2014 Junior International Events

[Jacqui Thomas]

AS there seems to be a lot mentioned today about MONEY I thought I would ask about the Junior International events this year. I have had a look on the FIDE calendar & it seems none of this years events are going to be easy to get to financially & maybe in some cases logistically. World Youth is South Africa, Euroyouth is Georgia.

My question to all is..... is 2014 the year where CS says well actually these places are difficult & will cost a lot of money, so lets give it a miss. Instead use a fraction of the funds for a majority of the top Junior Internationals to attend the Commonwealth which is after all on home soil & to encourage participation. Even if a 50% entry fee reduction was given, juniors/families will still need to fork out on travel & accommodation for those that are not in the Glasgow area. Some of the funds could even go towards some coaching for them as well. It would also be nice for them to have the squad t-shirt or similar.

There is also the Glorney taking place in Stirling this year where some additional funding could help the home juniors.

What I am saying really is what is the point of CS & families paying a lot of money to go abroad this year when the destinations are not easy & when Scotland is hosting both the Commonwealth & Glorney.

I will go & duck now before the bullets fly but I am being serious here its a very valid question :-ss

[robin moore]

I was just loading up my .44 Magnum for a shootout when I realised that Jacqui makes a fair point. We have got great tournaments in Scotland this year. However, the funded places offered by the organisers at events like the Euroyouth are very tempting to juniors that are awarded the slot. Their parents have to pay travel expenses but they receive full board accommodation at the event. Return flight costs and transfers to Batumi, Georgia...say £300 return. Costs for Glasgow for the Commonwealth? Difficult to estimate especially if you have helpful family and friends in the area.

Both great events.

[Jonathan Livingstone]

Not sure so many Scottish juniors can play in the Commies anyway? The school term in East Lothian ends 4th July, will be similar end of term dates for other regions?

[Andy Howie]

East Lothian are in the minority. Practically everyone else finishes the week before

[PeterReidSmith]

Seeing the commonwealth, I simply entered my daughters without thinking too much about it to be honest. The point is valid though and the one "home" event that does seem to be (consistently?) overlooked is the British...[it will be a nightmare for me to personally have to take my own there and I'd much rather have assisted with a Scottish team entry somehow]

That said, I feel we should continue to encourage International participation as much as possible - I suspect feedback from those who attend these is that they find it motivational, though if in doubt we could always poll them.

[amuir]

How about a dedicated coaching weekend for top juniors in Scotland ? Strong players can answer their questions - do simuls etc. This would be money well spent and is reasoably cheap.
Craig Pritchett did a Glorney simul in the 1970s - helped me a lot.

[robin moore]

The British Championships is obviously a good event, but for top juniors and their families it can be pricey. This year it is in Aberystwyth. Parents and juniors will have to pay all their own travel, entry and accommodation costs. Just to say it's worth applying to the John Robinson Trust to see if they are able to make a contribution. It normally only covers English players but all British Championship entrants qualify.

At International CS supported events, such as the World youth, Euroyouth and EU Youth, receiving the funded place (provided by the organisers) can cut down costs considerably. The funded place provides free full board accommodation.

There are obviously many other things to consider such as the age of the junior concerned, whether they are "mature" enough to perhaps travel without parents etc.

One thing that is not in doubt is that the international overseas CS supported events are much stronger than the British.

[robin moore]

One thing that may be worth adding for younger prospective junior internationalists is to very strongly consider the Primary Individual if you are given an invitation. This is a superb event that is always held at a great location. The event builds teamwork and friendships from children in every area of Scotland.

The spirit of this event has been of great help to Scottish Junior International squads.

[Linda McCusker]

With regards to the costs involved for juniors to attend international events I thought it might be of interest to list some of the costs I had to pay when my son and daughter attended different international events. Due to the fact that the majority of the juniors under the age of 16 travel with a parent I have included the cost for myself travelling with my children. I believe that this helps to make the cost more realistic.

1. Glorney, Davenrty, England
18=20th July, 2012
Costs for travel and B&B accommodation for 2 children and 1 adult- £386
Lunches and evening meals were extra.

2. EU Youth Championship, Mureck, Austria
8-14th August 2012
Costs for travel for 2 children and 1 adult, and full board accommodation for 1 adult only as both children received funded places - £1218.68

3. U16 Chess Olympiad, Istanbul, Turkey
29th Aug – 6th Sept, 2012
Costs for travel for 1 child who received a funded place - £589

4. World Youth Chess Championships, Maribor, Slovenia
7-19th November, 2012
Costs for travel for 2 children and 1 adult, and full board accommodation for 1 child and 1 adult as 1 child received a funded place - £2313.61

Total - £4518.29

The above costs do not take into account travel to and from the domestic airports (we live in Glasgow and 2 of the above trips flew from Edinburgh). Nor do they take into account the costs involved in buying snacks/water/soft drinks during each trip or any costs involved in taking part in activities on any rest days.

There is no doubt that being awarded a funded place reduces the costs but there can still be a hefty price to pay

[Andy Howie]

And that is a perfect illustration of why I am wanting to find ways to get more money into chess in Scotland! That is a horrific amount of money to pay out for your kids to represent Scotland