[Vampyr]

In the questionnaire we were sent before one of our directors' courses (club, I think) we were asked what we would do if a fat sweaty man was part of a moving pair, and left the seats wet when he vacated them. Yes this question was never answered or discussed during the course. Have people experienced this, and what did/would you do?

[NickRW]

No I've not experienced it. If the situation happened with someone new or a visitor, we'd all have to put up with it as, presumably, the situation would not come to light until the movement was already underway.

For other times, when I did quite a bit of directing the club chairman was a good diplomat. I think I'd have a word with him and get him to suggest he sits N/S (we rarely played Howells).

Edit, P.S. I detect an element of, I don't know what you call it, maybe reverse misogyny. The question didn't say "sweaty woman" or "sweaty person". Why should "sweaty man" come to mind. I know women think 'we are pigs', but the stereotype doesn't particularly apply to most bridge players as far as I can see!

[jnichols]

Vampyr, on 2015-April-09, 07:36, said:

In the questionnaire we were sent before one of our directors' courses (club, I think) we were asked what we would do if a fat sweaty man was part of a moving pair, and left the seats wet when he vacated them. Yes this question was never answered or discussed during the course. Have people experienced this, and what did/would you do?

I thought this forum was for simple rulings

[Hanoi5]

Let him carry his own chair.

[Vampyr]

Hanoi5, on 2015-April-09, 07:52, said:

Let him carry his own chair.

How would you make this suggestion? Anyway it seems humiliating.

[Vampyr]

NickRW, on 2015-April-09, 07:48, said:

Edit, P.S. I detect an element of, I don't know what you call it, maybe reverse misogyny. The question didn't say "sweaty woman" or "sweaty person". Why should "sweaty man" come to mind. I know women think 'we are pigs', but the stereotype doesn't particularly apply to most bridge players as far as I can see!

Well, it's a fact that men sweat more than women, and it is very possible that the question writers had a specific person in mind when they wrote the question....

Note: please don't quote the above; I don't plan to leave it up too long.

As far as male bridge players being more/less gross than other males, the only men I know who are challenged in the personal hygeine department are bridge players.

[NickRW]

Vampyr, on 2015-April-09, 08:44, said:

Well, it's a fact that men sweat more than women,

You obviously haven't come across my wife's feet on a hot day!

[chrism]

I had a related problem in a Swiss Teams a few years ago, when one of the players was suffering from persistent flatulence, as reported discreetly by players sitting with their back to the sufferer's during the first two rounds. We managed to assign a stationary table with the player's back to the corner of the room and received no further complaints; had the manifestation been more extreme or less directional, of course, we would have had a harder problem.

[mike777]

Vampyr, on 2015-April-09, 07:36, said:

In the questionnaire we were sent before one of our directors' courses (club, I think) we were asked what we would do if a fat sweaty man was part of a moving pair, and left the seats wet when he vacated them. Yes this question was never answered or discussed during the course. Have people experienced this, and what did/would you do?

1I would:
1) Welcome him to the club
2) encourage him to come back again.

As Director I would do nothing more.

If other members want to talk with him in private, that is up to them if they are so sensitive over some water and salt, good grief.

[Vampyr]

mike777, on 2015-April-09, 10:31, said:

1I would:
1) Welcome him to the club
2) encourage him to come back again.

As Director I would do nothing more.

If other members want to talk with him in private, that is up to them if they are so sensitive over some water and salt, good grief.

The members will not speak to him in private, and it is no fun sitting on a wet chair.

[mike777]

Vampyr, on 2015-April-09, 11:05, said:

The members will not speak to him in private, and it is no fun sitting on a wet chair.

If the members refuse to talk with him face to face in private, I mean no one does ok ok, they make that decision.

At some point the owner of the club or members will need to talk with him or not. They take responsibility for their actions or lack of actions.

I made my decision and welcome him.


At some point in the future if we become friends I will say something in private but that is a long time off.

again the owner and members will make their decisions.

[aguahombre]

Vampyr, on 2015-April-09, 08:38, said:

How would you make this suggestion?

The British I have met don't seem to ever have a problem with tact and diplomacy in person -- in blogs, slightly different.

Vampyr, on 2015-April-09, 08:44, said:

As far as male bridge players being more/less gross than other males, the only men I know who are challenged in the personal hygeine department are bridge players.

That just means you get to choose your acquaintances, but not your opponents.

[gordontd]

I haven't experienced this particular problem, but I have had others of a similar type but more extreme. At one of the first national events where I directed there was a player, no longer with us, who had an illness that made him smell terribly. It was so bad that people at his table were gagging. The TD in charge told us there was nothing we could do, since there was nothing the man could do to stop it. At later events I saw him walking around with a scented candle. I thought how embarrassing it must have been for him but the alternative, of not playing bridge, would clearly have seemed worse to him.

More recently I've had to deal with more than one person who smelled strongly of urine, with someone who kept scratching himself inappropriately, another who simply didn't wash and with more than one person whose trousers were falling down and showing their "builder's bums". In all instances the thing that has surprised me is that the players in question have not been nearly as embarrassed as I about needing to be spoken to about such matters. In most cases they allowed the situation to arise again.

[VixTD]

mike777, on 2015-April-09, 10:31, said:

If other members want to talk with him in private, that is up to them if they are so sensitive over some water and salt, good grief.

When I started directing county events many years ago I was told of a man who was incontinent (and presumably didn't realise it) and left small pools of urine on every chair he vacated. Would you still tell the other players not to make a fuss?

[GreenMan]

This seems like the same sort of issue as players who can't (or can no longer) play fast enough to finish a round on time, or must have all the cards announced to them in a loud voice, or similar. Is there ever a point where the accommodations affect the other players too much? Or should we keep selling entries to anyone who can make it in the door and is not persistently actively disruptive?

[aguahombre]

GreenMan, on 2015-April-10, 10:04, said:

This seems like the same sort of issue as players who can't (or can no longer) play fast enough to finish a round on time, or must have all the cards announced to them in a loud voice, or similar. Is there ever a point where the accommodations affect the other players too much? Or should we keep selling entries to anyone who can make it in the door and is not persistently actively disruptive?

Great question.

[barmar]

Someone who sweats so much that they leave a puddle on the chairs is probably aware of their condition.

People with BO, on the other hand, might not realize it. You generally can't smell yourself.

[barmar]

I did have a TD come up to me in New Orleans, telling me that a number of players had complained about me. I suspect it was from the session of the Lebhar IMP Pairs where I didn't make it to the men's room quite in time (those of you who were at the NABC last month probably know how far the bathrooms were from the ballroom where the NABC+ events were played, and this was my first session so I didn't know where they were), so there was a bit of "leakage". I hoped it wouldn't be too noticeable, but was obviously wrong.

I hope that's not TMI.