In article t, Chris Kantack
says...

In article , says...
Many people feel that scholastic memberships are successful primarily because of
the lower dues charged to them. While this is a factor, I think this answer is
far too simplistic. Youth dues have been around for some time, yet the
scholastic success is fairly recent.

If by "fairly recent" you mean the past 10 to 15 years or so, then I agree.
Scholastic chess has not mushroomed overnight but has enjoyed a very healthy
and steady growth for well over 10 years. (At least it has here in
Washington State.)

Yes, that is what I meant. The growth was exponential for some time, but has
leveled off significantly from the early trends.


Certainly dues are a factor, but there are
other considerations which are very important. If we better understand these
considerations, we may be able to apply some of the ideas to other groups as
well either directly, or indirectly (by replicating the idea.)

Here are some key factors:

Scholastic programs have resources. They have buildings in which to run chess
club. They have people (often paid) to run them. They often have funds from a
PTO or school to purchase equipment.
Well, even without paid people, scholastic chess can be very successful.
Often there are several parents enthused about the game which prompts them
to ensure their kids are present and they (the parents) are more willing to
volunteer their time and effort at club meetings and tournaments.

Some schools provide some funding for their chess clubs and that is great.
But often scholastic clubs must arrange all their own funding just like any
other chess club.

A good resource that is often overlooked is corporate funding. Many large
corporations have considerable grant money just waiting to be given out to
area school clubs to offset travel expenses and other items. It certainly
is easier to get funding for a scholastic endeavor than an adult one.


Scholastic programs ADVERTISE for players. Usually this is not direct
advertising, but in scholastics TEAM PLAY IS KEY. Friends, parents, instructors
will recruit other players to be on the team to assist the team.

Not sure what you mean by "Team Play"...but I wholeheartedly agree that
scholastic clubs are very good at "getting the word out" regarding club
meetings and scheduled tournaments.

In IL, surrounding states and nationally there is a focus on "medley"
tournaments where players can play as an individual, but the real focus for many
of the players is how their team (usually top 4 scores added) does in the
tournament. Everyone is made to feel as though they are a part of the team, and
they compete against other schools. In this sense, the focus is on team play.

Once again, this is a direct result of
the enthusiasm and various channels readily available to school age
children. I usually have no problems getting a school to announce a chess
event "over the loudspeakers" during morning announcements. Thus the whole
school population (a captive audience) heres word of the next big chess
event.

Scholastic programs have created a STATUS to being on the chess team. Parents
and kids now think it is cool, especially at the K-6 level. Note that it is
much less cool at the 9-12 level. (I often hear from HS students just how
UNCOOL adult chess tournaments are, and that they don't like to associate with
many of the adult players.)
Yes. It is very strange that a game which is "so cool" at K-6 suddenly
becomes unfashionable by the time you reach high school. I suppose one
could debate this phenomena at length.

All of these factors are key, and historically I think have been more important
than the dues rate.

I agree Kevin. The due rate is a minor factor.

I've been thinking about these factors recently in respect to high school
players and adults, and in respect to increasing scholastic retention. Also,
recently I've visited a number of colleges, and that has created a few ideas
also. As I have a chance to think these through a little more, I'll post some
of my ideas.

Kevin L. Bachler

Thanks for the posting. The success of the scholastic chess scene is a
fascinating story.

Chris Kantack
http://home.earthlink.net/~kantack/lcdchess/home.htm

Kevin L. Bachler