2007 USCF Annual Awards Luncheon

Oh for goddess' sake! Some of these are just downright FUNNY! From the USCF press release which came out on August 9th, even though the luncheon was on Saturday August 4th. Yep, that's our USCF all right, right on top of things... Chess City of the Year (1983): Stillwater, Oklahoma (accepted by Frank and Jim Berry). Oh puleeeessseee! Chess Club of the Year (1999): Atlanta Chess Center. Wouldn't it make more sense to name Atlanta Chess City of the Year, since it's the city that olds the Chess Club of the Year??? Prepare yourselves - this is great, just great: Committee of the Year (1982): 2007 Financial Review Committee. Not only does the Executive Board give some of its own members an award for being committee members - a true exercise in "patting oneself on one's own back" (I wonder if anyone broke an arm attempting this exercise...), this year they really went over the top and picked the Financial Review Committee! I couldn't make this kind of stuff up if I tried. Ace Girl Reporter Alpheta Patton of the gone but not forgotten "International Chessoid" must be laughing her knickers off! No doubt swimming through all that red ink that Susan Polgar aptly pointed out on myriad occasions over the past seven plus months at her blog just tuckered the poor committee dudes out, and the other EB members gave them a merit reward rather than free popsicles. Personally, I'd rather have the popsicles. Friend of the USCF: GM Garry Kasparov of the USSR. Yeah, that's right, Garry Kasparov is a friend of ours. NOT! LOL! What are those EB members smoking? This is either a brand new award (not having a date of origination behind it in parantheses) or something dreamed up for this year. Is this USCF's clumsy attempt to make a "political" statement? Geez! And - hey, how come Goddesschess wasn't nominated? We gave USCF $300 for a Brilliancy Prize. If Mr. Berry got a gold medal for $50,000, why doesn't Goddesschess qualify as a "friend" for $300? We wuz robbed! Gold Koltanowski Medal (1979): Frank K. Berry of Oklahoma for his contribution to the 2007 U.S. Championship. If Mr. Berry comes forward with more sponsorship dollars in 2008, does he get the deed to the Crossville property or first dibs on an EB member's organs should he need a transplant in the future? Outstanding Career Achievement (1986): Fred and Carol Kleist of Washington, Gordon Barrett of Nevada, Stephen Dann of Massachusetts. Are these people nuclear physicists or Nobel prize winners? Career in what - chess? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...snort...ha ha ha ha ha ha...