OCA PRESIDENT’S REPORT

(For the Year 2004/2004)

This year has been a rewarding period because of the resurgence and enthusiasm of many volunteers in all levels of our organization. It has also been a year of significant re-organization.

The year began with many challenges which included financial uncertainty and a void in leadership at the end of last year. Financial reports were missing for the entire last year. No Annual General Meeting was called by the former OCA President, so an emergency AGM was called by the Vice-President, Caesar Posylek at the request of OCA Board Members in July. There was panic based on uncertainty with some OCA Board Members suggesting OCA dissolution and offering as a Director to pay their share of any outstanding liabilities!

However the OCA was very financially sound and had a sizeable bank balance because of limited financial spending over the last few years. The problem was work overload on a few volunteers and lack of financial reporting, but no misuse!

My first action as President was to state a clear “Vision” or direction for the OCA and to encourage volunteers and support from the chess community. We have been blessed by many previous and ongoing volunteers that keep our progress going. Our work is a Team Effort and I am proud to say that we have a great team of new and experienced leaders. We have had a great year and look forward to a great future!

Financial control is critical for any organization. After firing my first OCA Treasurer in my first month of activity, I am pleased to report that Wolfgang (Wilf) Ferner came to our aid and has been instrumental in bringing all our financial records carefully up-to-date. We now have accurate monthly reporting and strong financial control. He also did a terrific job in recreating the previous year’s financial records. Wilf has worked long hours with careful precision to ensure a good maintainable financial system is in place and that we know where we spent money and where we are today. Wilf deserves special appreciation from me and all OCA members for helping us this year, and the many years of his previous service to chess in Ontario!

Our reorganization has made significant progress! First we have incorporated Ontario Chess Association Inc. and will formally adopt this corporate, not-for-profit, structure following acceptance at the upcoming OCA Annual General Meeting on Saturday, May 22. This will allow us to expand our focus to support fund raising and corporate and government sponsors. In specific, we are working on a Trillium Foundation (Lottery supported) grant and have successfully started getting corporate sponsorship. We received $2500 corporate sponsorship for the 2004 Canadian Women’s Closed and Zonal which was held in Toronto, this past April. The OCA also contributed $1,000 and the GTCL contributed $500 to more properly honor and support our Women Champions! It was an excellent Event, organized by Bella Kosoian, and ably directed by Patrick McDonald. We further have already committed sponsorships for over $10,000 for the 2004/2005 year to assist us in our successful plans for the 2004 Canadian Closed and Zonal which will be held in Toronto at Tartu College Conference Centre August 20-29. Our vision and goal is to make sponsorships our main ongoing source of revenues, and to greatly reduce the previous limitations of planning restricted to our portions of CFC membership revenues. In fact, for 2004, our sponsorship revenues already will exceed our projected $7400 in CFC revenues. This will take proper planning and successful execution to make the sponsors happy with their results so that they continue to support us. Furthermore we must expand sponsorships and media visibility.

Our reorganization has also involved the setting up of committees and focus on email for communications. Our goal is to ensure communication and involvement province wide. As a provincial organization, we are blessed by having five active Leagues to carry out chess activities in the province. I am emphasizing planning, five year budgets, and public relations to achieve our goals. Shortly after being elected we approved the Ontario Open Chess Tournament to be in Brantford and announced that the next OCA AGM would be there on the Saturday, May 22^nd, 2004. This allowed good marketing and visibility for the upcoming chess tournament and commitment to timely AGMs to automatically be confirmed at the same location and time as the Ontario Open to allow interested OCA members to participate in the AGM and have the opportunity to enjoy and support the Ontario Open.

Our Committee structures were designed to increase active involvement throughout the province. Some Committees such as the Constitution Committee and Youth Committee have been very active. The largest Committee in number of volunteer committee members was the Tournament Committee. Shortly after the Ontario Open Bid was awarded to Brantford (SWOCL), the Committee Chairman resigned for personal reasons. After carefully assessing the provincial situation I decided to reassess the concept of a Tournament Committee. As a Provincial Organization, our affiliates, the Leagues, actually run tournaments and events. Furthermore, in progressing to our goals of Creating Champions, and Honouring Champions, our OCA Executive, with the support of the League Presidents have approved an Ontario Champion Awards Program, based on a calendar year. Our 2004 Champions will be determined by Ontario Closed Events in January and February 2005. The candidates from each League, who qualify and are selected by their Leagues, will compete for the Honour of becoming Ontario Champions. Then the OCA will have a formal Awards Banquet and honour our Ontario Champions, and selected Volunteers. These winners deserve our recognition! In addition to trophies, the Ontario Champions will have the opportunity for cash contracts to participate in provincial events where their presence will highlight our champions, as well as add to provincial event and media publicity. With this agreed vision, and plan, I discontinued the Tournament Committee, and consider the Awards Committee and the Leagues will be responsible for tournaments.

We are fortunate that the Kapuskasing Organizers, Denis and Ellen Nadeau, independently succeeded in winning the bid to hold the 2004 Canadian Open and the 2004 Canadian Youth Chess Championships in Ontario! A job well done, two years in a row! I urge all Leagues to support and OCA members to play in these events. Both my son and I will be there and look forward to seeing a large participation from Ontario.

Furthermore we saw the need and opportunity to bid on holding the 2004 Canadian Closed and Zonal in Ontario and will be having this event in Toronto, on 20-29 August. This is exciting for our chess players, participants and spectators to witness a quality and very competitive world class event with Canada’s top Champions competing for the honour of representing Canada in World Events. We succeeded in obtaining over $10,000 in sponsorship for this event alone. Our bid was approved unanimously by over 30 CFC Governors’ votes, in the largest supported approval in CFC history. I invite OCA members to attend, assist and for the very fortunate, to play in this event. It is open to CFC members with a CFC or FIDE rating of 2200+, and I have arranged that each League may designate 1 U2200 player to compete.

I am proud to see that that we have volunteers nominated and prepared to serve in all 2004/2005 OCA Executive positions. We have good momentum, and already an active and great year ahead. Our goals now are to start planning for the next 2-5 years. Let us all work together and make our Vision a reality.

S. Barry Thorvardson

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