Hi Everyone,

Jay Stallings here. I just joined the Scholastic Committee. Thank you

for having me. I've shied away from national chess politics for years,

but am now glad to have been tapped as a committee member.

I'd like to ask a favor. Even if you are sure that I know who you are,

in your next response, please give your complete name, your state, and

any other quick word or two to help me identify you.

Okay, for your entertainment, please have a laugh at my expense. So far,

I think that I've figured out this much:

Pat Hoekstra is the chairman of the scholastic council. State unknown.

"Bob" is Robert Ferguson (he called me to ask me to join the committee).

Bob is also the executive director of the American Chess School. State

Unknown.

I know or know of the following members from this place or that: Joe

Ippolito (New Jersey, right?), George John (Texas), Robert Tanner

(Arizona, previously Utah?), Ralph Bowman (Kansas), Beatriz Marinello

(New York?), De Knudson (SD), Sunil W (NY)., and of course, Tom

Brownscombe (USCF). I know Steve Shutt (PA?) from his campaign. I think

Alexey Root is from Texas (my dad is involved in chess there - that's

how I know George John).

As for me, I am the scholastic chairman for Southern California. In this

position, I enjoy connecting young chessplayers to the coach or club in

their area, but honestly have not taken a proactive approach. We just

had a fundraiser that will set up a Scholastic Chess Fund ($10,000)

that, through earnings payments, will fund several projects each year. I

have been the director of California Youth Chess League (a non-profit

501(c)3 organization since founding it in 1996. It is a full-time job

for me, usually about 70+ hrs. per week. I have between 6-12 coaches

working for me at any given time (all part-time). We teach in 25 schools

in and around Los Angeles, mostly in our area - Santa Clarita (35 miles

north of L.A.). We average 45 kids per school. We have a great facility

that seats 56 comfortably for a tournament.

If you want more information about me or CYCL, just ask. In the

meantime, thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

Jay Stallings

(661) 288-1705

I, Alexey (Rudolph) Root, am now from Texas. However, I started

playing chess tournaments at age nine in Lincoln, NE. When my family moved

to Tacoma, WA and Madison, WI, I played chess in the Pacific NW and in the

Midwest. In 1987, I became a public high school teacher (and chess and

swimming coach) and USCF master in Bakersfield, CA. I won the 1989

U.S. Women's Chess Championship. Later in 1989, I married IM Doug Root. We

both earned Ph.D.'s from UCLA. We moved to Austin, TX in 1992 for Doug's post-doctorate at UT-Austin. Since 1996, we have lived in Denton. (Doug is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of North Texas). We have two

children.

      From 1986 to 1999, I taught chess a few hours a week at recreation centers, in after school programs, during the school day at private schools, at chess camps, and in private lessons. About 900 students had me as their chess instructor during these years. I am a long-time member (and sometime chair) of the USCF Women's Chess committee. I have also been a member of the

scholastic, club development, chess in education, and college chess committees. I served on the Austin Chess Enterprises club Board of Directors, write for regional chess publications, and have organized chess events.

As you know, I am from SD--really started out as a chess mom about ten years

ago and have now become a rather serious chess organizer.  I organized the

1999 High School Championship here in Sioux Falls and am the organizer of

the Governor's Cup which will take place this year Sept. 21-23.  We have six

GM's coming and a handful of IM's.  I do not play chess--know how to move

the pieces, and that's about the extent of it.

In my former life, I was an English/social studies teacher--have an M.A. in

English.  Besides my chess work, I am an extremely active civic volunteer in

South Dakota.  You may have seen my resume when I was running for the

Executive Board.

    I am undoubtedly the most unqualified new member of your committee. I am

a chess Mommy living in Mississippi ... but not from here. I do whatever I

can to support my two boys who are currently in the 6th and 8th grades, but

this year, after my chess tournament I decided to drive them to TN schools to

see if they are  better.

    I started a free chess club for all ages, 2 years ago because my son's

former school (and school district) only offers chess to the gifted children

(grades 3-6), and though they are both in the gifted program, they turned

away other potential chess players who were not. That made me mad because I

felt those who really could use the benefits of chess are not gifted, so I

started a free club. My oldest son (now 12) gave up on chess because he

couldn't stand losing, the younger one, (11) can take the loss.

    At the request of my son and chess club members, I had a small chess

tournament this summer which attracted 140 scholastic players and 10 parent

chess players. More than half of them were from the state of TN, and my chess

tournament was totally unsupported by my areas school Principals, who refused

to announce it, as did their gifted program teachers, The MS State Scholastic

Committee, who did not attend, nor apparently send or refer chess players,

but was supported by the MS State Chess President, Richard Crespo, who lives

in New Orleans and who (drove 6 hours with his team of helpers) and

volunteered his TD services so my chess tournament would be a success. Not

being supported by the MS community is the norm around here, and there is

really nothing that can be done about it, except to proceed and try to get

publicity in the local papers promoting chess.

    Regardless of their lack of support I did have children from 5 States

come and sponsors from all over the country plus one from Hong Kong send

rewards to my chess players. After every round of chess, EVERY chess player

got something. I  had about 25 sponsors who donated Scholarships (2 from Ole

Miss for the top girl and boy) and goodies for the children like the Cartoon

Network who let me use their Dexter character and drew him playing chess with

his sister DeeDee for our T-Shirts which we used to pay for 13 $100.00 US

savings bond awards.  The Lego company, DC Comics, Exxon, Airheads,

International Dairy Queen and Artbox Entertainment to name a few people who

accepted my request to reward children for playing chess during the summer...

and others, mostly local declined my request. I stopped asking when I

realized my guest room was full of toys and goodies and how would I ever find

the time to pass it all out??

     I spent a month decorating the Hernando High school cafeteria to look

like Dexter's Laboratory with painted blue poster paper covering every wall,

and focused on a fun skittles room with a large screen TV that played

non-stop Dexter cartoons, dancing contests, car decorating contests (they had

to drive to the tournament promoting chess), toys and many activities for the

children and their accompanying families to enjoy during our chess

tournament. Not everyone was interested in the skittles activities, but they

were hard to find among revelers. At the end of the day, everyone got either

a Tiger chess medallion or trophy and there were smiles everywhere, win or

lose, and I'm sure that ALL of those kids will be eager to play chess at

their schools this year.

     I know that you all have chess tournaments you can talk about, plus your

other accomplishments, but I only have my (2nd) tournament so I jammed it in

here because it was different from the norm.

    I met Joe Ippy at Super Nationals in the spring and told him that I

wanted the USCF to make friends with the Cartoon Network so that there would

be more chess on TV. I feel that if there were more role models, of all

different types, there would be more young chess players. You may have seen

my booth passing out postcards asking you to send one to Genndy Tartakovsky

at the Cartoon Network asking him to please draw Dexter Playing chess at

those same Super Nationals.

    I thought that Super Nationals (again, since this was our 3rd) would have

made more money if they had the Lego and/or Nintendo Corp. there

demonstrating their newest toys, or if Pepsi sponsored them and provided all

of their beverages for free (they sponsor other chess championships all over

the world, why not here?) and many more activities to keep the children busy

so they would not leave the site in between (extreeeeeeemly looooooooong)

rounds of chess. (If they stay on site, they'll spend more money.) YOUNG

Siblings complaints could be heard everywhere, and I thought FUN sponsors

would have kept them busier, and their parents happier.

    So I accepted the Scholastic Committee position because I thought that my

persistence might bring Scholarships and FUN (sponsors) to Scholastic chess

tournaments, which might cause more children to (continue to) play chess.

That is about all I can offer. I do not have chess expertise, nor political

savvy to offer.... and I usually do not know what you are all talking about in your e-mails about previous business, etc. so I will have a learning curve, and will undoubtedly stick my foot into it.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Kelly Jacobs

(just living in) Hernando, Mississippi

Farmer of Japanese Persimmons

Kept Woman and School Volunteer

Coach of the Knights of DeSoto Chess Club

PokieMomy

Instructor of the World Geography Clinic

and finally finished with this note!

Greetings from Bradford, Pennsylvania!

I am Robert Ferguson.  Many of you recognize my name either because of my chess research or because I run the Castle Chess Camp, the oldest (20 years) continuous chess camp.  I have served as the Executive Director for the American Chess School since 1991.

I learned to play chess in 1958 at Boy Scout winter camp, and it was love at first touch.  I started teaching high school in 1966.  By 1968, I was taking my students to USCF rated tournaments, forming chess leagues, running chess events, and had established a chess class that met during the school day three periods per week.