CFC Member Stats

[Brad Thomson]

Re: CFC Member Stats

NJF's greatest legacy as a chess agitator

Grandmasterov's favourite hockey team certainly has the best agitator in the NHL, it must be admitted. :)

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: CFC Member Stats

Not only that, but the CFC had to spend much of its energy one year just to redo its Handbook to satisfy new federal regulations.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: CFC Member Stats

In 2012, the Long-term Planning Committee produced a plan for chess in Canada, including a projection (hope?) for 10,000 members in 10 years. "How realistic is a goal of 10,000 CFC members in ten years? It is quite realistic and merely requires some active and strategic intervention by the volunteers already working to expand the popularity of chess."

We are about halfway thru that 10-year plan - how are we doing? http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/sh...oto=nextoldest

I think that was based on everyone doing what Windsor was doing to encourage chess play among junior players. Unfortunately not even Windsor is doing what Windsor was doing.

[Bob Gillanders]

Re: CFC Member Stats

It seems to me that the advent of the internet age is more responsible for the situation of the CFC over the last 20 years than anything else. I do not believe that a tremendous amount of responsibility lies with the volunteers who have stepped forward because they love the game. Sure, sometimes mistakes are made. But it is not easy to take on the responsibilities of a sinking ship and try to keep it afloat. Anyone who has tried deserves credit for the attempt more than they do criticism for not being able to perform miracles.

Thanks Brad. Just another day at the CFC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFOUqRBWH-I

Just kidding. We continue to make progress every year.
Success is dependent upon our many devoted volunteers across the country.
Everyone pat yourself on the back. We're all in this together.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: CFC Member Stats

We need 164 new members or renewals by May 1.

Can we do it? Totally achievable! Let's do it. :)

I looked at the Aurora Spring Open file -- ~ 10 new or renewals might happen.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: CFC Member Stats

It seems to me that the advent of the internet age is more responsible for the situation of the CFC over the last 20 years than anything else. I do not believe that a tremendous amount of responsibility lies with the volunteers who have stepped forward because they love the game. Sure, sometimes mistakes are made. But it is not easy to take on the responsibilities of a sinking ship and try to keep it afloat. Anyone who has tried deserves credit for the attempt more than they do criticism for not being able to perform miracles.

It's my feeling that over-the-board chess events or clubs are going to become more popular again, slowly, if only because IMHO it's harder to sense that someone is using computer-assisted cheating over the internet than when physically in the same room as their opponent. Also, the fact that we have a handsome young world champion in Magnus Carlsen cannot hurt chess' overall popularity either.

At the RA Chess Club in Ottawa, club membership never seemed to decline as the CFC's membership dipped down some years ago. The RA club now has more junior players than ever before, I'd note, though perhaps older players make up less of the membership. The initiating of the RA club's policy to admit more talented very young players is, IMHO, perhaps NJF's greatest legacy as a chess agitator and organizer, if the future holds nothing else in store.

[John Coleman]

Re: CFC Member Stats

In 2012, the Long-term Planning Committee produced a plan for chess in Canada, including a projection (hope?) for 10,000 members in 10 years. "How realistic is a goal of 10,000 CFC members in ten years? It is quite realistic and merely requires some active and strategic intervention by the volunteers already working to expand the popularity of chess."

We are about halfway thru that 10-year plan - how are we doing? http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/sh...oto=nextoldest

[Kerry Liles]

Re: CFC Member Stats

I do not accept the premise that the CFC has been in the gutter but if it has I am pretty sure that Kerry Liles has not been responsible.

Thanks for that Vlad... oops, there I go again, patting the CFC Exec on the back - lol

Other posters in this thread are correct: I was not a CFC Governor for very long and I have never been on the CFC Executive.
I was Treasurer of the OCA for a short while... Chess is hard; chess politics is impossible.
Now I am (currently) a CFC member again, and will stick to simply complaining... :)

[Brad Thomson]

Re: CFC Member Stats

It seems to me that the advent of the internet age is more responsible for the situation of the CFC over the last 20 years than anything else. I do not believe that a tremendous amount of responsibility lies with the volunteers who have stepped forward because they love the game. Sure, sometimes mistakes are made. But it is not easy to take on the responsibilities of a sinking ship and try to keep it afloat. Anyone who has tried deserves credit for the attempt more than they do criticism for not being able to perform miracles.

[Kevin Pacey]

Re: CFC Member Stats

Vision of dribs & drabs ... to the point where the Exec has come begging on ChessTalk ...sigh.

For the sake of newcomers, a small point of clarification: Bob Gillanders (the CFC Executive Director) is not part of the CFC Exec. He's an employee. Also, Kerry Liles didn't serve long as a CFC Governor, I seem to recall. Myself, I stopped running for governance after all my ideas had been tried or (mostly) uncommented upon. Before I stopped, I left a long list of them on the Governor's private forum, for anyone who wishes to look at them, or reproduce them here or on the CFC public board. Since those days, CFC Membership has creeped up a little, at least, for those who like to see the glass as half full.

[Vlad Drkulec]

Re: CFC Member Stats

nice effort Kerry, etc., etc., etc..

I do not accept the premise that the CFC has been in the gutter but if it has I am pretty sure that Kerry Liles has not been responsible.

[Neil Frarey]

Re: CFC Member Stats

I wish I could bet the under. The CFC is following an outdated business model.

Vision of dribs & drabs ... to the point where the Exec has come begging on ChessTalk ...sigh.

Where the Chess Federation of Canada has come to didn't just happen over night. The CFC has been kept in the gutter by those who post here year after year after year patting each other on the back!

Good job Bob, hey thanks Fred, well done Vlad, nice effort Kerry, etc., etc., etc.. On and on like some perverse enjoyment of being stuck in the middle of a surrealistic story by Franz Kafka.

[David Ottosen]

Re: CFC Member Stats

We need 164 new members or renewals by May 1.

Can we do it? Totally achievable! Let's do it. :)

I wish I could bet the under. The CFC is following an outdated business model.

[Roger Patterson]

Re: CFC Member Stats

Roger - I just did a Google search on "Graham Glen". It turns out that the Alberta one got his PhD at McMaster, but his real name is Glen Graham.
However - Linkedin shows another McMaster graduate - but Graham Glen this time - in Cary, NC. I think this is him.

Here's another link for the Cary one: https://netin.co/open/VnBmaTM3aExyNH...5a58bf2c341dc4

I also found an email address for him : his first name dot his last name at icfi dot com. (ICF is the company he's working for).

Thank you. NC is the last location I had heard for him.

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: CFC Member Stats

Roger - I just did a Google search on "Graham Glen". It turns out that the Alberta one got his PhD at McMaster, but his real name is Glen Graham.
However - Linkedin shows another McMaster graduate - but Graham Glen this time - in Cary, NC. I think this is him.

Here's another link for the Cary one: https://netin.co/open/VnBmaTM3aExyNH...5a58bf2c341dc4

I also found an email address for him : his first name dot his last name at icfi dot com. (ICF is the company he's working for).