“Surprising” Loss at ’11 Congress Dominates AGA Board Meeting
Daniel Smith | Published on 2/20/2012
Discovery of a “surprising” financial loss at the 2011 U.S. Go Congress dominated the February 12 meeting of the American Go Association’s Board of Directors. The loss may be as much as $20,000; further details are expected soon from Congress Liaison Chris Kirschner and 2011 Congress Director Lisa Scott. The other main item was the proposed “tap” on foreign tournament winnings; feedback was roughly evenly split on the issue -- with slightly more comments opposed -- and AGA President Allan Abramson has decided to defer any final decision for at least one year, to allow for more discussion and consideration of other options for increasing income. In other reports, Board Chairman Andy Okun gave an update on the forthcoming pro system; the presidential search committee is running out of time and has not yet identified any candidates; there will be a Youth Go Camp this year; only 15 people have signed up for the AGA credit card, but the AGA has received over $1,500 in donations as a result; there was a hiccup in updating the ratings, but it’s being worked around. The Board also discussed the recent Chun Lan Cup Qualifier, as well as the AGA's guest official policy, with President Abramson expressing a preference to select those not directly involved in the AGA's bureaucracy “as it is one of few ways available to reward volunteers for their service.” The next board meeting is scheduled for March 18th. - reported by Daniel Smith