OCBCF Newsletter March 2007
OCBCF NEWS LETTER:
From the Texas Chess Association Region 7 Directors’ Desk
Hello everyone,
During the past few months we(including myself) have been caught up in a whirlwind of chess activity. In order to prepare our students for the State Scholastic Tournament in Dallas we have offered tournaments almost every weekend in areas spanning from Laredo to Corpus and the surrounding areas. This is over now, and the proof is in the final scores as to the efforts of the coaches and sponsors.
However, the final scores do not always reflect all that is done willingly by all those parents, coaches and sponsors to get the players ready and to get them to the tournament. I do believe that all those individuals need to be recognized. This is not always done because the focus is usually on the players(as it should be), but those players would not be there if not for the valiant efforts of those individuals who supported this activity. Please pat yourselves on the back on my behalf for all your contributions to this sport.
I would also like to thank the contribution of the Optimist Coastal Bend Chess Federation. This organization made it possible for many whom could not afford the cost or go through the rigor of driving there much easier. This organization, contracted a charter bus and sold seats on the bus at a very low price (thereby subsidizing the rest of the cost) so that more players from Region 7 could attend the State tournament.
It also did my heart good to see how many representatives from Region 7 were volunteering their time helping so that the Tournament would be a success. I saw many familiar faces running back and forth at the tournament in different sections contributing to the success of the function. Thank you everyone for supporting Region 7 and making our region also stand out amongst all the other regions of this State of Texas.
Now that this tournament is over, we must contemplate and plan for the upcoming tournaments in the following year. Start saving your funds, and teaching your students. Do not slack off on their lessons and practices. Just because State is over, doesn’t mean the season has ended. If you want your children to improve, you must begin now, Remember, State will be in Houston, and I believe Nationals as well. Reinvest and redirect your efforts towards helping and working with school districts to establish working sponsors. A sponsor in name only is just as helpful as no sponsor where it comes to helping to work with schools in securing funding and making the necessary arrangements, networking requirements from within. As the school year nears an end, this is the perfect time to make your selves heard and counted. Many districts enjoy and revel in the glory and notoriety but yet do not support the cause. This is the time to work on helping by suggesting to your districts what you wish or hope can be done to encourage the spread and development of chess programs throughout the Region. Enough voices are drawn together, then maybe individuals and administrations will listen to the needs and desires of their constituents.
Again, thank you for everything that you have done to this point and never forget why we do this, (the cargo we carry is precious and will benefit from our actions for years to come).
If you have any interesting news or stories, please send them to me and I will in turn send the to the Texas Knights publisher and also include them in the OCBCF Newsletter. On Behalf of TCA, I thank everyone who was involved in any way shape or form with this State Chess Tournament. Even if all you did was get the players there, as I said before, you brought the most important cargo of the tournament, the players, and that was the best.
PS, now that things are settling down, I will try to put out a regular newsletter of OCBCF and get myself on track. My sincere apologies for having dropped the proverbial “ball” on my one and only duty and I will try my best not to do so again
Thank you, Eddie R. Rios Sr., TCA Region 7 Director, OCBCF Newsletter Editor