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BGonline.org Forums
Boards and Money needed for Students
Posted By: Rich Munitz In Response To: Boards and Money needed for Students (phil Simborg)
Date: Wednesday, 12 May 2010, at 3:34 p.m.
Pilgrim's response sums it up pretty well. I don't think anyone here was suggesting that you ask students to play on the back of checker boards or with bottle caps. I thought I had made a constructive suggestion for creating a sustainable program and even had pointed out what looked like a reasonable starter set in the price range you indicated. Fundamentally, I do not believe that growth of our game can only happen if we are able to give students expensive boards. Had you said that the problem you are seeing is that limited means students want to play but cannot afford ANY board, or could only budget $10, or that clubs want to have house boards on hand at meetings for new players to use when they show up, that would be a very different situation. That is exactly where I believe donations of used equipment or money is best put to use. That would be a very worthy cause. In my opinion, providing subsidies so that students that can afford a reasonable starter set get a free upgrade to a more expensive board is a less effective use of limited funds.
Perhaps an analogy would help. Imagine creating a charity who's goal is to increase the number of college students that fly home to visit their families during the holidays. The charity solicits donations of money and frequent flier miles. Would such donations most easily be obtained and be best put to use to a) obtain or subsidize tickets to enable poor college students that can't otherwise afford to travel to visit their families at the holidays; or b) to fund a promotional incentive program that tells students: "If you buy a coach class ticket, we will upgrade you to business class"? Both programs will probably help get more students on planes. I think the former is the better place to seek and target donations. Just my opinion.
Let me also say that I completely support the educational programs that you have all been working very hard at. I truly appreciate your efforts and we owe you our gratitude for your time and passion. Do you really believe that the goal of those who have responded here is that we want your hard work to end in failure? I really take offense at the implication that I or anyone here is trying to do anything but be helpful. There is a difference between not agreeing with a specific aspect of your overall education/grass roots program and offering constructive thoughts, versus working to undermine the program as a whole that I (and I'm sure the others) very much support.
I suggest that next time you blast out an inflammatory email to everyone in the backgammon world claiming that I and others are working to ruin all of your efforts and are just shooting holes and saying nothing constructive, that you also include what I actually said for everyone to read and judge my intent for themselves.
It is up to you to define where the money you are requesting will go and convince people that it is a worthy cause. Do that and you will get the unqualified support that you seek. It is not up to everyone out there to just keep their traps shut to avoid undermining what is in their opinion a far from optimal use of donations. Just because people question the priorities and suggest alternatives doesn't mean they don't support your goals and want you to succeed.
We are all on the same team. We all want the same thing. It is up to you whether to consider the opinions of others or dismiss them and berate them as naysayers and obstructionists.
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