Canada at the Olypmiad

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

[deleted...by me]

[David Ottosen]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

I PM'd Hal Bond on May 9th, 2010 with a few questions to clarify some issues, and received no response of any sort.

I'd just like to bump to note that over a month has passed now with still no response.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

mr. Hébert, if you don't like the word praise ...

Слава труду !

(Russian for: in praise of work (or labour), a phrase often seen on Communist monuments, for example in the park across the street from the Cosmos Hotel in Moscow, familiar to a few chessplayers.)

[Hans Jung]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

Not sure if this is what you mean by recognition (organizers collectively? or specific folks?), but I did try to start the Volunteer of the Year award. You can see the 2008 recipient, Hugh Brodie, mentioned on the CFC's web site.

Bravo David, this is an excellent first step but I think more steps need to be taken (even if it is just an accumulation of total hours of volunteer work submitted - that would be a small start). I doubt we could get anywhere close to the total volunteer hours worked every year in the spirit of chess organizing but at least the public and more importantly chessplayers in general would "see" how much volunteer work actually goes on.

[Hans Jung]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

Thank you, both Gordon Ritchie and Hans Jung, for speaking up against the "Hebert Hubris" and defending Canadian chess organizers! Hans, I like your idea.

Also Hans, while you were at the St. Louis club, did you get any idea as to how the club funds itself? Is the money primarily coming from the founder? The US Championship has some sponsors, but they are barely mentioned anywhere on the site (a last page mention in the Media Kit file). So it appears sponsors are a very minor part of the club's funding.

I see Hebert in this thread makes the case that the US Championship is a heavily corporate sponsored event, but the facts do not indicate this. There actually seems to be no public record as to how much of the prize money and the costs of running the tournament (including the live daily coverage) are from corporate sponsors.

Please see Marc Poulin's and Gordon Ritchie's thoughtful posts on the sponsorship thread elsewhere. I would think that the St Louis organization would have plenty of "goodwill" sponsorship as identified by Marc Poulin and Gordon Ritchie identified it as "personal connections". My read on the scene is that the St. Louis organization is very professional in all aspects and would have great depth in financial backing, planning, and management. I see this as involving extensive teamwork, cooperation and support.

[Jean Hébert]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

Mr. Hébert, If you don't like the word praise, then substitute it with encouragement and it would have the same effect.

M. Poulin,
For private messages I have a phone number, an email address or a Skype number. You wouldn't want me to use a message board to send you private messages, or would you ?

[Marc Poulin]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

Mr. Hébert, If you don't like the word praise, then substitute it with encouragement and it would have the same effect.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

Many many chess clubs and tournaments across the country survive on the sweat and blood of countless volunteers. Without them, there simply would not be any organized chess in Canada. They deserve our praise, whatever their level of success.

From each, according to gifts (talent); to each according to work. Albanian communism. It can teach us something. Every day.

[Jean Hébert]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

Jean, I find your comments offensive. Many many chess clubs and tournaments across the country survive on the sweat and blood of countless volunteers. Without them, there simply would not be any organized chess in Canada. They deserve our praise, whatever their level of success.

Bob,
What can be so offensive about using one's judgement when issuing praise ? Do you praise your kids all the time just for doing, regardless of what they actually do and how they do it ? Personally if I do something poorly I'd rather have advice on how to do it better in the future than praise who could come only from a flatterer or someone with poor judgement and ignorance.

[Bob Gillanders]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

The number of hours put in cannot be verified and in itself has little meaning. What is meaningful are the results. Spending lots of time for small results may gets you praise for trying but not for doing. Praise spreaded around indiscriminately (which is something quite a few people like doing) loses all its value.

Jean, I find your comments offensive. Many many chess clubs and tournaments across the country survive on the sweat and blood of countless volunteers. Without them, there simply would not be any organized chess in Canada. They deserve our praise, whatever their level of success.

[David Cohen]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

Not sure if this is what you mean by recognition (organizers collectively? or specific folks?), but I did try to start the Volunteer of the Year award. You can see the 2008 recipient, Hugh Brodie, mentioned on the CFC's web site.

[Paul Bonham]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

Bang on! I personally think there should be on the CFC website a list of volunteers and the hours they put in a year and that way anybody who wants it public could see it. There needs to be a lot more respect and actions noted of volunteers. People however see what they want to see. For example I went to St Louis to play in the Bill Wright Open. I thought it was a memorial event but no he is a long time volunteer organiser (and still alive!) and that shows respect. Also on the board of directors of the club are many long time volunteers in the Missouri chess movement who make decisions in the running of the club and that again shows respect and recognition and volunteers working together. As it should be.

Thank you, both Gordon Ritchie and Hans Jung, for speaking up against the "Hebert Hubris" and defending Canadian chess organizers! Hans, I like your idea.

Also Hans, while you were at the St. Louis club, did you get any idea as to how the club funds itself? Is the money primarily coming from the founder? The US Championship has some sponsors, but they are barely mentioned anywhere on the site (a last page mention in the Media Kit file). So it appears sponsors are a very minor part of the club's funding.

I see Hebert in this thread makes the case that the US Championship is a heavily corporate sponsored event, but the facts do not indicate this. There actually seems to be no public record as to how much of the prize money and the costs of running the tournament (including the live daily coverage) are from corporate sponsors.

[Jean Hébert]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

There appears to be a widespread illusion that it is a simple matter to raise funds for chess through commercial sponsorship or outright contributions. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The experience with the last five Canadian Opens makes the point: four depended on substantial support from provincial and/or municipal governments (Kitchener, Montreal and Alberta-twice); only Ottawa did it entirely through corporate sponsorship and that in a much more favourable economic climate. .

I am not aware that anybody said that it was "simple matter", or even less so that it is a "widespread illusion". Quite the opposite. Most people believe that it cant be done and consequently DO NOT EVEN TRY. This is not one of my belief, this I know for a fact. Your example of the last five Canadian Opens is self defeating. If they got the support they needed from governments why would they go after private sponsors ? One way or another, they succeeding in doing more than just collect entry fees.
Regarding the unfavourable economic climates that at time we have to deal with, how would you explain the success of this year US championship ? Is it because of a particularly favourable economic climate in the US that we are not aware of ? In Cappelle-la-Grande this year finding private sponsors proved tougher, but somehow they to maintain the level of their event. This is worth praise and recognition.

I guess I would like to see some recognition that a lot of individuals are devoting a lot of effort to supporting chess out of love of the game.

I suggest then that you read HPE more carefully. I do recognize and praise the outstanding efforts and achievements of several organizers. However I don't believe in indiscriminate praise. It goes on merit. Sometimes you deserve some, sometimes you don't. When I play poorly I don't get any, I just get my losses published. When I do great I sometimes get a little. That's how life goes.

[Ilia Bluvshtein]

Re: Canadian Open and national team

I was told that William Yuan, father of Yuanling Yuan, first board of the women's team, is not the Captain of the Women's Team. It is Yuanling's mother, Shaomin Shi. But Yura will be dealing with all the chess competition issues for the women's team.

Maybe Ilia could confirm this.

Bob

YES, I confirm this.

Ilia

[Jean Hébert]

Re: Canada at the Olypmiad

I personally think there should be on the CFC website a list of volunteers and the hours they put in a year and that way anybody who wants it public could see it.

The number of hours put in cannot be verified and in itself has little meaning. What is meaningful are the results. Spending lots of time for small results may gets you praise for trying but not for doing. Praise spreaded around indiscriminately (which is something quite a few people like doing) loses all its value.