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Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
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---- Nous avons besoin d'un traduction français!
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New OCA Executive:
President – Ilia Bluvshtein
Executive VP – Garvin Nunes
Treasurer – Anna Rodin
Youth Coordinator – Patrick McDonald
Secretary - vacant
2017 Ontario Open will take place in Ottawa on the Victoria Day weekend. Mark your calendars!
New OCA Executive:
President – Ilia Bluvshtein
Executive VP – Garvin Nunes
Treasurer – Anna Rodin
Youth Coordinator – Patrick McDonald
Secretary - vacant
2017 Ontario Open will take place in Ottawa on the Victoria Day weekend. Mark your calendars!
Hi Ilia,
While I appreciate the work of the volunteers within the OCA, it has always saddened me that the organization, with such potential, has been a minor player in chess organization in this country. I have always assumed that it is because Ontario considers itself to BE Canada and therefore most of the active Ontario organizers either are within the CFC buraucracy or in many cases they wear the OCA and the CFC hat.
An OCA President in the past worked hard to get a 3-year Trillium grant for the organization. Unfortunately, there was no oversite and a large part of the money went to him, as far as I understand.
If you compare the OCA to the Quebec Chess Federation or the Alberta Chess Association it is easy, at least in my mind, to see that Ontario chess players deserve better. I would also say that B.C. players deserve better from the BCCF.
In Quebec 3 people did what it took to make it happen: Robert Finta, Marie Williams and Claude Filion. Their efforts brought millions of dollars to chess in Quebec over the last 35 odd years. In Alberta I am sure there was a small group that also made it happen. At the end of the day, we reap what we sow.
If you compare the OCA to the Quebec Chess Federation or the Alberta Chess Association it is easy, at least in my mind, to see that Ontario chess players deserve better.
I agree with Larry. It's really sad to see 2 norm tournaments in Alberta this year and none in Ontario.
While I appreciate the work of the volunteers within the OCA, it has always saddened me that the organization, with such potential, has been a minor player in chess organization in this country. I have always assumed that it is because Ontario considers itself to BE Canada and therefore most of the active Ontario organizers either are within the CFC buraucracy or in many cases they wear the OCA and the CFC hat.
An OCA President in the past worked hard to get a 3-year Trillium grant for the organization. Unfortunately, there was no oversite and a large part of the money went to him, as far as I understand.
If you compare the OCA to the Quebec Chess Federation or the Alberta Chess Association it is easy, at least in my mind, to see that Ontario chess players deserve better. I would also say that B.C. players deserve better from the BCCF.
In Quebec 3 people did what it took to make it happen: Robert Finta, Marie Williams and Claude Filion. Their efforts brought millions of dollars to chess in Quebec over the last 35 odd years. In Alberta I am sure there was a small group that also made it happen. At the end of the day, we reap what we sow.
Your feedback would be appreciated.
Larry
Wow, who pissed in your corn flakes!
And I was surprised by your post last week suggesting chess teachers were overpaid.
What's up Larry. Why the hostilities?
Wow, who pissed in your corn flakes!
And I was surprised by your post last week suggesting chess teachers were overpaid.
What's up Larry. Why the hostilities?
Hi Bob,
Sorry if it sounded hostile to you...It was not intended to be...I was hoping to provoke some thought and discussion.
Actually life is great...we are into our hottest summer on record...a terrace (known as a patio outside of Quebec) with a cold brew...is the place to be these days! :)
I count my self as one of those Ontarians with much more of a federal connection than a provincial one. Perhaps the biggest exception for me is the Chess Challenge final ; )
I do not understand why criticisms are leveled against people who do not exist. If Alberta and Quebec have provincial associations that have traditionally done more for chess than has the Ontario association, then this is because Alberta and Quebec have had people that Ontario has not had. It makes little sense to blame those in Ontario who do not exist.
Larry raises an important point that probably deserves its own thread. There is undoubtedly substantial regional disparity in Canada's various chess communities. Some like those found in Quebec, Alberta and (at least the junior scene) in Windsor seem to be thriving in terms of the number and size of events and number of participants. Other communities are struggling. Those communities that are struggling could probably benefit from lessons learned in places where chess is thriving and the chess community feels well served.
People seem to focus on the significant efforts of certain leaders and having capable, resourceful and energetic people willing to lead is certainly an important factor, but it is not the only one. In this respect, to have leaders, you need to have followers or at least a critical mass of people willing to allow those willing to lead to do so. To be sure chess is an individual and competitive sport and some forms of competition are highly desirable as when intense but respectful competition between players creates an ideal environment for improvement or when organizers compete with each other to stage better events. Other forms of competition are more decidedly destructive towards building community assets.
My sense is that successful communities somehow foster productive forms of competition, while also mitigating much of the negative type which is often rooted in personal disputes and animosities. When communities function like this, they grow because people see the benefit of joining and contributing. When they do not, communities atrophy as fewer people join and commitment levels wane.
Last edited by Eric Gedajlovic; Tuesday, 21st June, 2016, 10:59 AM.
I think citizens of Quebec or Alberta may have a greater provincial identity. Organizers in Ontario focus first on their local community club, then city or region wide. It is very hard to get players to travel to events outside their community. Even organizers rarely see each other face to face, maybe at the Canadian Open?
Presently the OCA coordinates Ontario Championships. Certainly there's room for developing provincial infastructure to assist local communities develop, market and maintain chess clubs, to have a provincial club list, to obtain provincial govt. and corporate sponsors, to have standards for registered teachers, to have training programs -- a master path -- for talented youth, programs for poor people to play, and helping to send Ontario Champions to national championships. But some of that overlaps with the CFC which doesn't have the resources to help. Who's available to do the work?
The OCA may be a special case compared to other provincial associations since a lot of OCA money has to be sent back to OCA leagues at the governance level below the OCA, for leagues to spend it each as they see fit. Ontario is also large geographically, and in terms of the wide distribution of population centres, which makes it difficult to hold annual Ontario team championships, for example. However, why the OCA's treasury hasn't been slowly built up to something very substantial over many years, at least, is a mystery to me. In the case of the FQE I believe there is still provincial government funding, but regardless the ACA in Alberta has done well without such, compared to the OCA (though just two main centres there, Calgary & Edmonton, afaik).
[edit: fwiw, I seem to recall from CFC discussion board meeting archives that the OCA was playing with a budget of about merely $2,000 circa 2012, soon after something of a scandal under a previous president. Also fwiw, perhaps the provincial league structure, or else the existence of the parent OCA shell association, is a chronic structural weakness inherent with the OCA constitution that hurts the development of organized chess in Ontario (?!). ]
Last edited by Kevin Pacey; Tuesday, 21st June, 2016, 07:54 PM.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Murphy's law, by Edward A. Murphy Jr., USAF, Aerospace Engineer
In the case of the FQE I believe there is still provincial government funding, but regardless the ACA in Alberta has done well without such
According to the ACA budget it receives from provincial programs/grants. ( http://www.albertachess.org/2015AGM.pdf ) iirc, there were several messages on this board that amount was reduced lately.
According to the ACA budget it receives from provincial programs/grants. ( http://www.albertachess.org/2015AGM.pdf ) iirc, there were several messages on this board that amount was reduced lately.
Thanks Egidijus. I don't read every chesstalk thread, perhaps being too influenced by titles, or at times not visiting here for long periods. Fwiw, I recalled that the ACA was still looking for substantial corporate funding, alone, about a decade ago, at least.
Last edited by Kevin Pacey; Wednesday, 22nd June, 2016, 06:31 PM.
Reason: Spelling
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Murphy's law, by Edward A. Murphy Jr., USAF, Aerospace Engineer
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