06-05-2014, 07:04 PM
Derek Howie Wrote:What happens in your scenario where the selectors want to give the place to the 2 u14s and ask the u16 to pay, but the u16 says "no, I'm not going to pay for an u14's place" and doesn't go. Do the selectors then have to try and find someone else to go and pay or else the u16 doesn't get his or her free place? Will people end up thinking that their kid is only being selected so that they can pay for the u14?
From my reading, this is a fair point. As I see the rules, any arrangement like this would have to be entirely voluntary. The sign-up process for these events (and admittedly I'm generalising from a sample size of the one event for which I was HOD here) involves registering as a nominated player (one per age-group) or an additional player, so (again in my understanding!) any arrangement whereby funding was transferred from one player to another would require the co-operation of that player's parents/guardians. I don't think that need be an insuperable obstacle, especially not if it becomes seen as 'the way things work'.
We're clearly talking about a fairly big shift in international policy here. It's one I absolutely agree with, but I'd like to see it implemented as a transparent code of practice which the CS membership as a whole could endorse at the AGM. I know that there's a detailed and robust framework being worked out, and I'd like to see it discussed carefully - there are certainly points on both sides. (For the 'where is Calum' questions - I think he's on a sabbatical having left his job recently, I'm sure he'll be weighing in here soon.) I would certainly hope that nobody involved would even consider bringing legal action if they're unhappy about a selector's decision - that wouldn't exactly scream 'helpful to Scottish juniors'.
For your last question, see Clement's post. Nobody will be selected who doesn't meet the required standard. (So that 100-rated 18-year-old is going to have to stay at home, as is Bobby Fischer if they're our only three juniors and his folks aren't going to pay the full whack.) (Can we play Magnus up an age-group? I don't know the rules there either.) If someone was only being taken so someone else's trip would be cheaper, that would certainly be morally wrong.
This is obviously a debate with a lot of different sides, and there are a lot of things to consider. I don't think the rules problem need be as much of an obstacle as it's being made out to be, however. Fundamentally, the two points that I believe to be central are the following:
As Mike posted earlier, our focus and that of Scottish juniors should at least in part be on succeeding at the Worlds and Europeans, rather than simply on participating. Getting into the squad should be seen as a step (and as a terrific achievement towards which to work), not as the finish line in itself. That means - among lots of other things - doing as much as we can to help the players with the best chance of scoring highly to take part.
And as I said before, I strongly believe that whether a player receives international recognition should be determined by how good they are, not by how good other people who happen to be born in the same year are.