A NEW YEAR AND A NEW AGA

by Roy Laird, Outgoing AGA President

January 6, 2003

By the time you read this, Chris Kirschner will have assumed the Presidency of a newly restructured AGA, with its first elected Board and a whole new operating structure. As I step down, I want to wish Chris the best of luck with his ambitious plans for the AGA.

I also want to thank all of you who have done so much for the AGA during the past five years. Together, we have accomplished a great deal. The AGA Summer Go Camp, the only such camp in the world, is now a reality. More material support is available to chapters and organizers than ever before. Our updated and expanded website attracts thousands of new first-time visitors every week. The E-Journal, with 5000+ subscribers and growing, is the most widely read English-language go publication in the world. 

While accomplishing all of the above, we also increased the AGA's bank account by almost $100,000! But the real value of what we have accomplished can be seen in the AGA's growth. In January of 1998, when I assumed office, the AGA had slightly fewer than 1,000 full members and about fifty active chapters. Today, there are twice as many chapters, and more than 1,300 full members. Life membership has tripled, and it is especially gratifying to note a 50% increase in people who donate money to the AGA over and above their membership fees. Volunteers such as myself greatly appreciate this kind of extra vote of confidence.

None of this would have been possible without the team of able volunteers that I was fortunate enough to assemble. Chris Garlock, who redesigned and expanded the American Go Journal and developed the E-Journal, played a central role in the recent upsurge of memberships, especially with creative marketing strategies in the E-Journal. As Treasurer, Ulo Tamm played a key role in the fiscal improvements noted above, and in ways too numerous and complex to mention. Without Chapter Services Coordinator Bill Cobb, I am sure we would have nowhere near 100 chapters. And without Susan Weir and her dedicated team and successors, there certainly would be no Summer Go Camp. As Tournament Coordinator, Mike Bull worked with AGI President Ernest Brown and the Ing Foundation to bring the prestigious World Youth Goe Championship to Hawaii, one of many highlights during his long tenure. Database Coordinator Sam Zimmerman played his usual role, nearly invisible but always indispensable. And we all owe many thanks to other volunteers too numerous to mention here.

I hope to continue working to promote this wonderful game in the US, in my new role as webmaster and however else I can be of service. Every leader faces challenges, but even during difficult times, I have never forgotten this central truth: a growing, sustainable go community in the West will greatly enrich the lives of those fortunate enough to discover it. To those who understand the meaning of these words, I would add: Have a look at the AGA's new organizational chart at http://www.usgo.org/org/documents/aga_organization_chartv2.pdf . Somewhere on that chart is a job waiting for you. Discover the joy and rewards of working for American go!

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