NCCA Officer Pleads for Donations, Even Though They Have $20K in the Bank!?
by NM Leland Fuerstman
Charlotte,
NC 5-27-15: Hey, no
offense to NMPG, but some players think
that the "Border Battle" took place last
weekend in Greenville, SC!! Wow!
This year's S.C.
Open turned out to be a great duel state
event produced by High & Newsom and
S.C. Pres. David Grimaud. Most of the
big hitters from both states were there along with
some of our brightest upstarts! Congratulations to Charlotte's 16 year old Cameron
Chandler (2093)
who raced through the field and took clear 1st Place
with 4.5-.5! (It sure would have been great
if Cha Cha had
broadcast those games, instead of the games of
800 rated players!?) But, as
usual, you will be hard pressed to find a single game
published... It seems like an anticlimactic duplication of effort to conduct another "Border Battle" this weekend. But, since there are 2 or 3 tournaments listed on the NCCA page almost every weekend without any restriction, available dates seem to be hard to come by. Hence, problems such as the one we have here occur. However, organizers should learn to plan ahead so as to avoid such unfortunate conflicts in the future. So, good luck!
A few days ago, it was brought to my attention that NCCA VP Jeff "Pig" Jones had posted a plea for money through a professional donation site called "GoFundMe?!" After reading the overview, it became apparent that it was a duplication of responsibilities and expenses which the NCCA should already be providing, but isn't? (After all, according to that which was reported, they already have appx. $20,000 in their bank account!) Considering the
history of the new fund's trustee, NCCA
VP Jeff "Pig" Jones, and the debacle
which he caused back in 2000, this author was
assured that he was "only going to be a VP, and
wouldn't be handling any money?!" Now, that
seems to have changed... Regardless, I wish to make it
clear that I am in no way implying that his attempt to
collect money for the NCCA was anything but
honorable. But, I do believe that it is completely
unnecessary.Curiously, only a few days after it was posted, the ad seems to have vanished from their website!? What happened? Some speculate that the other so called officers of the NCCA were not all on the same page. After all, as usual, there was not one single word of discussion about the issue either on their webpage nor their "forum" prior to it's being affected? Furthermore, all of the reasons which Jones states for the fund are a duplication of that which the NCCA is already responsible. There is also speculation that though the NCCA is listed as a "non-profit" organization, it has never officially been upgraded to 501-C3 status which means that donations are NOT tax deductible?!
Besides, who, in his or her right mind would contribute one penny to another NCCA fund when the current environment of their organization can only be described as amateurish, incompetent and negligent? According to one popular chess pundit, "there is more chess in North Carolina now than ever before, and far less coverage?" Just look at their webpage; the last entry was made on May 5 (which highlights an event which occurred in March?) even though many events have transpired since then but have not even been mentioned? (At least those insidious "blinking" ads are finally gone!!) Save for the single act of abolishing the $20 fee to post upcoming tournament information, it appears as if not one of their officers has designed any new programs nor even effected the ones which are already in place. (Because there are no by-laws to describe their duties) In recent years, the NCCA seems to have shape shifted from an almost exclusively "adult" organization to a "scholastic" playground where the girls championship has become more important than the "adult invitational?" - which should have already taken place by now, but seems to have been neglected, again? (Or, have they just simply decided to abolish it? Greaat policy; glorify mediocrity and ignore expertise...)
The ridiculous anti-productive idea which was mandated by past Dictator Rudy Abate to require all members to pay their dues on January 1 of each year seems to have completely backfired considering that when he took over, there were over 220 members still remaining on the books. Now, after a precise count, they can only claim 46 currently active members??? (Which, in effect, means that a quorum would only require 5 members? How outrageous...) The reason is, no one, including the President, Vice President, VP of Scholastics nor their Secretary/Treasurer has even attempted to collect dues either at major NCCA events, where it should be mandatory, nor by posting pleas on their website (even Abate said "dues are due!?") nor by regular mail nor E-mail? Apparently, those guys simply don't give a damn... because they already have $20,000 in the bank!; so who cares? (For 10 years running, the honorable ex-Sec/Treas. Gerben Hoekstra was always present at every major event to vigilantly collect dues. And, during his tenure as VP, Dr. Walter High often went out of his way to approach players and sell memberships) but, according to current Sec/Treas. Tom Kabasakalian, "it's not my job to glad hand everybody and sell memberships?!" (Again, I ask you sir, if it's not your job, then whose job is it?) After all, NCCA President Kevin Hyde is still not listed as a current member on their roster?? Nor are most of the recent officers nor the state's most productive organizers. I mean, if they really need MORE money, why don't they simply sell memberships instead of asking for hand-outs?
In deference to Mr. Jones, and in spite of the fact that his reports on the NCCA website are generally outdated and sketchy, at least he has made an occasional effort to do something! And though he seems to concentrate most of his energy on his own promotions, his value to the North Carolina chess community over the past 10 years as an organizer, director and instructor should not be overlooked. In fact, he is #4 on the NC Chief Tournament Director list! I still insist that our state website should include at least a brief narrative including images, personal information and games of the results of every event which takes place in North Carolina! With a bit of coordination with the organizers, it could happen. It just takes a certain amount of work. Work that the current officers don't seem to care to do.
And, finally, among the outrageous policies which the NCCA continues to practice is the requirement for winners of the annual scholastic event to wait (sometimes many years) to receive their "scholarship" until they enter college????? Look, the parents are the ones who are footing the bill to these events by paying $65 entry fees, therefore the money should be paid to them immediately after their child wins, period. Keeping it in a trust account until the winner goes to college is ridiculous and unfair. That policy should be abolished and the money paid immediately to all families who are still waiting. Furthermore, according to Jason "1st Amendment" Mytrysak, "considering the total amount of money they take in from entry fees at the Scholastics, they could pay out a dozen scholarships!"
My advice to the current NCCA officers is, for the good of the entire North Carolina chess community, either do your jobs properly, or step aside and allow someone who cares, to replace you.
I remain,
NM Leland Fuerstman
Charlotte Chess Club
www.charlottechess.com