We cannot have a signed written agreement to fund the World Youth
Championships and other international events because there is nobody
to sign with. The Scholastic Council is just an advisory sub-committee
of the USCF with no independent contract signing authority. Members
come and go. The current chairman has just resigned. A scandal
occurred recently when he signed a contract as the "authorization
representative of the USCF" when he had no such contract signing
authority.

Also, conditions change from year to year. Some years for example the
players are REQUIRED to stay in a certain hotel, usual an above-market
rate hotel, and we have to pay the organizers so that they can take
their cut. Also, this year we are not sending a delegation to the Pan
Am Youth Championships because they are being held in Cali, Columbia
and the region is considered unsafe. I am not sure that I agree.
Several of our players just played in the Continental Championship in
Cali, Columbia and not even one of them was kidnapped and taken
hostage by the drug cartel. On the other hand, we sent a Youth
Delegation to Batumi, Georgia last year which is in the middle of a
civil war and nobody blinked.

Even though I am on the board I did not learn about this supposed deal
to raise entry-fees by $10 and use the money to send our players
overseas until two months ago when it came up are a result of
muck-raking by Donna Alarie. I was shocked by the deal. I guarantee
you that if the Great Unwashed Masses (my euphemism for the general
membership) find out about it (let's everyone here keep it a secret)
many will be enraged. Four years ago Tim Hanke ran for election on a
platform to "get rid of scholastic chess" and he was elected. A good
portion to the general membership is opposed to these special deals
for scholastic chess and will blow their tops if they hear about this.

Sam Sloan