday afternoon. Anyone who does not check in by that time will be dropped.

Due to many requests for more round robins, we will be running them every day, beginning on Saturday, October 27. For those who are coming to the tournament early, there will be boards open for play on Friday night. Regarding the boards, we want to re-emphasize that we think everyone is going to be very impressed with how well they play. We are confident that everyone who attends will agree with us that this is the best group of boards ever assembled for a major tournament.

If you have not yet made your airline reservations, you will be happy to know that we are seeing the lowest airfares in several years. There is a great new web site for air travel called Orbitz.com. This web site is owned jointly by hundreds of airlines worldwide. We have used this web site to buy most of the tickets for our staff. Examples of current fares for round trip airfare are $218.00 from Indianapolis, Indiana, $225.00 from Houston, Texas and $225.00 from Omaha, Nebraska.

We are asking that anyone who intends to order one of the 2001 NASC™ Embroidered Jackets or Co-Sponsor Shirts prior to the tournament to please do so by October 10 to ensure you will have it at the tournament. Although both of those items will be available for purchase at the tournament, we sometimes have stronger than expected sales of a particular size and run out before the end of the tournament. Pre-ordering will guarantee that we have your Co-Sponsor shirt and/or NASC™ embroidered jacket for you in the size that you prefer. To order either item for pickup at the tournament, you can call us at 1-800-380-3033 or order on-line by clicking 2001 NASC™ Co-Sponsor Shirt or 2001 NASC™ Jacket.

As we mentioned in the last issue of BoardBits.com, we are looking to hire a couple of people to work the tournament. Their primary duties will be waxing boards during tournament play and helping to prep the boards in the mornings. Anyone who is interested or knows someone who may be, is asked to please call us at 1- 800-380-3033. We wish to congratulate Jake Dunham, of Austin, Texas. Jake was a great addition to the tournament staff last year but will miss the tournament this year to to the impending arrival of a new baby. We look forward to having Jake back with us next year.

Regarding the Sol Lipkin Award, the presentation to Jim Foran will be made on Friday night (October 2). The tentative time is between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.. The Sol Lipkin Award is The Shuffleboard Federation's highest honor and is awarded to those who have made "extraordinary contributions to the advancement of table shuffleboard." Previous winners of the prestigious award are George & Donna Wilber, Don Valk, Bill Melton, Hal Perry and Ron & Debbie Bowers. For more information on Sol and the history of the award, click Sol Lipkin Award.

Announcing: Pro Series™ 10's will be available in Reno at the 2001 NASC™. It was five years ago, at the 1996 NASC™, that our Pro Series™ Weights made their debut. This year marks both the fifth anniversary and the 10th series. Anyone who would like to pick up a set at the tournament should call us at 1-800-380-3033.

There will also be at least one prototype set of a new addition to the Pro Series™ family. Due to popular demand, we will be introducing a new line of weights to compliment the current line. The goal for these new weights is for them to be approximately 18" slower than the current models. Anyone who is interested in trying them out should see us at the tournament. You can also pre-order a set by calling us at 1-800-380-3033.