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+--- Thread: Tromso Olympiad (/thread-1036.html)
Re: Tromso Olympiad - andyburnett - 21-08-2014
It's good to see GM John Shaw airing his views on the forum - a spot of much-needed 'realism' added into the debate.
I would be interested in your views John, on 'individual training/squad training', motivation for younger/older(!) players coming through, what the priorities should be for the adult budget, etc.
Quality Chess is a real Scottish (ok, Scottish/Danish) success story in chess and there is a wealth of experience, knowledge and commitment stored in these 4 guys! If we are discussing Scotland on the international stage and how to improve performances I think Jacob, John, Colin and Andrew should be invited (or dragged) into the discussion
Re: Tromso Olympiad - amuir - 21-08-2014
John, same questions as Alan, who would you want for Olympiad captain(s) in 2016 ? CS members please.
Should there be training ? how much of £4500 travel costs would you want to be used for training ?
would it be compulsory ? would you deselect a player for not attending training ?
Any good/bad thoughts about the Olympiad in retrospect ?
Roddy & Colin are claiming olympiad expenses, would they have played if not refunded ? who knows
Re: Tromso Olympiad - David Deary - 21-08-2014
Andy M :bash:
I don't really think its appropriate for you to name which players are claiming to have their expenses reimbursed and which are not. Fair enough if the player discloses it themselves on the forum that is their call but you shouldn't be doing it for them!
Re: Tromso Olympiad - Alan Tate - 21-08-2014
David Deary Wrote:Andy M :bash:
I don't really think its appropriate for you to name which players are claiming to have their expenses reimbursed and which are not. Fair enough if the player discloses it themselves on the forum that is their call but you shouldn't be doing it for them!
Indeed, more professionalism please.
Andy M, Training costs as much as it costs which I suspect would be not that much if you went through Jacob. I don't see why a coach/captain has to be a CS member though, just get the best person for the job. The goal of a team competition like the Olympiad is to get the most out of all the players. No need to deselect players, just shove them on board 5 if they don't attend
Anyway, it seems I am in the minority so I will stop going on about this.
Re: Tromso Olympiad - andyburnett - 21-08-2014
What on earth makes you think you hold a minority view on this Alan? Apart from Andy M. no-one here has disagreed with you at all as far as I can see?!
Re: Tromso Olympiad - George Neave - 21-08-2014
amuir Wrote:The adult budget this year is £5500
About £4500 will be spent on the Olympiad costs and £1000 on Senior costs.
Next year I am intending to spend £1500 on European team costs and £1000 on Senior costs.
Should this be diverted or changed then ?
Radical suggestion.
Cut the Olympiad budget by:
1) Only sending a women's team if we can field one where all players are 2000+. Women of course are eligible for the "open" team like the rest of us,
2) If we do send 2 teams, send one non-playing captain to oversee both.
3) Have anyone wishing to become a FIDE certified coach pay for it from their own pocket.
Sure, money is tight but as Kevin says, it comes down to a question of priorities.
Re: Tromso Olympiad - Alan Tate - 21-08-2014
andyburnett Wrote:What on earth makes you think you hold a minority view on this Alan? Apart from Andy M. no-one here has disagreed with you at all as far as I can see?!
* a minority view of those who are entitled to 'vote'.
Re: Tromso Olympiad - Alan Tate - 21-08-2014
Andy Howie Wrote:Welcome to a world of pain
Just wee ones, 10 players
Re: Tromso Olympiad - Matthew Turner - 21-08-2014
A few brief comments
1. Every chess player knows that tournament performance is normally determined in the first few rounds; Tournament score is determined in the last few rounds - that is just how the Swiss system work. The Scottish Women performed very well and the Men performed well. Both teams' final score were a bit disappointing. From some comments I get the impression that Scotland performed dismally and this is simply way wide of the mark.
2. The right team was selected. Simply selecting Clement Sreeves, or Adam Bremner, or Callum MacQueen doesn't constitute a youth development policy. Supporting these players requires some thinking and some cash, not some ad hoc suggestion every four years.
3. Many thanks to John Shaw and Alan Tait for contributing their informed commentary to this thread.
4. A lot of Chess Scotland's limited resources are used on the Olympiad. I think that is appropriate, it is after all the senior level of our game. However, we should welcome debate on spending priorities. It is all to easy to fall back on emotive arguments, but would it really be better to fund two juniors going to the World Youth Championship, or ten players who have worked hard to get where they are going to the Olympiad.
Re: Tromso Olympiad - Craig Pritchett - 21-08-2014
A few points:
1. as the senior international budget is apparently £1,000, which seems relatively large compared to the £4,500 this year for the Olympiad team and next year's £1,500 for the Euro team championship, it might be worth pointing out that the senior budget applies (a) solely to official entry fees (organiser + FIDE/ECU both take cuts) and (b) solely to the single CS nominated representative (in the individual senior championships) and the nominated "A" team only. I don't believe that the equivalent entry fees (if any!?) for the (adult, non-senior) Olympiad + Euro teams events are actually budgeted for in the £4.5K + £1.5K amounts, which are earmarked, as I understand it, for contributions towards players' expenses (the players don't pay any entry fees).
2. Principles are important and should be at the heart of any serious budgetary policy. As a minimum, I have always argued that the CS budget should in the first instance seek to cover the entry fees of ALL players it nominates as its main representatives in whatever junior, adult non-senior or senior event it believes it should send as an official CS representative. If CS doesn't think a player sufficiently strong to nominate officially in any event, it should consider not paying the entry fees if they play (merit should count somewhere in all this).
3. Be that as it may, it is clear that entry fees alone have become increasingly costly and there's not much more cash around for substantive travel and hotel costs. The £4.5K Olympiad costs would moreover be much greater if FIDE didn't require Olympiad hosts to meet all the players' hotel costs. We're also extremely fortunate that FIDE guarantees to pay the costs of each federation's nominated player in its various international junior events. That certainly wasn't always the case.
4.The inescapable conclusion is that if anything is going to improve matters financially, more private sponsorship is necessary or some other increase in CS revenues needs to be found. I tend to think that private sponsorship is the only credible potential source and that it might be possible to source such funds for the Olympiad team in the first instance (including fees to attract the strongest team) and just possibly for one or two players who might be thought capable of competing for podium spots in competitions for which CS strongly felt they had a real chance (perhaps especially an outstanding junior talent).
5. Such team / individual sponsorship would inevitably have to be tied to certain expectations. These might include acceptance of something like an approved individual training programme or attendance at a number of pre-tournament team training weekends (for the Olympiad), at which I'd put team building at the centre at least as much as technical chess training. It might include some sponsor company badging, undertaking business-relations exercises, commitment to a programme of community chess involvement, and the like. Is anyone up to trying to develop some sort of pitch to sponsors for something like that? It's an enormous ask! Are the top players interested? They'd have to be but has anyone asked?
6. I wince slightly at the idea of 'compulsory' training. Training is such a personal thing and everyone's regime is likely to be different, though I'm certainly comfortable with the idea of team-building and working on improving mental attitude, which straddles all regimes. I'm also comfortable with the idea of having someone available to offer advice on request on specific matters.
7. Well done, by the way, to Murad Abdulla on winning the under-14 Commonwealth championship. Let's hear it a bit more, for our successes!